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Projects Best bang for your buck wiring kit.

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Sweet & Low, Dec 19, 2018.

  1. fastcar1953
    Joined: Oct 23, 2009
    Posts: 3,620

    fastcar1953
    Member

    vote for making my own. not that much to it.
     
    morac41 likes this.
  2. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    When I bought the harness for my convertible I was at the Street Rod Nationals and looked at all the vendors harnesses. I picked Ron Francis and have never regretted that choice. I bought a harness from them fir the 42 Chevy that I am building for my daughter too.
     
  3. David Gersic
    Joined: Feb 15, 2015
    Posts: 2,734

    David Gersic
    Member
    from DeKalb, IL

    Everyone has their favorite. I’m a happy Painless customer. Will buy from them again.


    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    figure8 and upspirate like this.
  4. Gahrajmahal
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 495

    Gahrajmahal
    Member

    I would buy an inexpensive kit with good wires and use my own fuse blocks. One for circuits on all the time and the other for circuits on with the key. Relays on all the old switches and high energy circuits ie. headlights.
     
    brEad and morac41 like this.
  5. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,377

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Coach Controls for me and mine.
    http://www.coachcontrols.com/
    I used their 23 circuit product on the roadster and my truck which will not be so elaborate, will get their 18 circuit panel. Every relay installed, simple wiring. Finest product I have ever used and the most expensive. I don't save money on wiring, steering, brakes and fuel delivery...or anything else my wife says.
     
    The37Kid likes this.
  6. 5window
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 9,550

    5window
    Member

    So, about every company has been used one or more times and everyone is happy. Who used a harness kit they WEREN'T happy with?
     
    brEad and upspirate like this.
  7. I also build my own, then I can phone myself for tech support and complain about myself not helping myself! Then I generally send a nasty email to myself because I couldn’t understand the instructions I sent myself! In all seriousness in my Fargo I started with a fuse box from a car and built my own harness, even uses glass fuses! How’s that for traditional!


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  8. Wired mine from scratch. No complaints.

    Ben
     
    morac41 and INVISIBLEKID like this.
  9. muddywater
    Joined: Jul 3, 2016
    Posts: 3

    muddywater
    Member
    from East tn

    Rebel wiring for me too..
     
  10. putz
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 637

    putz
    Member
    from wisc.

    if you can afford American ....excellent .
     
  11. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    I used painless first and ez second.....if I do another, I'll go back to painless. Instructions were much better I thought.
     
  12. In the past I've always used a fusebox/harness from a 70s GM car. Became very acquainted with the GM color codes....super simple. The local hotrod shoppe sold me a left over E-Z wire, 21 circuit setup for my 34 for $150. Couldn't pass it up. I suppose it'd be fine for a car with all GM switches with a small block chevy/automatic but I changed everything to the way I wanted it. I'd prolly been better off scratch wiring with a 7 or 8 circuit fuse panel.
     
  13. The last one I did I used a Painless kit and I was very happy with it. I've wired from scratch before and I'm sure I will again, but that option isn't for everybody. There are a lot of good kits out there and the responses above would indicate a lot of happy users regardless of the brand used.
     
  14. morac41
    Joined: Jul 23, 2011
    Posts: 531

    morac41
    Member

    deucemac....I do exactly the thing ..... get the whole loom for $20 and there is more wire than you need all color coded with relays and circuit breakers ect ect.....
     
    deucemac likes this.
  15. 56premiere
    Joined: Mar 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,445

    56premiere
    Member
    from oregon

    Use any of them you want , But paint under the dash white. You will be so happy to be able to see what you are working on
     
    brEad, VonWegener, alanp561 and 6 others like this.
  16. My Kwik Wire was $265 for a 14-circuit 2nd Generation GM harness and they threw in Ford column plugs since I have a Ford. It came with almost anything I needed but I opted to replace most light sockets that I got locally or online (The Wiring Depot). I needed some odd extra wire too and of course splices, lugs, shrink sleeve, etc.
     
