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Technical Wiring Book

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by The37Kid, Sep 18, 2017.

  1. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    Picked this up in a Box Lot buyout, is it worth reading or is all the stuff subject to HAMB, rejection, revision, and possible death? Bob DSCF9686.JPG
     
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  2. lostone
    Joined: Oct 13, 2013
    Posts: 2,820

    lostone
    Member
    from kansas

    Haven't I that one, looks like it's better than the one I have. Don't buy this one it's a waste of your money. Great for explaining what things due like fuses, relays etc but when it comes to actually wiring lights, wipers, etc. It's worthless.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Have that one, read it quite a while ago. My thought is, the more information you have, the better you can sift through the BS.
     
    cosmo likes this.
  4. Bob that book is flammable, keep it away from the wiring.
     
    trollst likes this.

  5. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    Winter is coming and we both have wood stoves.:rolleyes:
     
  6. Fat47
    Joined: Nov 10, 2007
    Posts: 1,454

    Fat47
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Anything by Tex Smith is worth having and keeping. Look him up on the internet.
     
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  7. swifty
    Joined: Dec 25, 2005
    Posts: 2,217

    swifty
    Member

    Tex was just the publisher, the book was written by Skip Readio who is actually an East Coast auto electrician who does wire lots of rods and customs. I think quite a few of Tex's books are no longer available as he passed away a couple of years ago.
     
  8. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I agree with that, I have several of his books in my "Tex Smith section of my automotive library. Still, as with any other similar book you have to take what you can actually use and just enjoy the rest.
     
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  9. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    I have that book as well as a few others on wiring.....they all add a little something to understanding what needs to be done.I also have other Tex Smith books that deal with other subjects
     
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  10. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There are a few used copies of that book listed on Amazon. Three of them are under 20 bucks at the moment but the other ones are somewhat higher. This time being 4:21 Pacific time 9-18-17
     
  11. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    Read the XR-6 build up as a kid, finally meet Tex at Hershey when he was editor of Old Cars Weekly. I always liked his writing style. Bob
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2017
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  12. JeffB2 and bchctybob like this.
  13. That book is great !
     
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  14. sloppy jalopies
    Joined: Jun 29, 2015
    Posts: 5,256

    sloppy jalopies
    Member

    met skip years ago... straightened me out on parabolic refraction...
    I was using sealed beams behind stock '34 truck lenses...
    I was bending the light twice... looked great in front of the car but the head lights had little or no distance...
    thanks skip !
     
  15. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    37 kid, you have mentioned many times that you are scared of wiring. Wiring is easy and fun.Take a wire and connect it to a lightbulb. Anther wire for ground. The light comes on. Now take that same wire and put an on/off switch in the middle. Now you can turn the light on and off. Repeat many times for everything on the car and your car is wired. There is more to it like fuses but thats the basics. Its very rewarding to see that the light works and you can turn it on and off. Think of wiring a car as hooking up one wire. Then another until the entire car is wired.
     
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  16. Exactly! Knowledge is power. I have the same book and refer to it occasionally.
     
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  17. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    The aftermarket Wiring harnesses available from places like Painless, Ron Francis, Rebel, EZ-Wire, Ourselves pretty much take any guess work out of wiring, you simply run the wires from the fuse block and attach them to their respective position in the vehicle.
     
  18. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    ^^ Got that one
    Why is that wiring guys have to use that line " Wiring is Easy & Fun"? I have no idea how you connect the wires you mentioned to a light bulb, or were the power comes from, were is the "Easy" part? Bob
     
  19. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    Wiring is like zen for me, I love just taking messages for an afternoon and throwing on some hard rock on Pandora, laying upside down under a dash and going to town with wiring.

    This is why the LS engine harnesses I build have all the unnecessary crap removed like O2 sensors and knock sensors. I strip it down to the essentials and guys that were afraid of wiring before, suddenly like doing it.

    Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  20. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    There is no way a 'kit' is going to fit my car. There will be wires left over that arent used and there will be wires needed that arent there.
     
  21. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    I don't see how we do mainly LS engines and use 12 circuit harnesses and end up removing some stuff in most cases.

    Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  22. Bob, you only need to wire a car if you plan on driving it someday!:rolleyes:
     
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  23. ididntdoit1960
    Joined: Dec 13, 2011
    Posts: 1,030

    ididntdoit1960
    Member
    from Western MA

    Ouch! BTW, you can certainly tell when that book was published by the people and willys on the cover.....love me some graphics and centerlines!
     
  24. Koz
    Joined: May 5, 2008
    Posts: 2,699

    Koz
    Member

    Texs' old book, "How to Build Real Hot Rods". One of my favorite go to reads every few years. I'll bet I've had it 30 years now and it never gets old.
     
  25. JeffB2
    Joined: Dec 18, 2006
    Posts: 9,484

    JeffB2
    Member
    from Phoenix,AZ

    ff
    Probably the best out there and the easiest to understand "Two thumbs Up! " the book like the one from the O.P. didn't show the universal kits like what are on the market today the one I had was adapting Pinto and VW fuse boxes and some GM stuff not really relevant today.
     
  26. Sweet & Low
    Joined: Feb 13, 2014
    Posts: 300

    Sweet & Low
    Member

    If you Google Hot Rod wiring it will show you numerous easy to read wiring diagrams
     
  27. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    I just really can't see a need to run each wire individually and have a need for a wiring diagram, when the $150.00 you have to pay for a harness has all the hard work done for you already all you have to do is route wires and solder them into their respective terminals.
     
  28. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    That's why he suggested you play with one light bulb, and a battery, and some wires, and see if you can make it work. It's ok to make mistakes, you learn from them.

    hint: the power comes from the battery. The wires get the power to the light bulb. Electricity is a "current", it flows through the wires. It needs to go from the battery, through the light bulb, and back to the other side of the battery.

    When we were young....we got my sister to do the battery/wire/light bulb thing. Took her a few tries, but she figured it out.

    Once you get that basic concept down, the rest is simple.

    Try it.
     
  29. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    You need to post that in more wiring related posts here on the HAMB, EVERYTHING you said will be debated and proven false. That is the major hurdle in understanding electricity so many false statements, wire size, type of terminals and their connection methods, heck they can't even agree on weather they are amps or volts flowing around before the fire. These people clame to know what is going on, how do you think this looks to us clueless people? Bob
     
  30. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    Just got done wiring a 49 Chevy 3100 tonight took 2 days to install and route the wires and marry them to our LS Engine harness.

    Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     

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