Hot Rods Wiring harness your experiences

Going to rod run looking for a harness for my 36 ford truck with a 303. What are some of your good and bad experiences, and what brand did you use.

 

Rebel wire, supports the HAMB, I even got a discount.
Super easy to follow, nice quailty and all wires marked.
Customer service was spot on with my one issue, walked me through everything until we found where I went wrong (pinched a wire) an got me straightened out. I'd buy from them again for sure

 

never used a harness myself just wired it in with a new fuse box. there are a lot of guys I know that have used rebel and no complaints.

 

I have used several from Painless. Main reason is they are about 3 miles from my shop. Most of the major companies produce a good product and are all very similar. Most problems are usually self inflicted by the installer but none are totally faultless. Blame it on the "overseas" parts they all tend to use.

 

American Autowire. Worked out very well for me. Great instructions and drawings.
-Pat

 

American Auto Wire is very good. Rebel s much less expensive and is good. Painless uses smaller gauge wire. Rebel will cost less.

 

Rebel, and they support the Hamb

 

I have wired a lot of cars and i use ron francis wiring kits. I have looked at a lot of kits over the years at different shows. I haven't found any that i like better. Each to his own.

 

I have used EZWire, Rebel and American Autowire. American Autowire is by far the best I used mainly because they give you actual diagrams and understandable instructions instead of childish scribbling that the others provide. American Autowire can also be had with all the switches and connectors that are sometimes difficult to source. If you want to actually understand how to wire a car the American Autowire is superior.

 

Will someone please explain to me how a kit can work for a car with different brands of engine, A/C and other accessories? (just for an example, a 1937 Ford pickup with 350/350 and air conditioning)
This is a serious request

 

I used Rebel on my '34 pickup. I thought it was a fairly easy install. Before that I usually wired it myself by buying the wire, connectors, etc. Was cheaper to just buy a kit that had the wires labeled.

 

Most wiring kits are tailored for that combo, chevy in almost anything

 

Electricity is electricity, it doesn't care about brands or even what it's used on. The only trick with a 'kit' is making sure the wire size is adequate for the connected load, and the various other components are also sized big enough. Yes, you may need 'special' bits or circuits for controlling some accessories, but this usually occurs after the wires leave the fuse panel.

 

I went over to American Autowire since my last post and looked around. How could $400 to $900 kits be cheaper than doing it myself? I have wired many ol cars in the last 40 years and the cost has always been near zero until recently when I started buying rolls wire off of ebay.
What do you guys do with all the extra wires for GM steering, 4 way hazards, power windows, power seats, door locks, and clocks? Do you throw away all those wires you paid for?
Are you happy with the switches and knobs? I want to buy a kit but am very skeptical

 

The most expensive rebel wire kit is 229. Thats got every wire in place, the right size wire, fuses included and the wire has its destination printed on it every foot.
I put an EFI system in my truck, the EFI harness was custom made (not rebel) Sure, i used some things for different than they were labled for, and I have a few spares left over. If I chose to add some stuff later on I've got room for it. For my $$ and knowledge it wasnt worth it to make my own.

 

If you aren't going to street rod it with all those power options, then get a minimalist kit with just a few circuits on it. I have a hot rod so I usually get the smallest one they make and still have a circuit or two that I just tie off the wire to it.

 

I always make my own harness and always have. But as many have already have said rebel harnesses are good quality. I would not be afraid to buy one and use it on any of my own stuff.

 

I bought an American Autowire kit which came with ignition switch, light switch, all necessary connectors/sensors for the application. Expensive.......but very well thought out, top quality product.

 

Great thanks for the info I'm going to run a electric fan and fuel pump, stereo, inside lights, you know the basics. Will a 12 circuit be big enough?

 

When I called to place my order I told them what all I planned to run. They made a recommendation on what would fit. I chose to go with one more notch higher just to have plenty of spare for after thoughts

 

Rebel gets my vote! Like ways said it supports the Hamb. Good people to deal with. Don in Indiana

 

I read all these electrical posts, and still understand very little. As I understand it the Rebel kit comes with all the wires connected to a box/panel/whatever you want to call it, and the wires run off to were ever. OTHER kits allow you to connect both ends of the wires to this box/panel/whatever you want to call it. The world will end if anyone posts photos of this stuff, you have to spend hundreds of dollars to buy it and see if you want to use it. Bob

 

In the last 40 years I have used them all,from the homemade scratch built and from the simple inexpensive kits to the more expensive.

The last 6 car's I have used American Auto Wire...the Highway 15 kit ( list price $379) gives you everything you will ever need..you won't have to go to the parts house and buy anything else.

I usually buy at shows and have bought this kit for around 300 dollars.

Absolutely the best bang for the buck. HRP

 

depends , if the oem one is in place and in good condition I often will rework it and use some of the original wire if needed , but if it was like my 50 were they gutted the wires , I used a painless , as I get a discount on them as the shop I buy from is a WD for them , and never had a problems with them other than the way they right the manuals for them .

 

Rebel Wire. Simple to install and they have wonderful tech support if needed. HAMB discount as well.

 

You've figured out one of the main differences that seperate different designs of kits. The prewired panels are great for oem replacements...not so great for custom applications....particularly if you want to hide wires. My 57 Ford is an ot restomod with a modern efi engine. There is nothing electrical except the headlights on my car that are stock. I've added A/C, power windows,electric fuel pump, etc, etc. I've also got a late model Ford steering colum that needed to be fully functional. That meant a custom multifunction switch harness/connector and ignition switch connector. I wanted the best quality available...heat and abrasion resistant crosslinked wire. Ron Francis was my answer.
Ron Francis express kits are custom made to order. Each panel has a serial number that is registered to you, and can be accessed by their tech support for your specific harness. They supplied me with the needed Ford connectors for the steering colum, and was designed for my total system requirements. All connectors are prewired, not the panel. The advantage of this is you can plug in the connector to it's location, then feed the wires the way you want to back to the panel....makes it easier to hide wires, and you're not left with coils of extra wire trying to figure out what to do with it.
Ron Francis also makes prewired panel/harness kits for stock applications....(access24/7, etc.)
In a nutshell....the system design you need depends on your particular application. once you decide which type of harness is best for you, check which manufactureres produce them that way, and check the recommendations for them here or other forums.

 

I know it's frowned upon to say this, but do a search, this has been covered so many times.

 

Maybe, but Texas57 hasn't posted on any of them, and he is the FIRST guy to understand what I was trying to say and came back with a nice reply that even I understood. MOST of these electrical posts turn into a pissing contest with more conflicting info than helpful info. Bob

 

Fair enough, but I was really referring to the OP.

 

I like Rebel wiring harnesses so much, I ordered another 14-circut one today ! Excellent product at an excellent price and made in the USA - what's more to say ?