Today is my lucky day my ez-wire kit came today now it's time to get started wiring the truck. Hope it is as easy as everyone says it is. I'm not much in wiring or following directions but I'll give it a shot. I have a reducer on the coil so will I have to get a 12 volt coil first of all? I have a son that will be helping me on this and he is smarter than I am.

 

Keep us posted

 

Umm, …..there is some possibility that the “reducer” is ballast resistor and if your truck is 12 volt already and still has points you will need to use it,……..there will also be a permanent jumper wire from the starter solenoid (I term) to the coil for 12 volts when cranking.

Julie will be along with drawings, she is less confusing then me.

 

I used the EZ wire kit and found it pretty easy even though i had never done any auto wiring before. The only thing i would do different would be to get some plug connectors and make a harness for the gauges. It makes it a lot easier if you need to remove a gauge or gauges at a later date.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Terry

 

My truck is running on 12 volts allready. Has some of the old wires on it that I am going to change with the new wiring. Looking in the box that I got today there is a lot of wires to hook up in the right places to get everything to work right. I would like to keep the truck as orignal as I can with the flathead. I know that not keeping the orignal wiring is an update but I figure it is for the best. Maybe Julie will give me some directions on hooking things up like the guages. I have a new set of guages that is suppose to be 12 volt with a reducer on them. Do I bypass the reducer and hook up direct to the guage or what?

Larry
Santa Fe Texas

 

Huhmph...that'll be the day.

I have lots of drawings and lots of pictures of al the switches, how to convert the gauges and the generic wiring flow for a few different configurations. They are good drawings, easy to read and in color.

Write me an e-mail at babbiebuddie@***.net and let me know your truck year and your charging system config (ie generator, one wire alternator, etc.) and I will be glad to send you the power point file with the drawings.

In the mean time take a look at my #4 gallery - the drawings are in there. That will give you some idea about what we are talking about.

Wiring is easy if you keep it simple, so don't be intimidated. It's just connecting the dots!

 

I'd heartily recommend getting some extra diagrams like Julie has drawn up - although the EZ kit is nice the instructions/diagrams that come with it are rubbish!!!

 

I've never met a woman who was less confusing than a man...
Remember the EZW harness has connections for about any accessory or modern convenience you could possibly add to your truck. If you don't have or plan on adding things like high end sound system, AC, power windows, power locks, back up lights, power seats, etc etc there will be a lot of wires in the harness you won't need. But don't just cut them off!
First thng you want to do is in a big room or hallway unroll all the wires and seperate them into groups: front lighting; rear lighting; engine wiring; instrument wiring; accessories I have or will be adding before the build is complete; accessories I never plan on adding. Roll up each group seperately except the last one into rolls and secure each with a temporary tie. When you wire the truck, route and wire one group at a time and you'll only be working with a few wires at a time.
For the last group, those you will likely never use: Make yourself an accurate diagram of where each attaches to the fuse panel. Remove the fuse from that connector and note the A. size on your diagram. Look carefully at the metal connector with the wire attached in the fuse block with a strong light and magnification if necessary (quite likely) for a tang on the connector that locks the connector into the fuse block. Use a suitable tool (usually a very small screw driver or straightened paper clip (does anyone use bobby pins any more?) to release the tang and pull the connector and it's wire out of the fuse block. If it doesn't come out easily you haven't found the "key" to releasing it, keep working at it until you do. it's simple once you find the trick. Repeat with each of the remaining wires. Now take all those wires and roll them up. Place in a heavy duty ziplock food storage bag along with your diagram, label the outside and store in a safe place. You may/likely will change your mind later and want to use some of those wires. If you removed them properly they will slip right back into the fuse block and be good to go.

 

Sounds a lot like how I do the Christmas lights!!!!!

 

Congrats!

A couple of tips;

1) Don't cut any wires or mank any terminations until you are satisfied with the harness layout, routing, and fit. (basically, lay out each part of the harness and route it where you think you want it....check and recheck......I laid mine out 4 times before I got it where I wanted it)

2) Get a good supply of heat shrink tubing

3. Get a good supply of split loom or other form of wiring loom cover for a nice professional look (for inspiration look under the hood at any modern car and see how they do it)

4) Don't forget your grounds

5) Optional -- I didn't like the look of the standard crimp style connectors. I didn't think the big yellow, blue, or red plastic pices were very attractive. When I had to make a termination or a splice I pushed the metal part of the crimp connector out of its plastic sleave and used heat shrink instead for a cleaner look (yes, you can buy crimp connectors without the plastic but I had a huge supply of the ones with plastic and I'm a tightwad) --- I should also mention that I didn't crimp the splices or terminations either as I didn't like the way it bent the crimp....I soldered the wires into the crimp connectors and then covered with heat shrink

6) for circuits that you aren't going to use in the EZ Wire harness its a snap to remove them from the fuse block without damaging them. Like most wires and connectors the terminal are locke din place with a small lock tab that is easily released with a small pick

7) Don't forget to make some notes on the changes you made to the harness (this will come in handy later on when you have forgotten everything you did on this build.

8. Take is slow and easy, don't be intimidated, have some fun with it and don't forget a cold frosty or two

Bobby

 

Share some pics if you can!! I would like to see!! Good luck, im sure you will be fine!

 

Congrats! Hopefully the project will be EZ.

 

Thanks for all the good advice you all have given me it will come in handy. I would put some pics on here if I was a computer wis but I can't for the life of me figure it out even with reading how to do it. I'm a dummy when it come to computers and the way they work but I'll keep trying and one day I might just surprice myself.

 

LOL!!!!

Wiring your truck is easier than posting pictures on FTE! IT'S TRUE!

 

don't get frustrated or overwhelmed. It took me a few weeks working on it 1/2 or hour at a time. I did not cut any wires until the end but I did cut the zip ties that make their harness. then I laid it out on the floor and when from there. I still had to move a few wires into different sections as I went. Also I routed and connected only the wires that I knew what to to with them then picked away at a wire a night. There are still a few things I'd like to do over or change but I'm happy with it.