Yeah, so am I! We'll see how it goes I guess. It doesn't seem too hard. It shouldn't be too awfully difficult since all my input wires are all ready to go from the Painless harness. At least I won't have to do any hunting around for the correct wires or sorting through harnesses under the dash. I don't know who I'm trying to convince, you guys, or myself.

 

if you were working with the stock harness would you have to cut the dash plug off??

 

I would take a small screwdriver and take the leads out of the plug just in case you ever needed it in the future.

 

So its not just plug and play then.. Oh well. It came with all the senders correct?

 

Looks cool....don't think your dad would mind the two-tone.....like to see the finished product...

 

It is for the most part. The more that I progress, the easier it becomes. I am sure that I will run into some hitches along the way, but unless your truck was in a fire like Kelsey's, you should have everything that you need to complete the job. The Painless harness did not come with sending units, but the Dakota Digital gauges did however. It also came with a speed sensor that is used in place of the speedometer cable. After having jumped into this project pretty deep now, I can't see how many improvements could be made to make it easier, none worth complaining about anyway. This is taking into account that I haven't gotten to the engine compartment since I don't have and engine compartment at the present time. So far, I would recommend this harness system to anyone who has been victimized by a PO or simply has compounding electrical gremlins. I am replacing mine only because I hope to never have Pop's truck in this many pieces again and it is much easier this way. I should have a few more pictures posted later today in case anyone needs a reference in the future. Also, thanks everyone for your kind words of encouragement. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, a truck that we are proud of (for whatever reason) and gets us home from where it takes us. Take care.

 

You have done an excellent job so far! Keep up the good work and your truck colors look really fantastic. I too will be painting and doing an engine shortly. Subscribing and getting tips!

 

Yes, that is what I did on the Bronco install. I hard wired it to the original wiring. Removing the wires from the plug connector really won't do much good as it still needs to be wired to the Dakota setup. Once the Dakota is in there really is no need to have to worry about the wiring. I'd never go back to the OE gauges.


Yes it includes all sending units.


Maulmaul, great job on the build so far. Those colors look nice together.

 

I don't mind your comments/chatter about the painless system at all. Keep chatting about it, cause I've considered ordering one MANY times now. The only things I can't get my head around are:

1) The Price (cause last time I looked, LMC wanted over $700.... which is WAYYYYY too much IMHO)

2) What comes with the harness and how "easy" it is for the price. Also, what would be the differences for different engines/years of truck and what not for when you go to order your painless system. I'm very skeptical that they would send me EXACTLY what I needed to make it "painless" which is really holding me back from getting one.

 

Check Summit and other sources. Also it matters how many circuits you are ordering.
I got mine from Summit and I think it was 12 not 18 circuits and it was about $480.

 

I installed a universal Painless Harness in my dad's 73 Mustang and it went really well. They color code and number all the ckts and provide a manual similar to a Ford wiring diagram that tells where the *** comes from and where it connects to. The only thing I don't know is how the "factory" ends are since the universal kit I used did not have OE style connectors. But, in a pinch you could use the OE connector and cut the wiring 6" back and solder/heat shrink as needed. While they are not cheap,I was happy with the quality of the kit.

 

I was mistaken, it was $385.95.
12 circuit pickup harness from Summit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-10104/

 

I got the harness specifically for our model trucks from, I think, 1967-1977. When there are issues specific to a particular model, it is mentioned and explained fairly detailed as to how to proceed. I think it is an excellent kit and nothing anyone on here couldn't do. I say this because several people have gotten through it and are happy to help should someone need it. I purchased mine through Summit for around $650 shipped. Now, I would recommend getting it through AutoZone where you get $15 in credit for every $100 you spend. If you add it up, that's $90 to spend on something else you might need. It is a quality kit and I haven't found anything to lead me to believe otherwise. BELIEVE me, if I do, I will let everyone know. Hopefully tomorrow after church I will be able to wire up the Dakota gauges. I have completed all but three or four wires in the cab area except the instrument cluster, but since it is New Year's Eve, I thought a nice dinner with the family might be time better spent. That being said, Happy New Year and cheers to you all. Oh, and also, I got part number 10118 with the new switches.

 

Good choice on the harness. Happy New Year

 

I've following this thread in particular the wiring aspect of it. Thanks for the heads up on the Autozone perc. I've just about decided to go with the Painless Harness. From what I've read the wiring harness comes complete but uses the existing connectors