I got my Centech Wire Harness for my 77F150 yesterday. I am going out of town for a few days though, so next week I should have it put in and pictures taken of the install.

I read through the directions, and it seems that it will all be fairly straight forward. Just mount the fuse block, and start laying out the wires for each individual system.

It came in 9 seperate bags divided into these segments:

1) Power Distribution Panel
2) Ignition Switch with harness
3) Headlight switch with harness
4) Dimmer switch with harness
5) Instrument panel plug with harness
6) Alternator/Regulator Kit with harness
7)Turn signal and Stop lamp kit
8) Wiper Switch Kit (optional)
9) Heater Fan Wiring (optional)

Each of the 9 segments have thier own point to point wiring instructions with notes made for my specific items (ammeter, MSD ignition, etc).

Thanks again for the recommendation of Centech.

It was 2 weeks and 2 days from when I called them untill it was delivered.
I was very pleased.

 

Let me know how it goes. I have talked with Centech before and I like what that have to offer.

 

I have started taking pictures of the kit. I made a new album in my gallery.
I'll keep posting as I add pitcures. Hopefully Monday will be the official start.

From what I can tell without unwrapping all the harnesses and creating a potential for losing stuff before I get started, its gonna require more than just plug and play. I'll have to splice headlight and taillight connectors from my old harness, or maybe just go buy replacements from NAPA and make it all new. Other than that, it's just laying out the wires that have thier purpose written the entire length of the insulation in the correct places.

 

When i got my kit from centech it had all the connectors in the bags. New ones for headlight switch, headlights, brake light switch, dimmer switch and tailights. Did not have to use any old connectors. Thanks chuck

 

You don't have to reuse anything? All new sounds really good to me

 

Well,

I have started installing the kit. Ripped out all the old wiring in about 4 hours. I have learned that a connector that has not been undone in 30 years wants to stay connected for another 30 years by all means.

I started with the unplug everything and remove cleanly method, then 3 hours later I got out the big linemans pliers and cut it all out quickly.

Now I have the fuse box and new ignition key installed, and the 5 wires the truck needs to run.
I have been taking pictures of it all and will post them here in my gallery.

My current dilema is that the the truck now turns over (a vast improvement over turning the key and getting nothing) but my MSD ignition has crapped out. I did all the trouble shooting recommended by them and still have no spark out of the coil. Yes I tried a new coil.

So I am sitting here typing this trying to summon the patience to go back out and make a quick harness to wire in the duraspark module and see if it will at least sputter.

So, the money I saved from using Centech instead of Painless, will now go to another ignition box. I guess I should have figured as much. The current MSD 6A I have in it is over 10 years old and has spend the last 5 sitting under a hood through rain and days of 100% humidity with the truck not running to warm up and drive all the moisture out of the components.

 

I took the offroad vibration spacers from the MSD and mounted them on my replacement duraspark. I have been pretty happy with it. Do have a blaster coil, though.

 

When shopping for Duraspark II modules go for the Motorcraft units. They are higher $$ than the cheapo modules tho. You can also find the DS Motorcraft units in salvage yards that are perfectly good, -just have them tested. You can pick them up cheap that way. Always mount the ignition module on spacers at least 1/4" off the fender. I use 5/16" hex nuts... Sometimes I run 1/4" bolts down from the top side with a nut and washer under the module then run nylock nuts on the bottom of the fender.

 

Make sure you don't need to wire up the ignition switch a bit differently than what the directions say. I used a Painless kit in my '53 and I have a full MSD setup. I could not get a "hot" wire to stay hot when I went to crank the engine, it went dead. It was hot when the key was in the on position, but dead in the crank position. I called Painless and it turns out I needed a jumper wire on the back of the ignition switch, works fine now. Call Centech and make sure you don't need anything differently, my directions from Painless did not include this bit of info.........miraculously, that was the only real problem I had with that kit.

 

Okay, one new MSD box and it fired right up. Now I just need to address the cracked fuel hoses and it should be up and running for more than 20 seconds.

As I keep saying, I'm taking pictures of it all as I go. Just need to get around to updating my website, or making my gallery here bigger.

Later, I'm back to work.

 

IT IS ALIVE!!!!!!

Changed all the soft fuel lines and while cranking, the pedal got resistance from the accel. pump actually pumping fuel.

Two taps of the pedal and it fired right up and settled into a smooth idle after about 30 seconds of running it around 1500RPMs. Well, as smooth as it can be with the cam the engine has.

Almost a year of sitting, including through Hurricane Katrina with water up to the hubs and still not even one lifter tapped once it started up, and it still holds about 60psi of oil pressure when warming up.

Tomorrow's agenda: get the alternator tested, and run the dash wiring, and if sunlight permits, get the headlights and taillights wired and go for a test drive and find a few Hondas at stoplights who feel lucky, but not for long.