The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay I am Completely LOST

I am doing a ground up rebuild on a 53 pu/ on a 54 drive train. i have the 235ci engine. i have purchased an EZ wire cimplete harnes with fuse block and i have began to route my wires to front and back of truck but this is where my knowlede stops. i am completely lost when it comes to connecting the wires to to where they need to go. the diagrams are useless to me for one reason i cant read them and for another the system has been upgraded to a 12 volt system. i guess i should start with hooking up the ignition system and work my way back. i have an internal ballast resistor in the coil. anyone have advice?

Its gonna be hard if you cant read the diagrams. Just start with one wire at a time and try to follow it through the diagram. Something easy like headlights. Sometimes it helps to start at the end(light) and read back to the beginning(switch).

i have the wires for items such as head lights ran. what about the coil how sould that be connected with the stater, switch, etc. and would the diagrams even be correct since i have a 12 v system>?

I could probably teach you how to do it in person, but most surely it is near impossible on email. Go see a local junior college auto class and sign up for basic electrical.
THEN
Get a VOM and identify all switch points on each and every switch before you install them and make a drawing. Start with simple ones that only do one thing then get more complicated with multi function switches ie headlight and start run switch

Dan Bentler

Don't get so hung up on the 12-volt conversion as most all wire connections are the same. The coil you have covered since it is internal. Lights are the same since you just change bulbs. On the fuel tank power you have to put a resistor between the gauge and the tank or it will fry it but that is the major piece. I put a runtz type resistor off the back of may gauge for the fuel tank that is just one wire. On these old trucks most of the grounding is to the frame so you are only running single wires. I have some good diagrams that came with my harness I will scan and mail them to you it may help. I will get them to you as soon as I can find them.

thanks alot i would appreciate it.

how many wires are supposed to connect to the starter only 1 big wire form the battery right?

Does the kit have each wire marked, (such as the Painless Wire setup)?

Whoa are you re-wiring the whole truck? Hold off connecting the battery.

I thought that with the EZ wiring kits each wire was marked as to its usage. If not start tracing it from its marked fuse and pull it where it needs to go.

Don't forget to cover the wires with plastic loom or the elemnts will get to them and or they will rub through and short out sooner or later.

Just to confirm.... Yes,E-Z kits are marked every 5".

I am in the middle of doing my wiring harness too. I showed my wife the whole harness, looked very intimidating. I just went at it, first putting it through the fire wall, then starting with the shorter wires first (I'm also changing to 12v) Most of them are done, I also skip to doing other things and coming back to it.

I am just finishing up with installing a new wiring harness (Classic Parts) on my truck. I had converted the truck to 12V years ago using Patrick's directions. However, the new harness wired the coil, alternator, ignition switch and starter differently, maybe this is what has you tripped up. One thing I had to do was buy/install a starter switch with a side terminal next to the B terminal. I guess there is more than one way to skin this cat.

contact EZ WIRE and tell them you want instructions you can read



that's probably the simplest way w/o instructions. using a VOM set it to ohms and if you have a fairly decent meter it will sound a tone when you touch the connections together. then, as suggested, start at the fuse panel w/ one VOM wire and touch the each other end wires to see what circuit is what according to the fuse block. label it if it is not. then you will have a better feeling about what goes where. as suggested if you don't have a split loom to cover the wire harness in there are available at any FLAPS.

Use zip ties when securing the loom to the truck frame. Ask again when you get stuck.