Amazon & Ebay offer universal wiring harness for at least 1/2 price as EZ, Painless, Francis, ect. Are they worth it? I can spend $100+ savings somewhere else.

 

I just purchased a complete 12 circuit harness from Speedway, I haven't installed it yet but I was very impressed inspecting it. Looking at the reviews of those on eBay it sounded like they were nothing but problems.

 

I also purchased the 12-circuit Mini harness from Speedway, am in the middle of install and very content with it.
The documentation could be more detailed (it doesn't include a schematic, which would be useful), but it is sufficient.
The wire quality and labeling of the individual wires is very good.
The included connections and splices are auto store quality. I would recommend buying a proper crimping tool and an assortment heat shrink/marine connectors and splices in various sizes, which can be had on Amazon etc. for less than $50 combined total.
I also bought a variety of WeatherPack connectors for so I can easily disconnect certain parts of the wiring - like when removing the front end as whole without having to cut the warning to headlights and indicators or replacing busted rear light fixtures and so on.

Dre

 

This is what I used on my 1965. Price has gone up since I bought mine. Every wire is marked as to where it goes. Maybe a little generic. But. A wiring harness is a wiring harness.
https://kwikwire.com/collections/wir...rd%20Harnesses

 

I bought a 22 circuit from Speedway. Lots of great reviews. And they sent me more info by email for installations tips and problem solving. Looks like most other brands but half price or abouts there of. Hoping to start installing soom

 

I guess the big question is why are they so cheap? The common kits have a known quality. The prices mostly vary based on the included features and how well they fit. Universal kits like EZ-Wire and Painless cost less than kits that are vehicle specific, such as some of the American Autowire kits. I mention these three because I have installed a few EZ-Wire kits and one Painless. I have also seen one American Autowire kit installed and it was very good.

Then there is the tech support. EZ-wire has slim instructions but if you know what you're doing they're good enough. They have pretty good phone and email support after purchase. Painless instructions have so much information you have to search to find what you need. But the answer to nearly every question is there. They also have outstanding support. I'll be arrogant and say I've never called either one. But I know people that have, and they only had good things to say about both.

My point is, something about the no-name kits make them cheaper than the others. It may be the quality of the fuse box, the connectors, or even the wire it's self. Would you really want to spend a week or more rewiring your vehicle only to find out a bumpy road makes the crimp connections in the fuse box open? Or get halfway done and have a question that can never be answered?

All of that said, I personally consider EZ-wire to be the most basic kit I would buy. Above that I would look at Speedway, Painless, or American Autowire.

In my opinion, the electrical system is just too important to go cheap. There is so much that can go wrong and make the end of a build a nightmare.

 

Whatever brand you choose, make sure they use cross-linked polyethylene insulation, commonly referred to as TXL or GXL. Not all wire is created equal. The good stuff is high heat resistant. Lesser quality wire will melt from the heat gun applying the shrink wrap tubing. You don't want your whole truck having a melt down at an inopportune moment. I would guess that's where some of the cheap, knock-off kits may save a buck or two. No one would know the difference just by looking.