Wiring Your Truck

[Laid_Out_50]

I am finally going to word up my truck. I am picking up a 20 circuit kit from speedway. So my question is how hard is it to wire these trucks? On average how long does it take? How many circuits did you use?
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[jfortvalley]

its not hard to wire them but its teedious takes me about 40 to 50 hrs to wire a vehicle . the amount of circuits depends on the amount of stuff a/c electric fans and so forth. go to waytech wiring for some supplies they have the chinese finger wrap for the harness in different sizes and other peices and parts too

[mknittle]

It really depends on the person doing the wireing.these trucks are pretty simple. i did my jeep a little over a day from scratch and I solder and shrink sleave all the connections.

[Laid_Out_50]

I'm an electrician for a living so I don't think it should be that hard I'm only going to be running give or take 10 circuits
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[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Laid_Out_50

I'm an electrician for a living so I don't think it should be that hard I'm only going to be running give or take 10 circuits

it can be as easy or hard as you make it.
mine took me a month or better and i'm a licensed electrician too.

all circuits used: power seat, power windows, remote start, alarm system, ac, shaved door solenoids, trunk solenoid, tonneau cover solenoid, cruise control, electric fuel pump, stereo, 8 speakers, sub woofer, 2 amps, electric fan and i'm still adding to it

if your not using any of that, plan on a couple of days running wires
terminating wires will last until the end of your build...
very few wires show under my hood, that takes time too.

[mknittle]

as you well know the routing takes the most time.

[OrrieG]

I'm getting ready to tackle mine too. Hardest part so far has been making sure I have all the little pieces I need. I am going to figure out the fuse box mounting location and method next. After that physical circuit layout (I have it on paper). Then EZ wire suggest starting with the rear harness, front harness, engine and finishing with the dash. I am also figuring out where my weathertech connectors will go so I can easily remove the bed and front clip without having to rewire anything. As I have been installing electrical stuff I have been testing to make sure they power up and have good grounds. Grounding is critical, cab to frame, bed to frame and frame and engine to the cab grounding bolt.

[shadow1967]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

I'm getting ready to tackle mine too. Hardest part so far has been making sure I have all the little pieces I need. I am going to figure out the fuse box mounting location and method next. After that physical circuit layout (I have it on paper). Then EZ wire suggest starting with the rear harness, front harness, engine and finishing with the dash. I am also figuring out where my weathertech connectors will go so I can easily remove the bed and front clip without having to rewire anything. As I have been installing electrical stuff I have been testing to make sure they power up and have good grounds. Grounding is critical, cab to frame, bed to frame and frame and engine to the cab grounding bolt.

Thanks OrrieG and Laid OUT 50,
I did not think about disassemble for reworking things.

[solidaxel]

Originally Posted by mknittle

as you well know the routing takes the most time.

YES- YES - YES !!!
All of those wires only end up in one place and they are all stamped every 6 inches............. but the printing is very small and it will wipe off, so take care in handeling

[RootBeer 6117]

I have been teaching a high school class to wire mine we have 3 different harnesses on it, so far it runs,drives and all the lights work even the dome light comes on when we open the door. It took a semester and a different engine harness but we got it.

[parkwood]

took about a week working on it everyday, and yours should look like this about half way through...

[candyx]

I did a 18 circuit painless wiring kit in a couple of weeks a couple of hours each night.Soldering all connections and ends,wire protectors,routing.First time i wired anything and it was pretty simple following the instructions,the kit is pretty straight forward.

[Laid_Out_50]

Thanks guys I am trying to go for a clean look minimal wires showing. Is it possible to mount the fuse block under the seat?
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[77chris03]

took me 73 hrs to do mine....68 short step with almost everything wired...

[Indian113]

Laid Out 50,I don't know about you but it's hard enough to see under my seat let alone check fuses! I put mine under dash on drivers side,easy to route wire's for me at that spot.

[_Ogre]

most of the wires hit the dash at one time or another
i'd keep the fuse block under the dash
look at my pic, the grey flex is how i got all my wires to the front end

[focusedontheprize]

I began wiring my truck this weekend.

My goal was:
- Minimal wires showing
- Clean installation
- Be able to disconnect the main harness and remove the cab without having to remove the harness from the frame and front clip
- Hide the fuse box, but still accessible
- Have the fuse box inside the cab

After speaking with my Uncle (who will mainly be doing the wiring) we came to the conclusion the best route was to attach the fuse box underneath the dash which would keep it hidden, but easily accessible. We would then run the main loom through the hole where the high beam floor switch was. We would then separate the rear wires (3 of them) from the main loom and run them inside the frame rail down the driver's side to keep them protected and hidden.

From there the wires that run in the engine would run to the designated areas. Unfortunately right now my front clip is not on so everything is laying there until I get that on. I am still trying to figure out how low I can run them so people can't see them. Also the connection I will do at a later time (so I can remove the cab).

So I think as long as you have a plan laid out it won't be that bad at all.
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[OrrieG]

I built my fuse box bracket today, sounds like the same location as yours. For connectors look at GM weathertech (or weatherhead I get the named mixed up) type, they are gasketed and relatively watertight. I will be using them so I can remove the front clip and bed without rewiring. No holes in the firewall and it stands off the firewall for wiring clearance.

[oldcouple]

That bracket looks suspiciously like a part of the highway marker sign that is missing along I-84.

[OrrieG]

I go by the local metal scrapper once a week. A couple of times a year the local highway district dumps all their replaced signs, ones that they use for testing paint and vinyl or just screwups. Before aluminum prices went crazy I bought a couple of 4 x 8 aluminum freeway size signs and have been using them for various projects. I wondered if anyone would notice *^))

[oldcouple]

Sounds legit, lol.

[mr48chev]

Study the instructions, study the instructions and study them again. Figure out what every wired does before you ever start putting things in and then start the install.

The best wiring jobs I have ever seen were done by a friend who worked for the phone company for over 30 years. Not one wire out of place or misrouted on the whole vehicle.

Take your time and make it as neat and presentable as you can even if not one wire shows.

[OrrieG]

Last winter I saw a show about how Subaru builds their ralley cars. One thing that caught my eye was how the layed out the wiring. They made a plywood layout of the floor plan and placed it vertical with all the electrical components shown, to full scale, in the right locations. They then proceeded to "wire" the car using screw in loops to support the wire. They explained they were looking for the shortest travel distance because at the speeds they travel a few milliseconds delay from a longer wire, or incorrect size, could cause a fatal telemetry problem. When I get to that step I am going to clear the second garage bay and do the same on the floor next to the truck, I already know that a lot of the ez wire runs will need unbundled and redirected.

[booger1949]

my first fuse block i put under the seat an it worked great, i only moved it because i opted to put speakers under my seat

[hotrod1]

Not cheap, but the hot ticket right now. Not for everyone though.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/g...t/viewall.html