Dissected my wiring harness today, What a F'n mess... Time for a new one? PICS!

[TruckDriver]

Whelp, I started to take apart my main wiring harness because the wiring colors did not match the factory colors, and because I found several cut wires when I got the car. Someone did a real hack job   I was hoping to just replace some of it, but after looking at what mess I have, may time for a new harness instead. And I have no idea what kind of tan tape they used under the black tape, but man, I had to actually take a pliers, and crack the tape like a nut shell just so I could peel it off.

These are the altenater wires, water temp wire and I think the wire for my washer tank (the cut one).


This shows the hard tan tape under the electrical tape


These are all the wires that are up front of the harness as it is now. There were 2 cut wires, 1 plug that was not being used (for air conditioning?)


When I got to the firewall, I found that the wires on the intake were not even hooked up. And you can see the green wire for the voltage regulator is spliced too. Also, if you look up by the firewall, you can see 2 cut green wires. I'm not sure where those went.


These are the wires that were not doing anything


I don't even know how the car ran with this coil wire not hooked up. It was wrapped up in the tape though.


Here is a better pic of how my green volage regulator wire is spliced


This is how bad my blue main ignition/ballast/voltage wire is spiced. The blue wire gets spliced into a fat green wire, and that goes to the front of the engine. along the way, the plug for the electronic choke is spliced in to it too which you can see in the other pics. The cut green/red wire for the ballast resistor is cut, and the green/yellow wire comes out of the harness then just gets cut off. So I do not know what that was for.

[FLASH80]

Well, I'm certainly no expert, but for piece of mind, you might consider a new one as good insurance.  The engine harness isn't too expensive (compared to the interior) through year one. Too expensive in my book is the risk of what could happen if you have something short and cascade to create further problems.

Good Luck!

[Mfr426]

I bought a new engine harness for my 69. It is money well spent! You wont be chasing any electrical ghosts with a new harness.

I've learned the hardway that electical fires can be quite expensive!!!!

Just my 2 cents...

[TruckDriver]

So, if I buy a new harness, does it have all the wiring for air conditioning included too? I eventually want to hook it back up.

[Ghoste]

I think it does but just save the old harness in case you need to splice that one part in.  I replaced the harnesses in my car too and it's some of the best money I've invested in the car.

[ChargerAndy]

I completely re wired my 68 with harne$$e$ from year one. I ended up talking to the tech guy from the harness manufacturer at one point because the AC wires did not come with what I purchased. The tech told me that Chrysler did not use harnesses that covered every base, like ford and chevy, they spliced in and added wires and pig tails to match the options on each particular car. I ended up salvaging my old AC wires. I dont know if this will apply to you for a '73 so best to talk to year one or better yet, the manufacturer..... the tech there really knew what he was talking about when he helped me. Good Luck, ANdy

[Plumcrazy]

You might want to check out this guy.  http://evanswiring.tripod.com/index.html

I just got a two speed wiper harness from him.  I wanted to see what I thought of his work before I ordered the other harnesses. 

[TruckDriver]

Did it match exactly? How well was the quality? I never heard of them. I like the prices!

[Plumcrazy]

Did it match exactly? How well was the quality? I never heard of them. I like the prices!

I'm very satisfied with the quality.
I also like the fact that I can order an engine wiring harness off him for a car that did not have electronic ignition that has already been wired up for electronic ignition.

[Nacho-RT74]

Even we already did talk about this, just will post.

built that harness is a piece of cake:

-Brown Positive wire to ballast and positive term of coil is there and complete.
-Black heavy gauge wire to alt stud is there and complete.
-Violet wire to temp sender... wire is there but it looks incorrect color. Is just splice from where change and run a new one, same lenght.
-Wire that plugs on negative coil terminal, is already on your new ECU harness kit.
-Wires that runs up to distribuitor pick up, same as above.
-Wire that feeds the ECU, same as above, Is just sold on to the blue spliced wire before ballast.

