Has anyone used the wiring harness from Southern Rods and Parts in South Corolina? I bought one from them at Good Guys show in Nashville. It come today and I am not happy with the instructions at all. I am by no means a wiring man so that makes it that much more confusing. They do break there wires down into 7 different groups, A thru G but there are wires for the same thing in two different bundles, ie. a brown wire number 9 for taillights in Bundle "B" and "C".
It is probably very simple once some of you set me straight.
Please Help Again
Thanks

 

Showpanther,
I am sorry. I wish I could have caught up with you at the show. SOuthern Rod and Parts has long had a history of bad to terrible customer experiences. There was the one company there selling EZ wire 21 circuit kits for $135. What brand of kit did you get from Southern? Is it their own kit? I wish you luck. Maybe going forward search here for what others have used and who they purchased them from. Donald

 

Yes it is there brand. It is just my luck too. Where was the EZ Wire being sold? I went everywhere I thought except the tent where the NAPA truck was. My wife said that she only seen earrings and things like that down through there. ( Not many wives are looking for truck parts over earrings, I love her) But if you tell me that is where EZ Wire was we may have a small problem.

 

There was a booth over across from the Air Ride booth or close to it. Selling EZ wire harnesses, power windows, and other stuff. The guy was having a going out of business sell. From what I have seen written here and other places folks have not had bad experiences with EZ wire. I wish there was a way you could return it. I dont think it is worth the hassle. With all the complaints I am not sure how they stay in business.

 

The harness you have is probably workable for someone with a lot of wiring experience or a determine novice that can track down the circuits. It is possible that there may be more than one wire for a function in different bundles, i.e. there could be a taillight wire in a bundle that goes to the rear to connect to the taillights and one in the dash bundle that goes to the switch. (don't know if this is the case here, just a made up example). There is a pretty decent inexpensive book called "How to wire your hot rod" that might help (DON'T buy the book put out by Painless wiring called "hot rod wiring", it's just an infomercial for Painless products with virtually no useful info in it. BTDT )
Wiring is not really very difficult, but a lot of people go into brainlock at the mention of the word tho, probably because they feel like they are working on blind faith since they cannot "see" the current flowing. If you think of it as "plumbing" where the wire acts as pipes and the current as water it may be easier. The battery is the water source, it flows from there to the main distribution point (fuse panel, the fuses are automatic shut off valves in case there is a sudden leak) then the "water" flows to a control valve (switch) and then to the point of useage (light, ignition, etc, think faucet, toilet, sprinkler etc). Then finally to the "sewer" (the ground, or chassis) where it returns to the source (battery) so it can be used again.
Work with one circuit at a time and ignore the rest until it is it's turn. test each circuit as you go. (but leave the battery disconnected until you have completed the circuit, connect it to test, then disconnect it again before continuing. Start with the lighting circuits, they are the easiest to do and test, and will boost your confidence as you see each one work.
Always use a rubber grommet where a wire goes thru a hole in metal, route them away from hot or moving parts, and use a lot of clips to support them and keep them neat. Use a good quality wire stripper and staking tool to attach terminals (about 20.00 at HD or Lowes, don't mess with the cheaper ones that just crush the terminal, you can pick up rubber or vinyl lined hangers, terminals, corregated wire loom, grommets, electrical tape, shrink tubing, inexpensive Volt-Ohm meter etc there as well.
Don't be afraid to ask questions here or email me if you run into anything you are not sure of. Good luck!

 

I don't have any experience with the Southern Rods harnesses. There is a chance that we can help you out anyway and walk you through areas when you run into problems.
As AX already mentioned there will be wires that show up in different sections. The parking lights are a good example, they will be in the rear lights section, the front lights section and the dash section.

Try not to let it overwhelm you, focus on small sections at a time, as questions here no matter how trivial you might think they are (in fact the simpler questions, the better.....we stand a better chance of getting them right.......lol)

Good luck
Bobby

 

I just did an ez wire system and Bobby is right. One bundle with the long wires go to the back of the truck, The other bundle should go to the switch and be shorter. It takes a while to figure it out, but it is doable. I did my first one a couple of months ago. Frosties, patience if the key! Ask and we will try to help more. I would ask a question go out and work for a while, then come back in for answers. Worked out well.

 

Kevin---I will be asking ?? soon on my harness. The wires are ALL marked every 12'' or so from what I saw,and that will be a great help to me. Bill

 

Every six inches actually. The EZ wire harness is what I am using as well, a high quality setup at a great price, highly recommended.

 

I will have to make my way up there for a day to help you do it. Once you do it once it should be pretty easy.

 

kevin-- thanks! I will be ready soon--how's that wrecker runnin'?

 

AXracer has it wrong. The wires are not pipes that carry water, they carry smoke!

A sheet of paper crossed my desk the other day, and as I read it, a realization of a basic truth came over me. So simple! So obvious that we missed it! Electricity is smoke!
John Knivlen, chairman of Polomar Repeater Club (an amateur radio group), has discovered how electrical circuits work. He says that smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work, and he knows this to be true because every time he lets the smoke out of an electrical circuit, it stops working. He claims that he has verified this theory with thorough testing.
I was flabbergasted!
Of course! Smoke makes all things electrical work. Remember the last time smoke escaped from your Lucas voltage regulator? Didn’t it stop working? I sat and smiled like an idiot as more of the truth dawned. It’s the wiring harness that carries the smoke from one electrical device to another, and when the harness springs a leak, it lets smoke out of everything at once, and then nothing works.
The started motor requires large quantities of smoke to operate properly, and that is why the wire going to it is so large.
Feeling very smug, I continued to expand my hypothesis. Why are Lucas electricals more likely to break down than Bosch? Hmmmmmmm? Aha! Lucas is British, and all things British leak. British convertible tops leak water, British engines leak oil, British brake units leak fluid, and, I might add, British tires leak air, and the British defense unit leaks secrets, so – naturally, British electricals leak smoke.
I thought this was worth sharing as it explains the mystries of electrical components.

Swiped from Southern California Chapter of the Classic Car Club of America, which admits to fliching it from Wheelsport, which lifted it from the Jag Gazette, and so on.

Scott