As much as I hate wiring....

The Jeep is now fully electrically sound. My EZ2Wire (ebay) 8 circuit harness came in on friday and I spent all weekend rewiring the entire Jeep. Definitly took some major patience but now everything works. Gauges, panel lights, turns, headlights, tails, brakes, everything. The hardest part was figuring out the wiring for the 351W that the PO had shoehorned in there and wire nutted all together. Anyway now everything works and there is not a single "quick fix" solderless conector on the vehicle. All connections are now soledered together and all wires are run as they are supposed to be. Today the tires will be getting in and Ill mount them up tommorow.

 

Good Job!!! I hope to do the same thing in a couple of months. I like the success story...It gives me hope. I have been dreading the wiring harness.

 

Yeah I only bought the 8 circuit and I actually have like 3 circuits left over, so Im happy with it. Plus the wires being labeled every 6 inches was really nice. At 150 bux you really cant beat it. Definitly much happier with the Jeep now.

 

Installing a new wiring harness was one of the best things I've done so far.

 

great with all your sucsess stories it gives me hope! How did you guys know which wires were what on the digrams?

 

Hmmm... a 351W and new wiring harness in your CJ...
Seems like some pictures are called for, especially after the new shoes!

 

If I end up getting my girlfriends dads Jeep, one of the first things I want to do is re-wire the whole thing. When I was trying to get it running, and was checking all the fuses, I was upside down, with my feet in the back seat, and a clutch pedal in my neck trying to pop the inline fuses open. I was looking at a painless system, with the modern blade fuse block, and I have some ideas for a slick looking install. I think the hardest part would be actually pulling the wires. Hookup and getting everything to look tidy will be fun.

 

Good news!

I'd suggest you keep a notebook with as much info as you can, including your harness notes and instructions. It will almost surely pay off for you or the next owner.

 

I'll be rebuilding the harness on my CJ this winter. All scratch-built by me, using all new components from the boating industry.
All waterproof/resistant switches, everything possible in waterproof containers, mounted under the dash. I've got a few other ideas cooking also.

Just trying to narrow down exactly what will be on the Jeep in the future, both primary and accessory sides.

 

Painless has a waterproof kit, I don't know if the fuse block being waterproofed would be worth the extra cost. One could easily modify and otterbox, or pelican waterproof case to house the block. Otterbox makes some clear lexan cases that are waterproof to 100 feet. (I don't think wiring would be a concern if your Jeep ends up 100 feet under water)

I am thinking of running all the wires through Tygon tubing, oil and gas impervious, and tough as nails. Converting all the tail lights to LED in waterproof housings, snorkel(lol).

I am sure oldschool is much harder to keep dry than modern, so it should be interesting trying to pull it off.

 

I'd have to extensively modify any kit anyways, so I might as well start from scratch.
Since I do a LOT of mud bogs and regularly pressure wash the Jeep inside and out, it needs to be fairly water resistant.

 

I doubt that I would be going through much water or mud at all, but it is in my nature to over engineer, overbuild, and over prepare.

I once built a shelf to hold a small assortment of tarps at a Home Depot like store that needed a forklift to actually install, and was built from 2x6's and 3/4" shop siding.

After it was up, I could have parked my car on it and it wouldn't have budged.