Wire Harness Replacements
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Trailering
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 22
Likes: 2
Wire Harness Replacements
Hello everyone! I have a 1982 Ford F-150 that has terrible wiring. It has been spliced and cut, and many other random things have been done to it. I have been looking at buying a new wire harness and pulling out the whole interior, sound-deadening it, putting the wire harness in, and rebuilding around it. I have been looking at the company Painless Performance wiring. I am looking at going with a 28-circuit harness, even though my truck originally had a 21. I wanted things like trailer lights and brakes, and a few other things. There are many universal kits, but I'm not sure which ones would fit on my truck, and I don't want to start buying things that won't. Has anyone used one of these or another type, and what are your thoughts? Thanks!
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,992
Likes: 2,741
From: Virginia
Painless and all the others are universal kits. None of their kits will plug into the original switches and components of your truck. You will have to do a lot of splicing, using the old original connectors and short pieces of the original harness. You will then have a custom harness with no diagram for it.
There is one company that makes a harness for these trucks, but I have no experience with using it. Looking at it, it looks like it is even not completely original, needing a lot of modification to fit. Here it is.
https://americanautowire.com/collect...-bronco-510724
I believe you will find after you spend all that money, you will still be up to your arm pits in wiring modifications, and it will be best and easiest to repair your original harness. You can buy wire that is a close match, a soldering iron and solder, and shrink wrap, and do a good job repairing what you have. And then if ever there is a problem, the original Ford documentation and wiring diagrams will match and anyone can work on it.
There is one company that makes a harness for these trucks, but I have no experience with using it. Looking at it, it looks like it is even not completely original, needing a lot of modification to fit. Here it is.
https://americanautowire.com/collect...-bronco-510724
I believe you will find after you spend all that money, you will still be up to your arm pits in wiring modifications, and it will be best and easiest to repair your original harness. You can buy wire that is a close match, a soldering iron and solder, and shrink wrap, and do a good job repairing what you have. And then if ever there is a problem, the original Ford documentation and wiring diagrams will match and anyone can work on it.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,975
Likes: 513
From: Edmond, OK
Go with American Autowire if you want an aftermarket harness. I'd think if you have the skill to install the wiring harness you'd have the skill to repair the OE harness.
I agree that the OE harnesses are lousy. Especially if somebody has butchered it with wire nuts and poor splices.
I agree that the OE harnesses are lousy. Especially if somebody has butchered it with wire nuts and poor splices.
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