MOPAR BY CRANE Electrical Upgrade Kit (Harness Preserver)

[Needa68]

MOPAR By Crame is offering this new electrical upgrade kit.

http://moparsbycrane.com/page/mhm5/New_Parts.html

We have the ever present dim lights at low idle problem and hope this upgrade will fix it.

Has anyone installed this upgrade and if so what has been your experiences?

[Nacho-RT74]

not a bad idea, but HONESTLY you can make it by yourself at home, with basic tools and will pay half of that

[Needa68]

I believe you when you say we could gather up the parts ourself and do it at a lesser cost.  However, we've ordered the kit and will report on its installation and the results obtained. Thanks for the feedback. You're the only one to comment out of the 70+ times my post was read. 

[Back N Black]

Looks like a excellent up grade. I'm going to do the upgrade on my car, when i get to that point. Post updates when you get her done. 

[BronzeOnSteelies]

I saw an article on this kit and its installation in the August 08 Mopar Muscle magazine.

I am thinking of ordering one also.

[Needa68]

I believe you when you say we could gather up the parts ourself and do it at a lesser cost.  However, we've ordered the kit and will report on its installation and the results obtained. Thanks for the feedback. You're the only one to comment out of the 70+ times my post was read. 

The harness preserver ordered from MOPAR by Crane arrived and has been installed. We purchased the 1962-70 Mopar B-body 100 Ampere Standard Kit (Part # HPKS-6270-B-100). While the car was down for this modification we also installed a new positive battery cable.

The harness preserver kit instructions (15 steps) are easy to follow. No special tools are required to install the kit. The most difficult part for me was finding a suitable place on the firewall near the voltage regulator to mount the relay assembly.

I would have preferred the kit included electrical schematics or diagrams showing the before and after electrical configurations but it did not. Another shortcoming is that the instructions do not specific the exact "switched circuit" to use when installing "a high quality voltmeter". A voltmeter is necessary because the installed ammeter will no longer functions as designed because its circuitry has been altered.

Maybe Nacho-RT74 would be so kind as to recommend which "switched circuit" to use for the voltmeter. I suspect if I were to re-read some of his previous posting they contain the answer I'm seeking.

When I started this thread Nacho-RT74 astutely pointed out the kit seemed expense. I completely agree with his assessment. I too feel the kit is over priced. I realize someone has to pay for R&D but the price of this kit is a heavy hit given the hardware involved. To add insult to injury the kit has gone up $10 in price this past week. I guess that is the price we hobbyists must pay for a new product that gets touted in the magazines we read.

On a more positive note the kit works as advertised. At idle the head lights are considerably brighter than before the kit was installed. In the past when the AC was switched on the lights would dim. Now, even though the speed of the engine drops slightly when the AC is switched on I see no change in the intensity of the headlights.

Even though the kit is pricy it may still prove to be a good investment for me. I was about to purchase a throttle solenoid to bump up the engine idle when the AC is switched on. I may not need that solenoid now.   

[BrianShaughnessy]

I bought that kit last year at Carslisle just to show to E-booger cause he wrote an article awhile back that the kit is loosely based on .  http://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/electrical.html
My impressions were that A. overpriced.  B.  the instructions sucked.

I had several Emails back and forth with Mopars by Crane about their instructions after wiring it up per their instructions and it didn't work correctly.    I gave up after awhile trying to reason with them as the same engineer who wrote that verbage wrote me back with equally confusing instructions and then telling me that I had bought the wrong kit when I specifically said I had a 69 upgraded to dual field alternator / volt regulator and electronic ignition.   I had bought the kit for a 70.  He said I needed the 69 kit 
 
I wired it up as I thought it should be wired up and it works fine.    But I had to rewire the relay socket.   I never did find out if they had just messed up or they meant it to be that way.  I've been hesitant to recommend the kit as a result.   

It's a good idea especially when coupled with a volt meter.   But it can be done for less.  I had my dash ammeter converted to voltmeter by Redline over the winter.

[Chatt69chgr]

Do you know the details of how your ammeter was converted to a voltmeter?  Was the original movement retained----if so, how was it modified?  If a new unit was used, who made it?  And where do you connect the new voltmeter?-----straight to the battery?

[BrianShaughnessy]

Do you know the details of how your ammeter was converted to a voltmeter?  Was the original movement retained----if so, how was it modified?  If a new unit was used, who made it?  And where do you connect the new voltmeter?-----straight to the battery?

The Search button is a wonderful thing.  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,34721.0.html

[hutch]

MOPAR by crane screwed me good on a stupid kick down cable a few months ago.  Watch out for them. I think they are just a small busniess out of their home or something.