Ok time for some advise from someone that's gone thru it. My wiring on the 1954 ford F-600 dump is a mess. I'm looking to replace the whole thing. I found this jegs universal one for $299.99. It has everything I need and then some. Has anyone else done this and what did you use? Any advise would help. Thanks

 

I bought and installed the MidFifty basic harness on my stock '53 F100. It was $325 I think but virtually "plug and play". Going to keep the truck stock so just wanted to swap completely to 12V neg grd with new wire. Didn't feel I needed a fuse block, etc..

 

I also bought the original style harness from MidFifty. It is cloth covered like stock but is rubber covered under that. If you buy that for your 54, make sure your truck has a junction block above the solenoid. Most and I say most of the 54s do but mine does not. 1955 trucks do not have the junction block. My truck is a late 54. My harness was to short to reach the solenoid so I had to splice more wire on. The 55 harness is longer to reach the solenoid.

Another tip. Do not rip out all your old harness and then try to put the new in. Tear out a foot or two at a time, then put the new in place, tear out some more and so on.


My 55, no junction block below the horn relay.


My 54. Notice no junction block like other 54s and notice the splicing to reach the solenoid.

So if yours has the junction block, order the 54 harness if you have buying a stock style. If your 54 does not have the junction block then order the 55 harness.

 

I converted my truck to 12v and I bought a kit from American Autowire. It is a little pricey, but it came with everything including all pins and plugs.

Complete Wiring Kit - 1953-56 Ford Truck We Make Wiring THAT Easy!

Nice thing it has great instructions broken down for each wire. You can pull up the instructions from the link above.

 

That looks clean!

 

I'm not familiar with that harness but most of the basic kits only wory about circuit protection for the dash gauges and lighting but don't offer protection for under hood wiring . . . which is where a lot of restored vehicles have fires. Make sure that your wiring from the battery or starter solenoid to your fuse panel have protection of some sort.

 

Well this is the rats nest I currently have under the dash so I think anything I do will be a improvement. Hahaha

 

So as I was going thru my wire mess under the dash I came across this. I'm guessing it's a voltage regulator. Can anyone give me a yes or no on it for sure?

 

They are breakers and are normally attached to the gauge cluster.

 

I personally would stay away from universal kits. I'm trying to install one now from "keep it clean" and it's a nightmare. There are wires for everything and are bundled generically, so I'm having to remove unused wires and reroute wires that I'm using. Figuring out what goes where isn't as easy it seems. If I had money to burn, I'd throw this kit away (too late to return it) and buy one specific for my 54. All I wanted to do was convert from 6v to 12v, and of course replace the rotting wires.

Someone mentioned not ripping out all your old wiring first, instead replacing one section at a time. I can second that, I got rid of all the wiring first thinking that it would cleaner to start new, but now I'm having to figure out how to route all the wires. Google image search has helped make it less painful, but having the original wiring as a guide would have been so much easier!

Hope this helps, good luck!!
Brian

 

I'm in the process of re-wiring my truck. I ordered the main harness for under the dash, and inside the engine compartment, from Narragansett Reproductions. I paid $345, which was expensive, but Narragansett advertises their harnesses are made to original specs and from original type materials. Satisfaction is also guaranteed.

Unfortunately, Narragansett mistakenly sent me the wrong harness. I believe they didn't realize that Ford switched to an overhead valve I6 engine in 1952. The harness that they sent me probably would fit a 1951 and older flathead 226 cid engine. To their credit, they are going to build a new harness for me based on my old original harness.

The Narragansett harness I received looks very period correct. Since their harnesses are custom made for a specific vehicle, I would think installation would be very straight forward. Fit and appearance should be like an original equipment harness. Delivery took about 8 weeks. That was a long wait, but what you get is not an off the shelf, one size fits all, harness with modern looking plastic covered wires.

I was a little put off by the mix-up with getting the wrong harness, but at least they didn't try to pin the mistake on me. They never suggested I ordered the wrong thing. Narragansett makes harnesses for lots of classic cars and trucks, and they learned through their mistake that Ford F1's had a new six cylinder beginning in 52.

Here are some pictures:










Jim

 

I'm a big fan of the Ron Francis wiring. It is all I have used, but it was easy to follow and complete. I had a Nova with a Painless wiring before... the wiring under the dash looked similar to yours. What a Pain.

 

My 3 cents is there are a lot of good kits, generically compare:
quality- wire size and quality and protective coating are worth looking at. Cheap wiring coating alone can crack when bent or dry and crack over time.
ease of installation - wires color coded and marked in small intervals, diagrams, appropriate length lines to avoid splicing and losing markings and color coding, size of fuse panel vs room where you want it, etc..
tech support - you are probably going to need it your first time or two. Can you reach a person on the phone whom knows enough to help you?

I personally think you can find similar quality kits for way less than the big names, or many people whom are restricted even more on budget have had good luck pulling from other vehicles (mostly gm), buying colored wires, and dealing with the splices -but this option is not for the weary.

take your time and think ahead. Stay away from heat and moving parts, pull the wires at once for items located adjacent to one another and keep them bound. Zip ties are your friend. Ensure good grounds
I like to split the wiring into sections (far front, driver engine, pass engine, driver passenger, and rear) and bundle them together before I start
echo doing portions at time vs ripping out entire old electrical if it's an option
magnetic wire holders worked good for me in tight spots
The difference between a rats nest and a clean install is time, forethought, quality connections/connectors and bundling multiple wires as best as possible with quality electrical tape or loom.

 

I agree on the Ron Francis wiring kits. Every wire is plainly marked upon its entire length, color coded and cut to the correct length with plenty of extra.

 

This summer I helped a kid rewire his 48 F1 with a painless kit. A few months prior I'd wired my F100 with an original set of looms from Tyree. The Painless kit took much longer and had lots of stuff not needed in his 48. Plus we had to cut, terminate and heat shrink each wire end. Finally everything had to be bundled and wrapped. None of this work is needed with a custom harness designed for your truck.

Over the years I've wired a number of autos and race cars. There is good info here, but no matter which solution you choose please follow Abe's advice and leave all of the old harness in place until ready to replace that circuit.

Bottom line? Spend a little more and get a purpose built harness.