The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay New wiring harness install

I’m getting things ready so I can have a professional shop do major work on my ‘50 half ton……. Replace the original 216 with a 235, complete replacement of the entire brake system, and installation of a new 12V wiring harness. I’ve been thinking about installing the wiring harness myself before I take the truck in. About how long would it take me? I’ve never done anything electrical in my life except minor wiring projects. I’ll buy a quality harness that has each wire labeled.

Thanks

6 to 8 hours with lots of difficult positions to get into I should think.

A young and flexible back/body is what you need for wiring behind the dash.
I don't have a problem doing electrical wiring but it's misery for me to contort my body to fit.
If I get stuck, the wife has to come and pull me out by the ankles.

The other thing to watch out for is that most (not 100% positive) of the 12 volt harness kits are designed for typical hot rod cruiser (my words here) conversions with all the bell and whistles. The package might say "for 1947 to 1955 Chevrolet trucks" but that doesn't mean it will work perfect for you. Companies make kits with the desired options that sell the most.

One example. The kit may only come with one plug to wire up to a typical replacement modern GM steering column with cruise control, turn-signals...brake, horn, e-flashers etc. Why? Because this is today's current popular item to have installed on old trucks. To me it's madness. If you want to keep your stock steering column, you have to make your own adapter/connector for existing horn and turn-signal device. It can quickly become confusing to you. If you are committed to doing the wiring , you definitely need to do your homework. Once you strip out the old wiring and begin installation, not many on this forum will be willing to help if you get stuck with a bad problem. It's not that we don't care, it's that we expect you to educate yourself about the electrical system and wiring techniques so that problems can be discussed intelligently.

So Twin Jimmy’s, you think I can do it in one day or less? That’s great! I figured at least two.

Buoymaker, I’m definitely not young anymore, but I’m not overweight and I’m still flexible and nimble enough to be able to contort myself to be able to work under the dash. Did it once before when I removed my speedometer gauge to fix it. I’ve already done some homework looking for an appropriate wiring harness with all the necessary circuits and with just enough “extras” so I can add one or two new things if I ever want to. I’m smart enough to know not to get in over my head. Thanks for the cautionary advice.

Working under the dash...

Take the front seat out. If you have a 4 speed, remove the shifter and plug the hole. Get some foam to lie on. Use a trouble light to provide plenty of illumination.

PM sent

You can reduce the amount of time spent under the dash is you remove the light switch, speedometer and gauge cluster. Pull the harness through the firewall with extra towards the cab. This way you can attach all those connections to the light switch and dash gauges in comfort inside the cab with good vision. Then install the items back into the dash. I learned it is easy to install the speedometer and gauge cluster just sitting in the seat and installing the mounting nuts with a 3/8" socket and driver by feel. There are several old threads on this subject in the forums. Now just pull the harness taut into the engine compartment.
Kent

The steering column not being there would be helpful as well. That's the way I intend to reinstall my wiring and dash stuff. The steering column has to be out for the cab to go back on anyway, so will be "dressing" the cab before installing it on the frame.

Thanks for all the replies. I like Lightholder’s Dads idea about removing the gauges and pulling the harness into the cab, then attaching the wires to the gauges while sitting on the bench seat. Pretty comfy vs laying on your back and working with your hands above your head. I have always hated that position! Next to decide on a moderately priced, quality wiring harness…..

Or is that an oxymoron?!?

Cost and quality are almost always a tradeoff.

My personal experience is with painless brand, speedway motors brand, and cheap ebay garbage. Based on that, I recommend the Speedway. They are quite a bit cheaper than the Painless harnesses and (in my opinion) every bit as good. Painless has more customization options available if you want/need those, but it doesn't sound like you do.

There was another thread about wiring recently that had at least one other recommendation (coach harnesses?). Maybe someone else will chime in with other recommendations.

You could always do what I did for the '40 Ford and my Model A. Make the dash plug in.

That looks really sharp. Out of curiousity, why did you use 3 2-pin connectors instead of a single 6 pin?

Also, inquiring minds need to know. Did you put the male pins or the female pins in the side of the connector on the gauges? I always put the female pins in that side of the housing, but I have a buddy who insistes that is backward and that side should have the male pins.

Convention for safety: Male pins on any electrical item, of any voltage, go on the cold side. You never want anything hot "sticking out". If the connector male pins are shrouded somehow, (as in: protected from short or shock), it would be OK.
The WeatherPack style male pins are pretty well protected.

As you know, in the home, the plug (male) is on the cold side.

For your discussion with your buddy: In the connector world, the gender of a connector is determined by the shell, not by the contact.

7 wires. So I broke up the grouping. Top is light circuit and high beam indicator, below that is the 3 gauge sensors, and to the right is main power and ground.

Female pins in the male housing. They just fit in the housing better.

Agreed Bartamos. Those pins are pretty deep inside the female housing.

