ivyolly52 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 The wiring on my B3 is in pretty bad shape. There seems to be a variety of places selling them for a range of prices. Anyone have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Maxwell Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I bought mine for my B3C from Rhode Island Wiring. Very pricey but excellent quality, and they are easy to work with. Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 What barry said...spendy but plug and play...and period correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiftyFifty Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I built my own so I could incorporate a fuse box, and I just finished a rewire again with 2 fuse blocks, one for ign power and the other for constant, but I'm also going to a lot more electronics with gauges and fans and stereo. Stock 6 volt I still think would be cheaper to wire yourself if you wernt after period correct cloth wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) I wired my truck, but have an EZ Wiring kit on the shelf. I'm (a) not fussy enough nor ( have a good memory so it takes me a while to debug, oh I know, do it right and it will work, but . . . Murphy did not go with the "cat"! Will use the kit on the 53 suburban. Edited March 14, 2015 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobacuda Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) I am just about finished rewiring my B4B - I have about 40 hrs in the wiring job. I took photos of everything before I disconnected stuff so I would have an idea how to run the harnesses again. Next, I removed each harness, labeling (masking tape with a fine point Sharpie) each end of each wire to tell me where it hooked up. For wires connecting to gauges, I noted which side of the gauge the wire connected. I also used the Sharpie to number the poles on the switches where each wire connected. That number was also written on the label. While I was at it, I drew a wire diagram for each harness, where it started, where each wire went, and where it terminated. In addition, I have a wiring diagram for the truck that tells wire size and color. I would have been screwed without my notes and the numbering on the switches. BTW, the wiring diagram did not cover the electric wipers or the heater, so make sure you take good notes. Once I had all of that, I cut a panel of chip-board into four 2' W x 4' L panels. I then drilled a few holes in the boards and attached the wiring harnesses to the panels with wire straps. I cut the tape back to see the wire colors. Then I measured each wire, noting its length and color and the terminals on each end. That allowed me to order bulk wire and the connectors from Rhode Island Wiring. I also ordered a directional blinker at the same time. I spent about $274 on the components, and I have bought some additional connectors locally. I would measure a wire on the old harness, strip the tip of the wire, and solder it (use a gun, faster than the solder iron). Slide on the heat shrink tubing (bought locally), crush on a non-insulated connector, then re-solder the wire to the connector to make certain it was a good connection that will not come loose. Pulled up the heat shrink, and used a cheap cigarette lighter to shrink the tube. After a harness's wires were all cut to length and the connectors attached, I had my wife and kids hold the ends of the wires while I taped them. I measured how far to tape a wire before it left the harness - when you pull yours out you will see what I mean. The worst part is getting started, then crawling around on the ground. The next worst is the things you will find that you have to fix - like a broke horn wire or the fuel gauge. I might have been able to do the job quicker if I had taken vacation and dedicated time to it, but I have been doing it on weekends in between family stuff and the weather. Like I told my son - If it works, I am a genius. If it doesn't work, well, just another day in the shed with the old truck. Good luck. If you have anything specific you want to ask, give me a shout. Bob Edited March 15, 2015 by Bobacuda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B1B Keven Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 http://dodgepilothouseclub.com/know/wiring_harness/wiring.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobacuda Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 And I forgot to mention, when building your own wiring harnesses, label each connector on each wire you make per harness. That way you can always compare it to your old one when you are installing the new harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 When I rewired my truck after the fire, I removed all wiring and tossed it, then I put an eight stud terminal strip on the firewall and with a schematic in hand, ran wires back inio the cab to their designated source, then with a small needle tester I verified that all were correct. That took me one day. Then from that terminal strip I branched out to head lights, park lights, tail lights, etc. My debugging problems, because of the fire damage, was grounding which was ok today but not in a week. I finally put all new wiring in each bucket and did a lot of extra grounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DollyDodge Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I am a big fan of Rhode Island wiring. Besides the wiring they offer for our trucks I have had them do some custom work to fit some of the changes I did. They are very helpful, and do amazing work. I built my own taillight harness, copied the original, and used wire and connectors from RI. Their products and material are really outstanding. I had a couple very small wires I needed, they made them up and charged me nothing, not even shipping. Great place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 yes they are, I've sent them examples of wiring (not in their catalog) that was from mine and they copied them for free and added them to their catalog. First rate place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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