wiring harness?

[michael.warshaw]

which is the best place to get it from at the best price, i was thinking roberts motor parts?

[Frank Elder]

Stock,

YNZ or Rhode island or buy the oem wire and strip it yourself.

[michael.warshaw]

ynz rhode islans whats that?

[TodFitch]

ynz rhode islans whats that?

YnZ:

YnZs Yesterdays Parts

333 Stuart Ave. Unit A

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: +1.909.798.1498

Fax: +1.909.335.6237

email: sales@ynzyesterdaysparts.com

http://www.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/

Harnesses Unlimited:

Harnesses Unlimited

PO Box 435

Wayne, PA 19087

Telephone: +1.610.688.3998

http://harnessesunlimited.com/

Rhode Island:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=RHODE+Island+wiring&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[michael.warshaw]

they are nos or repro?

[Captain Neon]

When it comes to wiring or rubber parts, new/reproduction is the only way to go. NOS is over 60 years old and brittle from the ravages of time. It would be like putting 60 year old gasoline in the tank, not a good idea.

[TodFitch]

they are nos or repro?

I've dealt with both YnZ's and with Harnesses Unlimited. I assume the following is also true for Rhode Island: These harnesses are reproductions made to the original specifications (cloth braid, color code, wire gauge, connectors, etc.) but are made of modern wire that has a cloth braid added to it. Modern electrical insulation materials are far superior to the old stuff, much more resistant to chemicals, ozone, abrasion, etc.

The old wiring used rubber for electrical insulation and then covered that with cloth braid for abrasion resistance. But rubber is harmed by petroleum products (no clue where those might come from under the hood of your car. ) and ozone (from the ignition system). In addition it hardens with age and cracks off. You really don't want to use NOS wiring on your car for pretty much the same reason you shouldn't use any NOS rubber products on your car.

[grey beard]

On the truck side, we have been playing with wiring harness issues. One forum member purchased a new assembly and laid it out on his garage floor, then measured and recorded the dimensions of each wire. We then used the shop manual schematic and his measurements to reproduce the complete harness. I have one I made from scratch in my own Dodge truck, and everything worked out just fine.

After comparing the car schematic with the truck, there is very little difference between the two - mostly the addition of just a few wires. If you care to see what we've done with this, check out the wiring harness thread under "Pilot's Knowledge" on the truck side. There are assembly notes, a schematic and a complete detailed drawing, with appropriate dimensions - for each wire that you can print and use in your own shop.

The whole assembly is quite basic. I built my own harness in less than four hours' time. The next one would take half that time. Total cost for the project is well under one hundred dollars, starting from scratch and doing the job right. I can't believe what they get for a repro assembly.

Guess it all depends on how much discretionary funds you have to complete your project, and how comfortable you are reading an electeical schematic.

Good Luck

[RobertKB]

I used YnZ when I got a wiring harness for my '38 Chrysler. I was more than happy with their product and service. I also had them build all the wires into the harness for turn signals which I strongly recommend.

[martybose]

I used YnZ when I got a wiring harness for my '38 Chrysler. I was more than happy with their product and service. I also had them build all the wires into the harness for turn signals which I strongly recommend.

I did the same thing with the Rhode Island harness set I purchased for my 47. I actually had them make half a dozen changes to the basic harness, ranging from adding turn signal wiring and single-wire alternator changes to adding headlight relays with larger gauge wiring to the headlight bulbs. I was very pleased with the ease that it went into the car.

Marty

[TodFitch]

...snip...Guess it all depends on how much discretionary funds you have to complete your project, and how comfortable you are reading an electeical schematic.

Good Luck

And whether or not you want the look of the original cloth loom over cloth braided wire.

I have rewired a car from scratch and been happy with the result. But that one I did not care about authenticity and I simply went one gauge heavier on each wire than what I found there and then used wire lacing cord to bundle things up. You are correct the, skills needed for that effort are modest, mostly the confidence to read a wiring diagram. And it is probably the least expensive way to go.

For my 1933 I prefer to have the original appearance. So I spent the big bucks for a harness made by someone who had the equipment to weave the loom over the harness.

[michael.warshaw]

how much are the kits?

[TodFitch]

how much are the kits?

Links to three vendors were given earlier in the thread. Looking at those three vendor's web sites I see prices posted on two of them. No, I'm not going to transcribe the prices over to this thread but I am curious why you haven't taken the time to click through the links before asking another question.

[michael.warshaw]

i did look, but is there a cheaper option than 1k?

[Plymouthy Adams]

not if you are seeking restoration 100 points..gotta pay to play and they know it..

[greg g]

Threre are several companies that make basic 8 or so circuit harnesses for street rods. I have seen several at shows. But they would be for 12 v aplicatios, they would be cheaper than a purpose made setup.

Again a choice between pay plug and play, or pay less and work a bit to make it apply.

[james curl]

Michael, I do not know what you are trying to do with your car, are you going for a 100 point show car or a daily driver? What you are going for will determine what you do. If you are going for a 100 point car then the $900.00 is just a start. The old harness must be removed and the new harness installed, this will take your mechanic 40 to 80 hours to do. If you are going for a daily driver then do as Gray Beard did and do it your self. Either way it will not be cheap.

[michael.warshaw]

80 hours?

[Plymouthy Adams]

to replace the wiring harness in one of these old cars would not take but a couple evenings after work IF the headliner was out of the way...is a pretty simple straight forward harness..taking a wrining or electrical problem to a mechanic on straight time would be like handing him a signed blank check..