I'd be interested. Sent you a PM

 

If there is one thing in this world I hate more than all the other things I hate, it's people who do electrical work even when they know they don't know what they're doing. I'm so tired of buying vehicles that have been rewired by the dumbest people on the planet. I've even sold/traded cars because of electrical issues. Yet, here I am again dealing with the work of morons.

Aside from the usual shenanigans, like in-line fuses spliced into random wires and cheap crimp connectors in odd places, I've found a wire nut in the harness under the hood. No idea what it's connected to. Then today I was trying to disconnect the column harness and accidentally bumped a button on the bottom of the dash... it was the horn. The horn button for my truck is under the dash, next to the column. My guess is that they replaced the turn signal switch and used one from a non-cruise truck, so it didn't work the horn right since that seems to be the difference between the switches. Rather than getting the right switch, they rigged up a new button. That also explains why the horns have a "custom" wiring harness (AKA a piece of red wire) running to them.

I really don't like the idea of the "one size fits all" aftermarket harnesses. I'm thinking about mounting one of these under the hood and migrating circuits over to it as needed. Start with the broken stuff, like turn signals and horn, and gradually rewire the whole truck. Wouldn't necessarily be the simplest solution. But it would best accommodate future expansion/changes. Patching the factory harness just seems like a waste of energy. It's 46 years old, not up to the task even if it was in perfect condition.

On the plus side, I oiled the hood hinges. It opens much more easily now. But it still needs adjusted. Takes a bit of a bump to get the latch to release. The gap at the front is noticeably wider than the gap at the rear. A minor issue in the grand scheme. Not something I feel the need to deal with right now.

 

The GEP products are excellent . I used the smaller version for both my electric fans and headlight relay upgrade. The smaller fits 2 relays and two fusses.

 

Good to know.

I was actually looking at the other small one they offer that holds three maxi relays for exactly what you did with that one. Didn't realize the one you used would also handle that current. I don't have electric fans yet, but it is part of the plan. I was all over their site looking at everything. It's pretty confusing trying to figure out what I need. The factory fuse panel has 11 (IIRC) slots, so 22 positions. Add a few more circuits for auxiliary lights, trailer wiring, stereo, etc. Then more relays for the heavier loads. Seemed like 96 positions wasn't excessive. But ganging smaller boxes together makes sense because the big box won't accept larger gauges of wire. So maybe the 48-position box for low-power circuits, then smaller boxes for relays for the bigger circuits.

Do you have a thread on your headlight/fan installation? I'm curious how you handled the circuits. Seems you need separate relays for high and low beams, then a dedicated relay for each fan, if you run more than one. I'm basing that on the 30/40 watt rating of normal relays compared to the 25W rating for fans and... actually, headlights are even more than that, aren't they? Now I'm confused again.

 

Let me gather what I did for both the headlights and cooling fan. I've changed computers three times since then and each time making a bigger mess to sort through than the last. I used several different suppliers . There was a learning curve just on the proper mechanical crimp for each connector but I persevered. It will give me a reason to enter the catacombs

 

I know that feeling. I use three different browsers across two computers... never know where I bookmarked something for reference.

I notice I keep confusing watts and amps. I probably need to fix that before wiring the truck.

The connector issue is already driving me insane. All the distribution blocks use Metri-pack. But I want to use Deutsch for the harness. And the higher current GEP stuff uses Lear Mak 8, whatever that is. Then there'll still be "normal" connectors for sensors, gauges, stereo, whatever. Probably going to spend more on tools to make the harness than I paid for the truck in the first place.

Used this handy gadget to get an idea of what I'll need. Turns out I can fill that 96-position GEP box pretty quickly. Looking at using a Derale fan controller, which will eliminate those circuits from the main box. Accessory lights can get their own box as well. Can't tell if the GEP box will hold solid-state flashers or not.

 

Speaking of crimping tools, these are my entire set that covers anything american made from 40's thru 80's form 8 gauge - 24 gauge wire. It took me about 3 years watching e-bay, craigs list, and FB marketplace. Making progress on my photo files

 

Headlight upgrade harness I made for my 87' F350 Crew. Using this GEP product

 

For the electric fan upgrade harness I used these fuse and relay boxes that have a higher rating for higher draw electric cooling fans.
Still looking for shots of the harness. Got a lot of this stuff from "Waytek".

 

Gorgeous work. That fan box is one of the ones that uses those Mak 8 terminals, isn't it? I've been having no luck finding those anywhere.

I really want to use Deutsch connectors for the harness. But I think I'm going to end up using Metri-pack. Since I already have to get that crimper and terminals for the PDC I'd save a fair bit of money just sticking with it everywhere.

This was not part of the plan when I bought the truck. Tune-up, tires, drive it. I should know better by now.

 

This is the heavier rated box here.
and the lighter one here on that GEP product . The price is not bad.

 

I'm actually surprised at how affordable GEP's stuff is. Granted, you have to factor in the terminals. That nearly doubles the cost on the bigger boxes. But you end up with a sealed power center with a completely custom layout. That's so much tidier than hacking some junkyard box in.

I'm trying to rein myself back in now. There are smaller fixes I can make before spending hundreds on shiny new things.

First and foremost, I'm 98% certain the fuel pump is shot. It was built before ethanol was in everything. First time I saw the truck, we got it running. It was rough, but it ran... sorta. When I went back with cash, we fired it up and gas poured out of every pore of the carb. Don't know why I expected the pump to be any different. Or might have a hole in a line somewhere. Had a clear filter near the carb, barely got any fuel through it. Honestly don't know it ran.

 

Weather warmed up enough to inspire me to go outside. Had the bright idea to change the plugs. Figured since I rebuilt the carb and got it adjusted reasonably well it would be safe to put the new plugs in. Didn't want to swap them while the fuel was off and ruin a brand new set of plugs with fouling. Also decided to start with the #4 plug since that is the most PITA of the bunch. Struggled massively with my fairly limited tool selection. Went to put the wire back on, the dang socket isolator boot was still stuck on the plug. I don't have a pair of extended needle-nose to get it out. I sure don't feel like pulling the plug again given what a struggle it was to get it in in the first place. So that seemed like a good stopping point for the day.

I'm not making great progress here. Partially due to weather, partially due to finances. But, so far, I'm constantly moving forward. What separates this truck from the last 30-odd vehicles I've owned is, well... maturity. Gone are the days of selling a car because the wipers don't work. Yeah, I did that. Which is weird considering I pulled the heads on the same car when it hung a valve. I've got a grocery list of things to fix. This isn't the quick fix I expected. And there's a ton more electrical stuff to deal with than I am comfortable with. So I work til I get frustrated, then pause til I'm inspired again. Got tax time coming, and an annual bonus of unknown amount. That can be a lot of inspiration.