What brand of whole-truck-wiring-harness have you installed- are you happy with it?

[WinDancer]

I searched last night and read all the posts that came up, so please don't send a forum link

Want to hear from folks who have bought and installed [themselves] a complete truck wiring harness:
Why did you choose the brand you bought?
Did it come with the stock factory connectors installed?
How many circuits did it come with?
How would you rate the install?
How many hours did it take?
Did you have any problems with the harness/install?

This is a pretty big step for me to do myself and I want to help myself all I can with a quality harness that won't be a headache- and won't break the bank.........

Thanks for the help,

[Southedisto]

Why did you choose the brand you bought?

Painless, availability and price

Did it come with the stock factory connectors installed?

Most of them, steering column half moon was not and a few other small connectors

How many circuits did it come with?

18

How would you rate the install?

1-10 I would say a 4

How many hours did it take?

maybe 12 ish

Did you have any problems with the harness/install?

nope

I crimped, soldered, greased and heatshrinked nearly all of my connections, so that took a little longer. Also, I was adding other items to the system when I was doing it. Just take your time and follow the instructions and ask questions and you should be fine.

[moose83772]

i did a 18 circuit painless in all of about 2 hours. but the interior is not finished. i still need to wire the power windows and door locks and stereo and speakers. and i don't have ac yet. it was extremely easy. the hardest part aside from running wires was taking metal clips out of the half moon for the steering column so i could reuse the plastic. the wires for it come with the metal clips already on them. they just plug right in.

[eric67m]

18 circuit painless as the previous people.

My only complaints were.
Had to extend wiper switch wires to mount on left side of instrument cluster (1967)
Fuel sender wire was routed to the outside of the cab (not behind seat as stock)
Insufficent wire length for backup lights(reached closest side but not would not make it to other light)
Run on problem fixed by radio shack diode #276 1661


I am currently totally satisfied that I am not chasing electrical gremlins. My truck and all of the hooked up functions work with out fail.

[airdale94]

Originally Posted by eric67m

18 circuit painless as the previous people.

My only complaints were.
Had to extend wiper switch wires to mount on left side of instrument cluster (1967)
Fuel sender wire was routed to the outside of the cab (not behind seat as stock)
Insufficent wire length for backup lights(reached closest side but not would not make it to other light)
Run on problem fixed by radio shack diode #276 1661


I am currently totally satisfied that I am not chasing electrical gremlins. My truck and all of the hooked up functions work with out fail.

What was the "run on problem" that was fixed by a diode?

[Southedisto]

Originally Posted by airdale94

What was the "run on problem" that was fixed by a diode?

Alternator was still charging the system, and providing power to the coil so it wouldn't shut off. My best guess anyway.

[Ackattack]

I too installed the painless 18 circuit kit.

It took me a few days to install with an hour here and there.

I just crimped the connectors and haven't had a problem with them, and that was back in 2001...so 6 years.

It solved all of the electrical issues I had.

Complaints:
Accessory position on the switch essentially doesn't work. No radio or anything.
didn't include the A/C wiring. I wrongly assumed it did.

As mentioned, the fuel sending unit wire is set up for rear tank, no inside the cab tank.

Since it's been awhile I don't remember all of the connectors that I had to buy, but I remember chasing down some connectors and pins.

My 68 will be getting a new wiring harness too, but I think I'll try a different brand...if that give you any clue.

Good luck.

[lowrollin70gmc]

Why did you choose the brand you bought?
I choose EZ wiring because of the lowest price I could find while maintaining favorable reviews from other members of this community.

Did it come with the stock factory connectors installed?
It was a custom harness and had only a few factory connections, which was perfect for my situation, I even mounted by box on the passenger side of the dash to clean up the driver's side.

How many circuits did it come with?
20 circuit mini fuses, if I remember correctly.

How would you rate the install?
By thinking it out logically and taking my time, it wasn't hard. My hardest part was running wires under the truck (I don't fit under my truck and I'm skinny). Wires labeled every foot or so, etc.

How many hours did it take?
It took a good weekend, but I also rewired my custom gauge cluster, made a switch panel, pulled the stock heater, rewired my radio, switched some fuses to other purposes (shaved door handles, airbag suspension, etc.), and put quick connects at the radiator support and bed for easy disassembly. Also, most of my harness is purposely not routed in stock locations. All that took extra time, and all connections were soldered and shrink wrapped.

Did you have any problems with the harness/install?
No problems, truck runs like a champ and I'm happy with it. The install was done completely solo (and that was good, as I made the garage a mess).
I love the harness compared with the stock, as there are no random wires laying around, my firewall is ready to be shaved, there are no wires on my fenders, and the fuse block is easier to get to on the passenger side (I welded the glove box opening shut. But this is a completely custom truck, so take that in account.

[Bob B.]

I used harnesses from American Autowire. They are expensive, but very high quality and had all the factory connectors and correct color wire. I did find one connector in the A/C harness that had the wires reversed, but that was an easy fix (and supports the notion that you should check every wire in a new harness before you install it, regardless of where you got it from). The dash harness was listed for '67 thru '68, and the light circuts were wired as a '68. That means the front park lights came on with the headlights, where on a '67 they do not. It would have been easy to modify the harness to correct that, but I would rather the park lights do come on with the headlights, so I left it alone. Since my truck is a GMC V-6, I used a small block V-8 engine harness and modified it a bit (not much more than shortening the temp. sender wire) to fit. I also removed the ignition resistor wire, as I am using a Pertronix ingition system. Everything works!

['68OrangeSunshine]

I got a new harness [Alt, Front, Lights] from a vendor. Brothers, I think. It was made by M&H Electric. The wireset included a tag indicating the name of the guy who assembled it. It fit perfectly, had all the right GM-type connectors in the right lengths, even had the correct "Shootin' Shell" style snaps to hold the wires in the right places.
Expensive, but high quality. I have had no problems with it.

[ChevLoRay]

I haven't replaced the entire set of harnesses, instead just doing what I can or need to do at the moment.

M&H (www.wiringharness.com) is the source I have also used. Right colors. Right connectors. Price is competitive, too. I have spoken with them on the phone and they are also willing to help you if you have questions.

I know Painless stuff is supposed to be good, but it seems to me to be something that can work, while M&H stuff is specific to the body styles.

At least check out their website and see what they have to offer.

[eric67m]

Originally Posted by airdale94

What was the "run on problem" that was fixed by a diode?

The truck would start and run but would not shut off with the key. You would have to get out and pull the connection to the alternator. The info is available on painless's website forum. From what I remember the "alternator exciter wire (white #914)" would back feed. The diode only allows power one way therefore no backfeeding and the truck will shut off. I thought it said something in their manual but could not find it this morning. The website does have the information.


Looking over my notes of complaints from my install in addition to previous ones...

must supply or use old brake switch terminal
AC heat switch just long enough
must supply or use old turn signal connector
one of my main power wire connectors was not fully installed into the firewall connector
horn was prerouted to the passangers side


Dont get me wrong. I am very pleased that I have replaced my electrical system. The "problems" that I noted upon installation were much easier to fix than keeping things working on my previous trucks electrical. I would consider doing a painless system again but might also look into ron francis which no one has mentioned yet.