1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Slick Sixties Ford Truck

painless performance or ez wiring

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Old 01-30-2012, 01:58 PM
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painless performance or ez wiring

I need to re do the wiring in my truck. I have read the forums on ez wiring and I wanted to know if any one has used painless performance wiring. I am not great with electronics but my wiring on my truck is a mess and is really old. I have been having problems with my windows and door locks and my radio. I would like to re do it but am a little hesitant so any guidelines would be great. I will show you a picture of my mess. I was just thinking of buying a whole kit because there is no way to know well a slow and painful way to know which wire goes to what.

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Old 01-30-2012, 02:01 PM
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I have a 18 circut for Christine II and a 20 circut ez wire for the rat rod build. Simple, decent directions, markerd every foot or so as to fucntion. And did i mention a really good price.

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Old 01-30-2012, 02:19 PM
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where did you mount it at?
 
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Old 01-30-2012, 02:54 PM
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Has anyone looked at or tried American Autowire? THey just cameout with wiring harness for 61-66 F100's. Am looking to do a full re-wire. Thier price isn't to bad. 591.00.
 
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Old 01-30-2012, 04:18 PM
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That seems kinda pricey too me. Rebel wire is the only company I know of that is actually made in America and they are in the 300 dollar range.

Painless performance has good reviews but they r pricey too I have read many chats in here and ez wire seems to be the most used so as of today I suppose I will just order from them.
 
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Old 01-30-2012, 04:28 PM
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Do they make them spesifically for the F100 or are they genreal kits?
 
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Old 01-30-2012, 04:31 PM
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They are universal. You just need to know how many circutw you want or need. I know that when I called ez wires there lengths would fit a standard long bed. Expensive doesn't always mean better so I would just call and ask a live person more about the product. All three companies I looked at had separate harness for classic trucks some even make universals for older fords just call and ask them.
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 11:19 AM
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I used an American Autowire Highway kit in my 66. Excellent quality, very good instructions, and plenty of room for expansion. I'd recommend one in a heartbeat. Also, cheaper isn't always the best value.
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 11:27 AM
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I agree sheaper isn't always better I just dont have 500 bucks laying around I am thinking about coming up with an extra 70 bucks so I can get the american rebel harness its all pricey I suppose
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 11:30 AM
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Ya, the price didn't sit well with me. But i did like how they have everything laid out and have updated critical modules. Were you able to use your existing bezels with the new light switch?
I think I'm going to do some more investigation work, but so far I am sold on the amreican autowire setup.
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 02:53 PM
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Jagergirl or garbz, do you know how many circuits these trucks need?
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 05:49 PM
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It all depends on what u have n your truck I went with a 20 circut 12 was not enough. I have power Windows and locks etc and a few other things coming in the future so I made sure to have the room hope that helps
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 05:59 PM
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Ok I was debating between an 18 and 20. I don't have power windows or locks but I have 2 amps and an aftermarket stereo.
 
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Old 01-31-2012, 10:30 PM
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I used the EZ wire harness in my 66, and it went great. The only issue I had was when I replaced the turn signal switch, and Ford changed the wire colors of the switch. I am not the best at these things, and so that took me a full day. Other than that it went smooth the wires being marked every few inches was invaluable. For the price you cannot beat EZ wire. I don't know what you get for the additional $$$ with a Painless.
 
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Old 02-01-2012, 02:42 AM
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Hell, I can answer that one. You probably get harnesses thatll actually match what you already have. After just getting done with my 12 circuit EZ in my 66 F100, I recall asking myself a dozen times why I just didnt throw down the extra cash on a kit made exclusively for my truck. AND I STILL CANT FIGURE OUT THIS FRIGGIN ALT IDIOT LIGHT.
What you have to ask yourself is how competent are you with wiring and how well do you know your own set up? You must know how your vehicle is wired for no other reason than the kit is generic. Its NOT plug and play. Youre gonna have one wire marked for a guage that you have 2 wires coming out of. Youre gonna want to rewire the dash and thats not included. It only has pigtails for the headlights, not the tails so if you want to stop just short of doing it right you'll be able to ignore that. I couldnt. Youre gonna disconnect ***** and think that you have a labeled wire but thats not always the case. You'll have more circuits now for individual components, but guess what? They arent wired that way and you'll have to figure it out. Youre best friend will be a detailed wiring diagram for your truck but you wont get a wiring diagram for the EZ kit. Believe me, that changes things. Fact is, the instructions from EZ told me to plug my alternator excitor wire into the "I" terminal of my voltage regulator. Unfortunately, EZ didnt know that the PO (hell, it could be factory) had that terminal grounded to the fender. That ground wire incinerated in less than 3 seconds. You will not be able to just connect wires where EZ says without having a good fundamental understanding of what youre doing, why, and what the result will be.
Now Im not saying it cant be done. Nobody knows less about electricity than me. It took me about 6 hrs a day for a week. At least half of that was troubleshooting and trying to make the factory schematic match the EZ kit and thats impossible. If it werent for a few people on this forum, that truck would have a for sale sign on it right now.
If you already know how your ammeter works and how its wired, go for it. If you already know how your oil warning light is wired compared to your alternator warning light, you'll probably be okay. If you plan to upgrade all your dash gauges, then you'll be better off than I was.
Otherwise the money you save with EZ had better buy you some patience.
Im done venting now. Thank you.
 


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