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Hot Rods Anyone use this wiring harness?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by ShortyLaVen, Jan 13, 2019.

  1. ShortyLaVen
    Joined: Oct 13, 2008
    Posts: 680

    ShortyLaVen
    Member

    Has anyone on here bought one of these new ultra-cheapo wiring harness I am seeing on the market as of late? They are in the $40-60 range and come in 8, 12, and 14 circuit variations. I haven't seen a consistent brand name, sometimes they are sold as A-Team Performance, but I have seen other names. Pics are all the same on every listing I have seen.

    My understanding is that they come with NOTHING other than the GM color code wiring and the fuse block. None of the connectors that most of the $150-200 kits come with like for headlights, headlight switch, late GM column, etc. that I typically don't use anyways.

    My main questions are 1) what level of quality is the wire itself, and 2) how do the connections at the fuse panel look?

    The price is right on, cheaper than buying rolls of colored wire, and I have a pretty good stock of supplies left over from other wiring projects so none of the extra junk is needed.

    I am familiar with all the major brands of harnesses that are better quality, and am not really looking for other recommendations. Just opinions on these particular kits. I use mostly AAW for everything I do at work, and have done one from Coach, a couple Rebel and Haywire, etc. I do know they are worth every penny if you can afford one of them!
     
  2. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,286

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Sounds good to me. I think people spend far too much money on crap like wiring and brakes and such. Like your signature says, pass on the right!
     
    alanp561, 1stGrumpy, alchemy and 5 others like this.
  3. I'll address the wire.... Basically, copper wire is copper wire. If the lengths and gauge sizes assigned to the various circuits will work for you, it should be fine. There isn't that many wire manufacturers, and all domestic ones will put out a product that should meet any minimum requirement. Ask what type of insulation it has, and check to see if it's a recognized type. If they can't answer these questions or if the wire is offshore-sourced, I'd be much more skeptical, and be concerned that the sizes may not be 'standard'.

    And I'll point out that quality BUSS brand fuse panels are readily available and not that expensive.
     
  4. 63galaxie406
    Joined: Nov 21, 2018
    Posts: 47

    63galaxie406

    These are a another quality product from China. No matter what the ad says.
     
    belair and hotrodharry2 like this.

  5. tomic
    Joined: Jan 8, 2008
    Posts: 120

    tomic
    Member

    $50 is not enough money for even bare wire on rolls. an *inexpensive* 100 ft roll of #16 stranded wire is $20. 25 feet of #12 stranded is $14. that's the stuff i buy from AllElectronics.com. the genuinely good stuff is more. copper is pricey.
     
  6. lostone
    Joined: Oct 13, 2013
    Posts: 2,820

    lostone
    Member
    from kansas

    I've seen the exact same 50 dollar kits advertised by U.S. sellers for anywhere between 120 to 140. Only difference is they stick a U.S. company name sticker on the front.

    I've pulled pics off line and compared pics with a lot of them and most use the same generic pics between them, only difference is the pic showing the front with their sticker on it.

    So I guess the extra 60 to 70 bucks is for the pretty sticker and maybe to have it sitting on a shelf in the U.S. instead of drop shipping it from overseas.
     
    jimgoetz likes this.
  7. tomic
    Joined: Jan 8, 2008
    Posts: 120

    tomic
    Member

    ok, well cool! let us know how it works out.
     
  8. deucendude
    Joined: Oct 31, 2008
    Posts: 667

    deucendude
    Member
    from norcal

    You get what you pay for!
     
    1stGrumpy and hotrodharry2 like this.
  9. If you buy in bulk, the price goes down sharply. Your $14 25' roll of #12 is 56 cents per foot, buy 500 feet from the right place and it drops to 14 cents per foot, or 1/4 the price. You can expect similar price differences in the other sizes. If you're buying enough and have an arrangement with a wholesaler, it could be even less.

    They really hose 'hobbyists' on small quantities... but I would be leery of imported wire. It may be metric sized, and their wire tends to run small compared to AWG sizes.
     
    zzford likes this.
  10. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    The money you save can go towards a good fire extinguisher.
     
