Interesting day today

[Thealien]

I had waited eight months for my M & H wiring harness. I am also installing Dakota Digital RTX gauges and had to modify the harness a little bit. I removed the gauge cluster connector and installed a Deutsch connector for the connections to my RTX gauge control box. I also installed a Deutsch connector on all the sensors so I can just unplug them and remove the control box if I should ever need to.

Since the RTX gauges use their own temperature gauge I repurposed that wire in the engine compartment for my windshield washer tank mounted pump.

I made the majority of the connections and wanted to test a few things. The headlights worked. The horn did not, I forgot to plug in the relay, it works now. But I couldn’t get the truck to start or the starter to even spin. I tested for power and I had it on the red wire at the ignition switch. If I jumped to The purple wire and the starter would spin. The harness I removed from the truck was all hacked up and there was no connector on the back of the ignition switch. A previous owner had installed regular sta-cons and just plugged them into the back of the ignition switch.

Luckily I still had the wiring harness from my 2 Wheel Drive Blazer. Wouldn’t you know M & H install the red wire into the wrong part of the connector. Took me about an hour of testing and figuring it out and the Blazer now starts. You have to check everything these days. While installing and removing that connector a bunch of times I broke that connector. I placed a want to buy ad for one of those connectors.

And everything on this blazer has at least one stripped screw. The fuse box, the horn relay, the gas pedal, the sill plates, the top of the tailgate Blazer piece, the passenger door striker, one of the steering column support bolt holes (going to heli coil that), and I’m sure some I haven’t found yet.

My body guy showed me some screws that have a number 8 head but a number 10 thread which fixed the sill plates. The horn relay mounting screw was so stripped out it wouldn’t even tap to 1/4-20?

[jumpsoffrock]

One step forward, three steps to the side, a quick trip backward, and you find yourself upside down on your head facing the wrong direction.


Boy what a fun hobby we chose for ourselves, ain't it?

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I rec'd my last wire harness from M&H in December. They were ordered the previous January. So far everything looks right but I haven't tested much. I'm hoping to not have to. Edit: Only thing I had to fix, so far? was one of their temp controller terminals with sand paper. Otherwise I've really been impressed with the workmanship. We could do without the covid etc. response.

I had some stripped holes around the ducts and heater box. Sheet metal can be flattened out, not sure what I'd do if the sills were stripped, though I know I'd want to use original screws. Sometimes a wire on a screw can produce good results, or better to seal the holes and re-drill.