Tricks and tips on cleaning up unnecessary wires & holes in the engine compartment

[jeffg1010]

I recently started on the Blazer that I’ve owned for quite a while. Yeah I know, wrong forum... but there is a lot more activity in here so since they are the same under the hood I’m posting on here.

I hate under my hood. It’s a mess. Overspray, unused holes, loose and ratty wires. It looks like crap. So I’m starting there.

Can anyone share tips or tricks on how they cleaned theirs up? There is a lot going on in the firewall area so I’m not sure what all I can get rid of. I’ve never owned a welder but I’m considering getting one just so I can get rid of all those holes. What style do I need?

And of course, if you’re gonna talk about it, we’ve gotta see some pics of yours!

[LockDoc]

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This thread might give you some ideas...

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=659682

LockDoc

[87Skier]

When I first got my Jimmy, I redid all the underhood wiring since I was swapping to a newer gen I small block, needed a few extra wires, and was adding relays for headlights.

I moved the windshield wash wash hose (from tank) to a hole much closer to the wiring harness, then reused this spot for the oil pressure sender hardline.

I moved the fuel gauge sender wire to the rear light harness.

The front body wiring harness was moved to run through the fender along with the windshield wash hose.

The holes were filled with a grommet assortment like this one: Amazon

[jeffg1010]

Love the grommet suggestion. And less that ten bucks too!

[Jason Banks]

If you have a fairly stock situation still. I would order replacement harnesses. When you disconnect the wiring from the firewall it split's into 2 harnesses. One is the forward lamp harness and the other is the engine harness.

On mine I took the engine harness and cleaned it up with lacquer thinner and re-wrapped it with the non sticky black tape. I also fixed a couple wires and changed the wire for the HEI power. I ended up getting a new forward lamp harness because I thought it was going to take too long to clean up all the old spray paint from the areas not wrapped in tape. The forward lamp harness also connectors to the alternator and voltage regulator and the whole thing was pretty stiff. I figured a NEW harness would probably give me brighter lights and better charging.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by Jason Banks

If you have a fairly stock situation still. I would order replacement harnesses. When you disconnect the wiring from the firewall it split's into 2 harnesses. One is the forward lamp harness and the other is the engine harness.

On mine I took the engine harness and cleaned it up with lacquer thinner and re-wrapped it with the non sticky black tape. I also fixed a couple wires and changed the wire for the HEI power. I ended up getting a new forward lamp harness because I thought it was going to take too long to clean up all the old spray paint from the areas not wrapped in tape. The forward lamp harness also connectors to the alternator and voltage regulator and the whole thing was pretty stiff. I figured a NEW harness would probably give me brighter lights and better charging.

More good info Where are you ordering your forward lamp harness?

[OregonNed]

Between replacing wiring that was cobbled together, (with the right gauge and color), and routing between the driver side inner and outer fenders, I was able to clean things up quite well. Wires were laying across everything, including the spark plug wires. The wire gutters on the firewall and at the radiator were replaced. This is as clean as I have made it so far.

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by OregonNed

Between replacing wiring that was cobbled together, (with the right gauge and color), and routing between the driver side inner and outer fenders, I was able to clean things up quite well. Wires were laying across everything, including the spark plug wires. The wire gutters on the firewall and at the radiator were replaced. This is as clean as I have made it so far.

That is super clean.. nice work. May my engine bay look 1/10th as nice someday!

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by OregonNed

Between replacing wiring that was cobbled together, (with the right gauge and color), and routing between the driver side inner and outer fenders, I was able to clean things up quite well. Wires were laying across everything, including the spark plug wires. The wire gutters on the firewall and at the radiator were replaced. This is as clean as I have made it so far.

Oh my ... this is why I made this thread. Motivation.

[Rufas]

I didn't fill any holes on the firewall. I did take body filler and filled in all small dents and dimples leaving the firewall having a 'smooth' appearance. Where possible I recalked all seams and smooth those seams before the calking dried.

Get yourself new wiring harness. Cover all wiring with Braided Wire Wraps. On the ends of the Braided Wire Wraps use heat shrink tubing. That will keep the ends from fraying and it's visually more appealing. Try to hide wiring as much as possible. My headlight wiring is behind the left fender and over the wheel well. Washer hose follows the same route. Hide the wiring for the right headlight under the top portion of the core support. The power lead from the alternator, one wire, runs over the intake manifold, behind the engine, to the positive cable on the starter. All leads for the EFI come from the back of the engine and over the intake. All wiring is covered with Braided Wire Wraps and are tied back with black plastic zip ties. Use the shortest/smallest ties possible to keep it visually appealing. Clip the zip ties as close as possible for neatness and to keep from cutting yourself on the clipped ends. Get good spark plug wires and run them from the distributor, behind the engine and preferably under the exhaust manifold/headers. You might have to get a set that you need to 'cut to fix'. If you do spend the money on a good spark plug wire crimper. There are no wires hanging off of my engine.

I'm not using the factory junction block located on the right fender that is normally connected to the battery via a fusible link. I have a six terminal buss connector mounted on the core support, under the battery tray, that connects to the positive battery post through a 40 amp fuse. That is also where relays for my electric fans are. This allows for shorter wires, the shorter the better when carrying high current to the electric fans. All my power for the truck, except starter lead, comes from the buss bar and is run behind the right fender and over the wheel well. From where the fender meets the firewall the power leads travel under the heater/AC housing and enter into the cab there.

Be consistent with all nuts and bolts. I used stainless steel almost exclusively that I hand polished. Be creative and hide as much wiring as possible. That might require modifying harness somewhat. Just use good connectors and the proper wire gauge.

Remember just to take your time and think through all options.



Taylor Diamondback Shielded Battery Cables 20238


Taylor Diamondback Shielded Battery Cables 20224


Summit Racing® Braided Wire Wraps


Here is another example of hiding wires on my 67 Cutlass with a 468 BBC.

[Leonard1]

Here's a pic of my firewall from several years ago, but I tried to label each hole for reference:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...59&postcount=1

[jeffg1010]

Where are you guys buying your wiring harnesses?

[Jason Banks]

The last ones I got I bought from some random person on ebay. Because eBay had a 15 or 20 percent off coupon going...

[darrellyates]

Welded up and only added holes as necessary. Kept most things on the driver's side, changed everything on the passenger (running vintage air).

Good Luck with yours!!!

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by darrellyates

Welded up and only added holes as necessary. Kept most things on the driver's side, changed everything on the passenger (running vintage air).

Good Luck with yours!!!

Looks awesome!