The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Rewiring

Has anyone rewired their stovebolt from ground up? Right now I have the front clip off, the engine, and the bed... only thing on the frame is the cab... I am trying to decide if it would be cheaper in the long run to invest in aftermarket wire harnesses or if I could do it myself for less $$$.
Any ideas?

I rewired mine with a $15.00 wrecking yard fuse block and about $32.00 worth of wire I ordered online.

I think it would be hard to do it yourself for less than some of the less expensive kits on the market.

But unless you have a real good idea what you are doing, and a good reason not to use a kit, I think you'll be better off buying than doing your own, even if you think you'll spend more money.

I put a wiring harness from a 75 Chevy truck in my 48 for next to nothing. All I had to buy was some 12 volt bulbs for the dash and a few guages. Even wired my snow plow hook-ups in and converted the park light to park/turn lights by welding in an 1157 socket from the 75's turn lense assembly.
Scott

I made my own new harnesses using modern wire and the proper sizes. The only thing that I reused was the dash light sockets. I used a plastic spiral sheath as a cover. Almost all the wiring is point to point. The big exception here the feed to the dash lights. A feed comes from the light switch and individual branches are attached along the route through the harness. I soldered these on and covered the joints with liquid tape, before putting the sheath on top. Now I know how every wire in the truck is arranged.

It depends what look your after. If your going for a factory restoration, then your going to have to buy a set and it will cost. If you don't care about that,then buy a 100' roll of 14 or 16 gauge wire and start stringing. Chevy Duty has a nice set that is marked for easy plumbing and is priced at $100(not factory). Three options for you. Cecil...........

I replaced the all of the wiring on my 52. Only problem is getting the right colors of insulation. That is where the harnesses have a big advantage.

I had to work on a military jeep that had been converted to 12 volts and completeley rewired. All of the wire that was used was black. It took us longer to chase down the misplaced wiring than it would have taken to put in a colored harness from scratch.

What year are you doing?

I am doing my '48 from scratch. It is very simple and inexpensive.

I posted wiring diagrams for it in the electrical bay.

The truck is a 65... within next 2 weeks will be pulling the cab off to sandblast and paint the frame... engine is being rebuilt... front clip and bed is done cab will take alittle while... but my guess is that at this stage of the game I am considering using a wire harness from my wrecked 85 Chevy... any ideas?

51 jimmy an inky (imho) are on the right track.

totally depends on if you want factory or custom.

have not rewired mine yet but when i do...old school all the way. fabric covered, 6 volt, antiquated fuse box, the works.

now this is not to say that i'm some purist. i rewired my guzzi (1975 moto guzzi 850-t) from the ground up. italians make some very "passionate" motorcycles but when it comes to wiring, well, let's just say the passion ended at the espresso machine.

i will also add "to each his own". you gotta do what works for you.