  17. It's great to hear there are so many good choices to support our hobby. We've come a long way in the last 30 years!

    Phil
     
    cajunfirehawk likes this.
  18. Bluedot
    Joined: Oct 26, 2011
    Posts: 331

    Bluedot
    Member

    I'm a little surprised at only one vote so far for Speedway. I just wired my 3rd car in a row with their cheapest (12 circuit) kit for ~$145. The cars were a '29 Ford A CCPU, a '30 Ford A Coupe highboy, and a '40 Ford Tudor. No problems, and I still had a couple of circuits I didn't even need. Like the expensive kits, the wires are clearly marked all the way, and that resolves the biggest challenge of wiring a car IMO.
    I guess I should also mention I'm a cheap old bastard. I will spend many hours of research to avoid paying any more money than I need to for a product that does the job. Speedway has met my requirements for many different parts over the years, at fair prices.
     
  19. sloppy jalopies
    Joined: Jun 29, 2015
    Posts: 5,256

    sloppy jalopies
    Member

    bought a cheapo fuzebox / harness, poor quality, cut it out and gave it to a buddy...
    I prefer to use a non conductive panel about 6" x 8"...
    I attach 3 neutral blocks, [hot, acc, and on]…
    also a flasher, ballast resistor, circuit breaker, horn relay, voltage regulator if needed...
    then run 1 wire at a time to where they go, # both ends, use the adhesive #s an electrition uses…
    print up a diagram... I only found 13 different colors at local parts stores...
    this way I can use my 70's seatbelt buzzer to test each wire if needed...
    …. I recommend if you buy, buy one that uses a panel not just a fusebox with a bundle of wires coming out the back...
    my $0.02.
     
  20. I've had good luck with the Speedway Motors $129.00 wiring kit it has all you need.
     
    samurai mike likes this.
  21. no55mad
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 1,956

    no55mad
    Member

    Which kits use the best quality wire?
     
  22. bighemifan
    Joined: Feb 27, 2016
    Posts: 27

    bighemifan

    Which did you like best?



    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  23. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,787

    The37Kid
    Member


    Coach Controls is the ONLY company to ever print a wiring diagram I can follow.


    Bob
     
    sloppy jalopies and Bandit Billy like this.
  24. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,759

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Another vote for Speedway here. I bought the 25 {or was it 27?} circuit kit for my car knowing I would have power windows, electric wipers, and AC later on and some kind of stereo system also. It came with a good instruction booklet, a color coded "map", GM plugs and a headlight switch. I have more circuits than I need, but if I want to add something later on I have room. I wouldn't doubt the wiring is the same as used by other companies, it's labeled and color coded and sized according to it's purpose.

    I used a Painless kit on an OT VW Bug once, it was far from painless! It was supposed to be a factory copy, it wasn't, it was about 2' too short to reach the back of the car, didn't have turn signal wiring, and was too bulky to run in the factory location over the door and back down the C pillar. I ended up running it down by the tunnel under the carpet. Poor instruction sheet, too. Couldn't return it because I had bought it a good while before I actually needed it, so I had to make it work. Gave me a sour feeling towards Painless...
     
  25. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,264

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Rebel all the way, especially considering "bang for the buck" as stated. The same in Painless was 3X the $$$. Have one in my 39 and I'd do it again without hestitation. Had a turn signal challenge, instant support and they were spot on.
     
    cajunfirehawk likes this.
  26. Justin in PA
    Joined: Sep 27, 2017
    Posts: 127

    Justin in PA
    Member

    Painless kits are good but pricey, the Speedway kit was just as easy at the Painless for me and cost less. For my current project I'm going with the DIY kit (wire, terminals, asphalt loom, etc. from RI wire).

    Wiring.jpg
     
    bobss396 likes this.
  27. samurai mike
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 547

    samurai mike
    Member

    I've had good luck with the speedway harness also.
     

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