Bird Nest Under Dash

[powder60]

I'm sure many of you have had your wiring in your trucks look like a family of birds have made their home under the dash. The mess is so bad that I don't even have a clue where to begin. I'm thinking about taking it to a electrical auto shop and having them straighten the mess out. Has anybody had a shop do this for them and how much can I expect to pay. Not sure if I can afford to do a complete new wiring harness at this time. Maybe a front wiring harness? Any thoughts and recommendations would be great. ....Powder 60

[PGSigns]

My 65 was a total mess. Im pretty good with wiring and the more I worked on i the more I did not like it. I just bit the bullet and put and American Auto wire harness in it. The make both the replacement harness and the one I used the classic update. With all the modern stuff on that one I needed all the extra features. If you are going back completely stock you swap it your self as it is plug and play.
Jimmy

[TJ's Chevy]

Time for some dynamite.

[morethanstock66]

Originally Posted by powder60

I'm sure many of you have had your wiring in your trucks look like a family of birds have made their home under the dash. The mess is so bad that I don't even have a clue where to begin. I'm thinking about taking it to a electrical auto shop and having them straighten the mess out. Has anybody had a shop do this for them and how much can I expect to pay. Not sure if I can afford to do a complete new wiring harness at this time. Maybe a front wiring harness? Any thoughts and recommendations would be great. ....Powder 60

I did a full chassis painless kit ($450-ish) on my '67 and took it to a shop to do. They did it well, but it was about $1400 in labor alone (Houston Area). I am in the middle of doing another full chassis painless kit on my '66 ($420-ish), labor is free, you route it exactly how you want it, and you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself. The killer is time. How much time do you have to devote to it. I say do a lot of research on your harnesses. Find one labeled all over exactly how it goes, with decent instructions and most likely extra space in the box and wiring for upgrades. I like painless, that's just me. Best part about replacing wiring correctly is that when you plug something new in and it doesn't work, you know it can't be the wiring.

[squidley63]

I messed around trying to fix my wiring in the 63 for about 10 years before finally biting the bullet and changing out the whole thing. I used a generic style harness that cost under 300 bucks and took about 2 weeks after work to put it all in and get the truck running again. It was some of the best money I've spent on my truck in all the years of owning the truck. Paying someone to do it would be a deal breaker though because of the time it takes to do it right.

[PGSigns]

I have used painless and after going to AAW it is a lot less painless than the painless harness. I just got an AAW kit for the 66.
Jimmy

[Shaky]

I usually just pony up for a whole new harness, since at this point the insulation is brittle and fixing what's already there becomes questionable...

[MikeS.]

AAW here as well.

[tincan1966]

In all honesty, since we run a shop, specializing in electrical work, you will spend a lot less buying a new harness and installing it, then you most likely will paying a shop to repair yours.

Not sure what the going shop rate is in your area, but around here $75-95/hr is normal, so they better be quick! LOL!

We sell Painless, American Autowire, Rebel, and Ron Francis harnesses. All are good quality, come with what you need and can be done by the do it yourselfer.
We don't particularly care for EZ wire or the cheapies from places like ebay and summit, because they do not include the "extras" you will need like the switches, connectors, light pigtails, heat shrink, relays, etc.
Those $179 kits sound good, but you'll end up with another $150-200 buying what you need to finish.

An example for pricing our shop charges $650 for a new harness, installed with basic equipt. ie: ignition/starting system(OEM or aftermarket/HEI) charging system(either OEM or modern) lights, cig lighter, radio, heat/air, dome light, back up lights, trailer connector.
For 1960-66 Chevy/GMC
It includes:
Painless or AAW kit
All new switches, fuses, relays, circuit breakers, flashers
All new bulbs(LED and Halogen conversions available)
New turn signal switch(For OEM column)
New blower motor switch, fan motor and resistor(for OEM heater)
Soldered and heat wrapped connections
Zip loom or fabric harness covering
Our normal turn around is 2 days, depending on other options needing installed.

