The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Re-wire

I have a '53 GMC 100 with a '56 Chevy 235 in it that is (hopefully) going to be rewired. I have a Jim Carter basic harness and would like to try to install it myself. Electrical work IS NOT my forte. Any tips on going about this? Do I rip all the existing wiring off and start from scratch or try to replace one wire at a time? Start under the hood or under the dash?
Thanks in advance for the help.

I'm like you, electrical is not my better suit, but I'd start under the hood where you can see what you're doing and definitely go one wire at a time where you can. That should raise your comfort level. Then do the under dash. make sure you keep the instructions closeby to be sure you have the right wire going to the right place. Don't rush thru it, that's when the bigger mistakes are made. If you get to feeling overwhelmed and aggitated, step away and take a break. If something don't look right, ask questions, you'll get the answer either from here or from Jim Carter folks.

Trust me, like cablesmill said, one wire at atime. I.e. Do one circuit and test it. Then move to the next. Keep the diagram next to you.

i've rewired both my truck and a Camaro. Good input above. In addition to keeping the diagram handy, i used a highlighter to color over every wire or circuit bundle shown on the diagram as they were completed as I went along. it was printed on an 11" x 17" sheet so it was easy to see and trace the various runs. I also drew in other circuits I added (noting the wire color for reference later in case of problems) for accessories or equipment not supported by the wiring harness used.

Thanks for the input, fellas! I'm hoping to start this Monday. We'll see how it goes.

Good luck! As we say in the military, slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Take your time and do it right or you will have a blast chasing gremlins! I screwed up and had to get help