Yeah, I think the female pins in the male housing fit better too. Bartamos, I agree that a connector with exposed pins always goes on the cold side. Weatherpack connectors have both sides deep enough inside that neither is exposed.

Yeah, I agree with myself.

You da man Bartamos!! Thanks again for everyone’s comments. Very helpful. I’m going to the Speedway website and see what they have.

Did you read my PM?

I was very pleased with YnZs harness. Fabric covers the modern insulation makes it look original. I admit that I have been slow to remove all of the labels on each end of each wire, but they made it easy for an amateur such as I. The folks there were very helpful with my questions as well. Take your time and hopefully no sparks.

https://www.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/.

Those YnZ harnesses are really neat. I dig the modern insulation plus cloth cover to make it look original.

The prices are pretty impressive too. Only $320 for a complete 58 truck harness? That is well into the range of inexpensive universal kits for a much cooler product.

Terry and Fibonacci, I got all excited about you recommending that YNZ brand cloth covered harness, but when I went to their website and saw that one for my 1950 half ton is going to cost me $897 my bubble burst. That’s way out of my budget! Nice for sure, but costly.

The part you show in the picture is the utility truck and the suburban price.

I was looking at a different document Page 9 that gives a price of $239 for at 1950 "Complete Wiring Set".


Maybe call them and ask?

Chuck, Keep in mind I did my rewiring 10+ years ago and I reckon they may have had a price increase since.
Let us know what you find.

Thanks,
Terry

Looking at your profile, your stable has:
1950 Chevy 1/2 ton (all original)
1951 Chevy 1/2 ton (future streetrod)
1941 Chevy coupe
1938 Chevy coupe streetrod

Cool!

Looking at your other posting you said, "I live in an HOA and have no shop in which to work on my project". I feel your pain.
The quote from the rod shop to do your "patina 51" is $30K and you want to know if that's too expensive.
Consider that most of the Stovebolt forum members (my guess) do their own work and/or do their own maintenance.
I can't say everyone is like me but I don't have the resources so I do my own project(s) a little bit at a time as I can afford it.

Chuck, I don't intend for my analogy to be offensive but just like those who own horses and live in a city with no stables, you find a business outside that provides what your horses need and pay for it. If you think it costs too much then maybe you don't need horses.

Have you looked at businesses South of your location. I heard they are cost effective.

Buoymaker, this thread is about my need for a new wiring harness for my 1950 half ton that I’m about to have a reputable shop install for me. But since you brought up another thread I started on a completely different topic, let me address that. First off, no offense taken, but you went just a little out of your way to make your point that since I live in an HOA and have a stable of 4 old vehicles, that I should either pay up to take care of them or else get rid of them if I can’t. Here’s a fact….. I’m able to have a stable of 4 old vehicles because I’m frugal and am blessed with lots of common sense. I don’t waste money overpaying for anything. Part of the fun I have when shopping for anything I need in life is getting it at a good price. I’m a salesman, and have never paid full retail price for anything except what I had to. I always negotiate or find bargains/deals. With regard to the other thread you referenced, it’s not a matter of not being able to pay for the project, but rather is it a good price? Is it worth it to me? Is it a good value, or would it be money spent driven by emotion? Many, many guys spend way too much money on their trucks/cars because they let their emotions take over. I’m not that kind of guy. Lots of things in life just aren’t worth what the seller is asking for it.

Fibonachu, thanks for the link to the #05053 1950 COMPLETE WIRING SET see note $239.00. 😊

I called YNZ and spoke with the sales desk, and the #05053 is NOT cloth. It’s plastic, for 12 V, and is actually made for them by another company.

Their own cloth version for my truck is $879. 😞

Chuck, I read your response in the 51 post and I'm glad you have had a change in direction. It's hard to watch a fellow bolter fall into the money pit so advice is the best tool we have. Like you, I too came to the realization that the smart money goes to a "good deal" on an already reworked AD truck. That's what I did.

Back to the subject of the wiring harness on the 50. I still remember when cloth wiring changed to vinyl (or vinyl-like material). The new construction was a welcome improvement. Old cloth frays and it was easy to get zapped if you touched a wire that you thought was insulated. In the engine compartment, cloth wiring picked up oil stains so the wires had to be clear coated or protected. The good thing about vinyl is that the color lasts (except for cheap stuff). It's easier to troubleshoot when you have a problem. Insulated connectors are used with vinyl wires which helps reduce shock exposer compared to cloth.

A pre-made wiring harness saves time and makes sense. From a seller of wiring harnesses, labor is much more expensive than the material so unfortunately out-sourcing to another country would be the common convention for a US business. The problem with that is that the original manufacturer may not have a Quality Control. I have no recommendations for a seller of harnesses. I would make my own layout board and prefab my own harness. It may be difficult to extract the old harness intact but you would use it as a template. You could measure the existing wiring in-place but this needs to be accurate. You could also run a wire beside each existing harness leg, mark the wire, retrieve and measure to get the length of run.