1968 GMC American Autowire Update kit

[jdm0068]

I decided to give my 1968 GMC a heart transplant for christmas. My new 350 is here, and assembled, but I keep looking at the hatchet job the previous owner did to the wiring on this poor truck.

I have done a fair bit of research and the American Autowire Update Kit seems like the direction I want to go. It has alot of what I am looking for extra circuits,

Any tips, where to buy, things to watch out for in the process, etc.

Engines and mechanical work dont freak me out but the electical stuff is a bit out of my comfort zone. Cant learn without breaking stuff tho, so why not dive in head first.

[Classic Heartbeat]

It's a walk in the park if you know how to read and identify the diagrams. Most of the kit is plug and play like your stock harness, but when it comes to the extras it's not so strait forward. Not hard but not strait forward. I have done a couple of them in trucks for my customers. I have a 72 short stepside in my shop write now that has power windows, power seats, power doors, and dual electric fans. No inline fuses needed. By the way M&H has the same kit and we sell both brands. WES

[Lee H]

I just finished an AAW classic upgrade kit on my 72. Top notch product. You need the crimpers that they rent or sell, both sizes, you can't properly do the job without them. You should also watch the crimping video on their web site before you attempt to crimp anything. I would buy this kit again and recommend it to anyone.

[Rust_phoenix]

X2 on the crimping pliers, you will want a couple of rolls of the tape they sell also, i had to trim the firewall a little but they send a template with the kit, it is a very nice product, very well packaged and they really do a good job of marking everything clearly and all of the diagrams are color coded, in addition they send a few practice parts to get you crimping correctly before you start

[groove22]

Just finished the rewire on my wifes 68. I had no clue what I was doing. Its about as easy as you can get. If you have problems AAW has expert to help out when needed. I called once for the shaved door kit. Top notch product and customer help. Wished I had this for my 69 Camaro.

Allen

[jdm0068]

needs a picture of the truck. It needs/needed alot of TLC.

Thank you for advice.

[Bob B.]

Have AAW harnesses in my truck. Top notch product, no question. One bit of advice- before you install the harness, check it against a wiring diagram for crossed wires. A friend of mine almost burned up a restored 1970 'Cuda because the quality reproduction harness (not AAW, BTW) had a main circut going straight to ground. It does happen!

Nice '68!

[jocko]

nice little stepper you have there.
do most folks lean toward the labeled wires (i.e. circuit labeled every few feet on the wire - and I'm not sure if aaw has that printed on there) - or - do most folks prefer non-labeled? While the labled would be convenient and probably keep me from screwin a re-wire up, I think I'd preer the look of the non-labeled so it would look more stock.

jdm (or WES, or anyone that has done it already) - are aaw's wires labeled?

[groove22]

They are labeled about every couple of inches. Makes for an easy rewire. I don't think I could have done it any other way. The descriptions on the instructions are really good, explanations and diagrams.

Allen
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[OldCreek]

Agreed, the AAW harness is top notch. I've done two.

I just watched the crimping video for the first time. Wow, like many things the right tools make the job look better and quicker.

If I had one of those $100 crimpers I would have used it. Having said that, I used a standard wire stripper and crimper. It did the job and none of my crimps have come loose. (yet?)

[PortalAxls]

I was looking at this kit, does anyone know if there are enough wiring differences with the 305 V6 to make me have to go custom over this harness?
I have searched but can't find any diagrams for the V6 to compare with the V8.

This is the response I got from a vendor in a pm

Luke,
The kit is designed for V8 applications, I imagine you can adapt to a V6 application with a little splicing if needed. However, it does not state V6 specifically.

[Lee H]

I think the V8 harness would work. The only differences are the locations of the sensors. The "engine" portion of the harness includes wires for the starter, oil sending unit, alternator, distributor (coil & ballast if needed), temp sender, and brake light switch. All of these wires require routing to the correct location & terminations. All of these wires are plenty long enough.

[ramrod7373]

I did the same on my 69 stepper. Not hard, just time consuming. I hate wiring, but the instructions were great. I bought mine straight from AAW. My truck was a original 6 cyl, and the wiring was hacked big time. I left the wirirng exposed on the firewall to give it a little color.

[Classic Heartbeat]

Wether they are labeled or not depends on witch kit you buy. I have done both, but prefer the one with stock ends. The ones that the wires are labeled will need to be trimmed, and the stock ends applied. Although the stock ends come with the harness. WES

[Tom Vogel]

By the way M&H has the same kit and we sell both brands. WES[/QUOTE]

Wes, didn't you tell me that the main wire bundle under the dash came out the bottom of the fuse panel on the M&H? It comes out the top on the AAW kit, just like factory, so no need to try and route that huge bundle of wires so they can't be seen when you are getting in and out of the truck.
The AAW Classic Update kit you sold me is an amazing piece, top notch and well thought out, their customer service on questions is great too. There is no way the old stock harness would handle half the electrical extras my Jimmy has on it, the AAW kit has extra circuits for all that plus more, and looks factory doing it. Does this sound like a commercial? Hey so be it, give credit where credit is due. Thanks,Wes
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