[earl84]

I installed an AAW Classic Update, first time ever wiring anything. It was a big job, but not difficult really. People's definition of difficult is a lot different however. It did take me probably a good 20 hours to install.
Tincan1966, that's a very good price to install all that. You guys must be fast.

[Clyde65]

Tincan that is very reasonable IMO!

Earl, I'm calling you when I do mine, your experience will help mine go smoother I think. I'll buy lunch and the beverages!!

[tincan1966]

Originally Posted by earl84

I installed an AAW Classic Update, first time ever wiring anything. It was a big job, but not difficult really. People's definition of difficult is a lot different however. It did take me probably a good 20 hours to install.
Tincan1966, that's a very good price to install all that. You guys must be fast.

We do anywhere from 20-30 total re-wires a year, usually with 2 of us working on them at the same time- one removing old and installing/routing the new harness and one working on components- sort of the "divide and conquer method". I have pre-made instrument cluster harness made up for aftermarket gauges, and also for OEM cluster with or without gauges. We build new wiper switch to motor harness from an OEM pattern, either 1 speed or 2 speed with washers, as well as the harness from blower motor switch to resistor, to blower motor. having these made in advance helps a lot.

Granted the more complex or more accessories added and the more fab time needed, increases the time and costs.

These trucks, in basic form have very little equipment on them, plus the new harness make upgrading the charging and ignition system easy.

Earl, if you're installing a classic update in 20 hours, you're moving right along, yourself

[chevyrestoguy]

Tincan-
That is a GREAT price for a re-wire. It sounds like you guys have a good method for doing the R&R. Having each tech have a specific task and area to work in is a smart, efficient way to do it.

I have restored and re-used original wire harnesses and I have installed brand new ones. Installing a brand new harness is my preferred method. Original harnesses can get brittle over time, and even with the best restoration methods and ohm checking after you're done, they can still have problems. The larger gauge power leads, like the ones tied to the ignition switch and at the fuse box, can be especially tricky because they rarely corrode and fail on the ends. The amp gauge wires are notorious for this. They like to corrode and fail in the middle of the harness. If you're lucky, it'll just cause an open circuit. If you're unlucky, it'll short out and the harness will burn and that can lead to a bunch of issues, none of them are good.

If you can afford to buy a new harness, it's the best way to go.

[tincan1966]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

Tincan-
That is a GREAT price for a re-wire. It sounds like you guys have a good method for doing the R&R. Having each tech have a specific task and area to work in is a smart, efficient way to do it.

I have restored and re-used original wire harnesses and I have installed brand new ones. Installing a brand new harness is my preferred method. Original harnesses can get brittle over time, and even with the best restoration methods and ohm checking after you're done, they can still have problems. The larger gauge power leads, like the ones tied to the ignition switch and at the fuse box, can be especially tricky because they rarely corrode and fail on the ends. The amp gauge wires are notorious for this. They like to corrode and fail in the middle of the harness. If you're lucky, it'll just cause an open circuit. If you're unlucky, it'll short out and the harness will burn and that can lead to a bunch of issues, none of them are good.

If you can afford to buy a new harness, it's the best way to go.

Thanks you! But my other "tech" is my 18 yr old daughter!
we think we have a good plan and so far it works well. She's been making the short harness for 2 years, we buy the connectors and terminals in bulk.

We're a small family business and try to be reasonable and fair.

As far as the pricing - that is reflective of installing a minimal 12 circuit panel, as mentioned for a BASIC rewire. We've used the 8 circuit, but prefer to leave the customer options for adding on later w/out a lot of rework.

we do give deals to board members, too!

[powder60]

Wow Tincan, that sounds like an awesome deal. That's seems very reasonable and I would spend that kind of money for peace of mind in my truck. Do you do this for a living or is it a hobby you do on the side? I live not to far from you (Des Moines, Iowa). Sounds like a road trip Thanks to everyone who responded. Got a lot of great info and ideas. Let you know on the progress with before and after pics.

[tincan1966]

We do this for a living- we run a resto and custom shop, that specializes in old trucks. Our main line is electrical repair/replacement.