Only will need to "make" on right colors and with a new plug:
-green wire from regulator to alt brush.
-attach the regulator blue wire to the blue line.
-run a new wire up to alt brush from main blue line splice, before ballast, at same point where ECU source will be taken.

On to your new single ballast only will be plugged two color wires:
-Blue what is already there and brown what is also the same, with female plugs.

-Oil sender wire is already there.
-for you new cluster with tach, run a wire from negative side of coil up to bulkhead on same harness. Original color is green traced yellow.

-To feed compressor clutch is just make a male/female wire from firewall area ( plug releasing from harness tape around regulator ) up to compressor, on dark blue and tapping it on harness.

-Blue line up to alt brush will have a spliced female terminal and plug around the valve cover breather cap area to feed electric choke control if you install

and trash the rest.

[Nacho-RT74]

I know I already sent to you these diagrams, but maybe to be sure and help to somebody in a future.

also check everybody to be sure is the correct info

[TruckDriver]

Nacho, what are these wires for? They go to the main harness, and are blue and green and the ends were already cut off. Are they the factory altenator wires or air conditioning wires?

[Nacho-RT74]

Ok, green and blue running up front on engine are alt brushes colors just those colors are for that.
Another blue it could be the A/C cluth compresor, but is darker blue.
One green more on engine harness beside tach but is traced yellow
Another green, traced red is the secondary ballast resistance up to the missed pin on 5 pins ECU module, what you don't need.


NOTE... I was checking another wiring diagram, about 74, and black wire running from ECU up negative side of coil it could be traced yellow... but who cares you already has that wire on your new kit.

Just in case. If you decide to buy a new engine harness let me know, I could use your ignition module kit harness on my car. some contacts on my ECU plug and dist plug are worn, dirty and rusty. Just tell me price and I'll get from you to replace those on my car.

[Nacho-RT74]

forgot to attach one diagram

[Mefirst]

Well Ive redone the whole front end electrical system on my ride, redoing and figuring out prev. owners electrical wiring stuff is a fun way to spend time.. -NOT !!

By the looks of your wires you should rewire the whole car while your at it.. Its worth the headache and hassle, and once its done you wont have to be nervous about if or not your ride is going to go up in flames...

/Tom

[Nacho-RT74]

HAHAHAHA...

Guys I have noticed along the years being member of this board that you are really afraid about wiring LOL.

I think I can wind some Big money making that hahaha even making cheaper but quality jobs.

[TruckDriver]

I'm not afraid of doing my own wiring and trust myself when done. I have done a lot of it although, it may not sound like it. I'm just asking a lot of questions so I do not second guess myself. And long as Nacho knows where everything goes, and what the colors are, why not. He is helping me a lot here. I will eventually replace the old harness, and when I do, you can have my old harness Nacho for all the help your giving me here. But for now, I just wanna patch it up and get the car running for a while so I can move onto other things that need to be done to it.

Anyway, So if I look a bit harder Nacho, I probably will find the cuts up by the firewall for the green and blue wires that were originally used on the altenator. Then I can re-splice them and re-use them. Okay, cool. I wasn't sure if there was other options using the same blue and green colors. And I don't wanna cut out anything that is factory.

[Nacho-RT74]

The best you can do is just cut the spliced wires on same places where were cut and solded for the last A55**LE, and replace it for a new wire with original color, solding on same place and installing on that point a shrinker tube ( better than tape ). Don't attach the terminal at the other end untill you starts to tape the harness, and you will get the right lenght once you have bended and clipped the harness all the trace.

To make that you need to arrive to origin, just untapping the harness as far you don't get the original wires and colors . At that point you will be able to notice that STILL THERE IS the original and untouched non glued tape.

you can label the places ( more less ) where the devices pigtail release the harness from tape with masking tape.

and trust me, is more comfortably rebuilt harness on a table once you labeled all pigtails release area on harness.