starting on the wiring job....

[BUXMAN66]

taking on the wiring task as has been so thoroughly described on alan horvath's site(thanks again,alan!) ......gonna try to get the starting capabilities sorted out first,and then go to the easier and less difficult areas to access..(taillights,dome, headlights,...etc.) picked up a pretty nifty little tool to help w/ the heat-shrink of the wiring connectors. it's a pencil butane torch....will melt the protective coating at the wiring ends so you can get the connectors on as well as heat shrinking the rubber to form a protective seal for the wiring connection. also, the local chevy dealership has been very useful in coming up w/ the much needed connectors (like headlight switch plug) to make this a much easier and neater job. some of the electrical connectors are not the everyday stuff you can get off the parts store shelves... gonna turn in so i can get at it as early as possible.2nd shifters kinda happen to sleep later!

[BUXMAN66]

got the rough layout of the wiring ran over the last 2 days....installed a s/s cover plate w/ a 1 1/8" hole cut out of the middle for the wiring to pass through and used a heater hose grommet to protect the wiring.connected the "black" and "clear" column ignition plugs as well as the steering column plug assembly( turn signals,horn,flashers...etc.) ran the coil,choke,alt.,ignition power wires through and to thier respective areas. gotta try and figure out the ignition start power wire that needs to be run from the harness fuse pnl. to the neutral safety switch and then on out through the firewall,to the starter.while i was at it, i made me up some new battery cables using #1 guage welding wire...the electrican at work said this is the best wire to use because of the amount of strands in the wire. something like 1200 to 1400 hundred individual strands are in #1 welding wire.it's hard to believe how time consuming this kind of job can be until you do it!

[horvath]

Hey, man!

Glad you're goin' at it. It took me 10 days to do mine, but I really took my time, enjoyed the process, and double-checked everything I was doing as I was doing it.

I loved wiring my truck! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, bro'. I KNOW you're gonna be proud, when you're done and driving around.

[BUXMAN66]

y'know your right the more i do this the more fun and rewarding(corny?) it seems to be. i was pretty imtimidated just by the thought of a mess of wires.....but once you isolate each and every individual wire and where they will go... it seems to become less imtimidating. understanding what the hell the instructions mean,and deciphifering what's goin' on w/ a particular circuit and not gettin' frustrated and throwing it down kinda helps too!!

[escher]

anyone have a link to alan horvath's site???

found it!

[horvath]

It's under my signature!

I hope that's where you found it ...

[BUXMAN66]

gettin' closer.....got the wiring to the front end/engine compartment just about completed....waiting on my new starter to get here.using the asphalt/fabric wire loom to run my wires through,sealing w/ shrink wrap at the termination points.working 10hr. days is not very conducive to getting a project like this completed in short time,though.at the same time i'm doing my wiring i'm finishing my build on the 350 smblk. and all the little things associated w/ it.got my aluminum hose ends installed tonite from radiator to water pump.also the tranny modulator vaccuum line from the back of the intake down to the vac. modulator on the tranny.used presto-lock connectors for the hard plastic line.will keep posted on any new installs.....

[horvath]

You're making good progress, man!

I'm glad to hear you're using the asphalt/fabric wire loom ... I think that stuff adds great protection from road grime, etc.

Don't rush it; enjoy it.

[escher]

how's the wiring job going??

where are the pics??

[BUXMAN66]

still at it!! trying to finish up the front end while it is off.took the headlight buckets out to wire in the lights as well as the parking lights. i noticed that it looked as though the buckets hadn't even been gone through since '49.... so i took them into work and sand-blasted them and repainted 'em. only had one hole for the parklights,...on the left front of the fender facing....so i got a knock-out from the electrician at work and got that done.it seems like one project leads into doing another one as you go along! as i'm doing the truck i'm coordinating efforts to get my new garage wired also.i'm having 100amp sevice wired for my new 22x40 "cleary" pole barn/garage.and once the electric is done i have to get ready for the concrete to be poured....it's making my truck wiring take longer than expected to say the least. in doing my headlight buckets i noticed that my bulb retaining ring on one side is in need of replacement....if anyone has a spare 7" retaining ring in decent shape i could use one!

[escher]

my grandpa says "a man's job is never done!"

i guess that goes for auto restoration too!!

i still need to get my work area built before i dive in

i am currently at the farm and have been looking my trucks over

keep the updates coming!!!

[BUXMAN66]

well here's one for an update.....don't try to use the old fabric/tar covered original style wire looming! especially w/ the front end wiring....too many wires branch off to go to the headlights,front flashers.you have to have the loom cut to the exact length to run the wire through,and if your wiring is'nt to the exact length/placement that you want it at you have no idea how long to make the loom length! aarrgghh!! it'll drive ya crazy! you have to make sure also that you have all your grommets in place too,or you'll have to cut you pretty solderless connectors and have to run the wires through the grommets again.needless to say this has been an experience thus far....and you kinda learn as you go. if you don't wanna make sure that it looks presentable i'm sure there's easier ways to do it...but who wants to do it half-ass? i'll be diggin' out the soldering iron tomorrow to splice in the drivers side front lighting. i started on the pass. side front fender and completed that,..... ran it through some convoluted tubing( has the slit down the length of the looming) and now will be able to branch off to the drivers side headlight/flashers.heat-shrink tubing will cover the soldering points.just some thoughts for any of you pondering a wiring job....go w/ convoluted tubing!! it's MUCH easier!!

[Hart_Rod]

After you get done, you will be the envy of all your friends because most people are afraid of wiring. Electricity is really fairly simple, just try to think of it in terms water going through water pipes, switches are valves and so forth. Studying the schematics seem to help also. I've wired several cars, and the basic approach I have always taken is to get the box mounted in correct location. Start running (routing) wires toward their compents. Do not cut any wires yet! Then go back to the box and start securing the wires (wire ties or adel clamps) and rerouting as necessary as you work toward the individual components. Finish up inside, then go to the engine compartment, headlights, tail lights.... Cutting the wires and attaching the components is one of the last things I do. Just food for thought.

R

[BUXMAN66]

good points there, rob! yeah the wiring kinda seems daunting when you look at the totality of it all....i'm trying to concentrate on each individual circuit,...then move on to the next one. btw, beautiful rake on that chebby of yours! nice truck!