wiring harnesses - factory

Putting together a jeep and came to the wiring harness. Just a piece of advice regarding wiring harnesses...

Aside from a fire -- wiring harnesses do not go bad, they just get dirty. In this case, had to repair a couple of pins on the backup light connector, and solder/splice in a couple of feet of wire heading aft and that's it! I tossed the whole thing in a washtub and let it soak for a few hours and then hosed it off.

Sometimes the pins in the connector(s) are pretty corroded, but by taking a "tweaker" screwdriver and grinding the shaft to a thin, flat shank about 2 inches long one creates a tool for easily removing any and all pins in the connectors. A Dremel tool with a wire wheel will shine those pins up like new and you won't have to dress them again for another 60 years. Just be sure to make a good map of the connector to make sure you put the correct pin in the correct position in the connector -- or do what I do, only remove one pin at a time so there is no opportunity for error.

The beauty of re-cycling wiring harnesses is that one maintains the factory shape of the harness ( which is far more important that one might think), and also saves the cost of a painless (???") wiring harness.

Years ago if I scrapped out a jeep I'd attack the harness with a vengence and cut and slash the wires to bits -- But then I would be compelled to make a new one.

However for the last few years I have carefully removed the harness so that it is fit for re-use.

 

I like your idea of re-using the original wiring harness, but often the wires, covering, and connectors are too brittle for re-use. Also, in most cases, the biggest problem with old Jeep wiring is that Bubba has been there first

 

As much as I'm borderline obsessed with preservation, wiring is a tough subject. Good points by all.

 

True that it is nice to keep the old harness/wires/connectors but electricity is magic and corrosion is invisible. "Gremlins"as you say are invisible but active.

I work with an electrician specialist in cars on my Jeep, he repairs WWII vehicles for collectors / maniacs of details.

He works on WWII Ducks, Jeeps, Dodges and all sorts ow WWII vehicles.

He is obliged - paid for- to reconstruct the lectric system with the same colors and position, but he uses new wires and connectors, becaus too many risks with old ones.

 

I've argued in favor of reusing the original wiring many times before. And I don't think that Bubba is such a threat - with patience and some effort all the bubbafied changes can be undone.

In my experience, original wiring can be patched up, and it will be a lot less work than ripping it all out and replacing it. Wire in the 60s-70s-80s era cars that I've seen has been ok. It does tend to be oxidized though, so I recommend soldering and a little extra paste flux on the joints. I use uninsulated butt connectors, crimped and soldered, and covered with adhesive heat shrink. If you use an electronics flux, it won't corrode. It comes off with a little alcohol, if you worry.

If you have old cloth wiring where the insulation is falling off, that's one thing. And early plastics do get brittle with age. But I've found that this mostly affects the exposed ends of the wires - UV I presume, and maybe air or humidity - so if the insulation is brittle, cut it back to where it's not and splice in new.

Contrary to what Alan wrote, electricity is not magic. And this is all DC wiring at low voltage - can't get much less demanding than that. Simple if you take one circuit at a time, and work systematically. It's only overwhelming if you try to comprehend it all at once.

 

This process goes against anything I've ever learned/heard/observed when dealing with wiring of any kind.
Seems to me this would promote corrosion anywhere in the wiring harness.

 

Excellent points - I agree with them all. And if I was restoring a jeep on someone else's nickel I'd replace everything too. Every problem mentiioned is a real possibility --.

But it is also a possiblity that an airplane could crash on my house (I'm not too far from an airport so it is more likely to happen to me than most)....

I've found that an 'experienced' harness with a little tune-up works just fine -- never had any problems at all with the electrics. And it is just so easy.. It is usually fairly easy to "de-bubba-fy" a harness 'cause most times any 'improvements' she made are fairly easy to recognize.

Jeep wiring is pretty simple, so there isn't any reason (for me anyway) to make it more complicated. For me it isn't a matter of 'restoration' it is simply a matter of using what I have at hand.

As for the aircraft coming through the roof --- I may borrow my wife's hard hat.....

 

I have nothing against re-using electric harness, but I prefer to avoid problems and use new wires. At least I am sure that I won't have to check all.
IMO of course. For many parts I try to re-build the old part and make a new, for electricity I am less positive because of risks of bad contact.

Of course it is a Jeep, not a computer, so everyone does as he likes, I suppose.

 

My concern is that the materials in a new part are often far less durable than the originals.

It can be discouraging to see damaged areas on a OEM harness, but how will a new replacement look after 60 years - or even five?

 

PeteL if you get that replacement harness from a company like Painless Wiring I suspect the harness will be in better shape than a OEM one after both had seen 60 years of use.

 

Heck even different parts of Southern California have different effects on wiring. Some of the desert cars have their wiring insulation cooked off...

 

Howard, who makes the original style harness? I may be interested in one, at least at some point.

 

Does it include the woven coverings around the sending unit wire and the group of wires that go from near the steering box to the tail lights?

 

I am not sure that I agree that wiring Harnesses don't go bad. I have seen some harnesses that would literally dissolve in your hand when manipulated too much.

 

Oh, they go bad, alright. Just look at a vehicle that has been sitting in the Arizona Sun for the last ten years. That wiring will fall apart if you just look at it! All those jets down in Tucson that are moth-balled to be rejuvenated later do not have any wiring in them for that reason. Nor hydraulic systems.