  11. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I bought one like that from some guy in Moses Lake Wa off Ebay about 8 years ago for a project that got lost in the shuffle. Not much there except the fuse block and some wire to hook to the switch. If I can remember where the hell it is or remember to look for it I'll dig it out tomorrow. If I remember right it was advertised for Jeeps and dune buggies and will probably go on my boat tail roadster where the wire that shows will have braided insulation to keep the mood right.
     
    jimgoetz likes this.
  12. ShortyLaVen
    Joined: Oct 13, 2008
    Posts: 680

    ShortyLaVen
    Member

    Lostone: you seem to be the only one so far that knows the kits I am talking about.

    Tomic: for sure, that's exactly what I am saying. The price is cheaper than buying full spools. That's why I am asking specifically about the quality of wire contained in the kits.


    Just to reiterate, I already know this is "Chinese junk". I'm asking what level of junk it is, and if anyone has first hand experience with these particular kits.
     
  13. oliver westlund
    Joined: Dec 19, 2018
    Posts: 2,352

    oliver westlund
    Member

    im interested in an answer too! im considering the same thing
     
  14. There are a couple of things to watch out for; are the heavier gauges in the loom actually thicker wire or just thicker plastic coating and is the wire copper or aluminium?


    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  15. I'll throw out one more thing to think about; some of the offshore wire manufacturers were using soy-based plastic insulation. That in and of itself isn't bad as it's insulating properties were fine, but it seems that rodents found it's flavor acceptable. A couple of the major Jap car makers had issues with this...
     
  16. If there is no customer support behind the product, you are taking a gamble. Got a question? Good luck with that. The eBay market is filled to the gills with products from China, some are boxed up to LOOK like they are a quality name-brand product.
     
    oliver westlund likes this.
  17. To be fair, that's not just a Chinese issue. I bought a shrink wrapped part from Speedway that had Stars and Stripes all over it along with the legend "Proudly Made in the USA*". On the back it said "* refers to packaging only".

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  18. You forgot to stick in the "sarcasm" smiey-face thing.

    ...Didn't you??? :rolleyes:
     
    Chebby belair and Bandit Billy like this.
  19. Nice to take pride in your packaging... Speedway has re-popped things before and passed them off as OG parts. Like anything, buyer beware.
     
    blackjack likes this.
  20. " The bitterness of poor quality remain long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" Benjamin Franklin
     
  21. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,286

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Sarcasm, at times, is a dish best served at room temperature were it is less noticeable. But thanks for noticing :cool:
     
  22. MARKDTN
    Joined: Feb 16, 2016
    Posts: 147

    MARKDTN

    I agree to a point, but there are dramatic differences in the insulation for a given wire gauge and its ability to withstand UV, heat, etc. I think you are saying that, but just in case. Personally I would stick with more known brands. $100 more for peace of mind is priceless IMHO. We have probably all seen nice cars burnt to the ground by wiring issues. That is a corner I am not willing to cut.
     
  23. ShortyLaVen
    Joined: Oct 13, 2008
    Posts: 680

    ShortyLaVen
    Member

    All good points so far. The soy-based insulation is not something I was aware of. As far as customer support, that's not really an issue for me. I can't think of a time I have had to call tech suposup for a wiring issue. I usually know what I'm doing, but when I don't I come here .

    I posted this same question on a Facebook group and got a lot of responses. A few folks have used them with success, and one person reported that there was indeed a problem undersized wire. He said he would post back with pics and what specific circuits this was a problem with.

    Another thought I had was how much "value" do the kits that are $100 more have in connectors and terminals? If you did the math and took all the "extras" out of, say, an EZ Wire kit, how much are you paying for just the fuse block and wire?

    I think I might just order one to see what I can see for myself and report back. It seems there are not many of us on here that have actually bought one, and I am just curious. Maybe I will use it, maybe not. But at the very least I will know one way or the other.

    If anyone else has actual experience with these exact kits I would still like to hear feedback!
     
    firstinsteele likes this.
  24. egads
    Joined: Aug 23, 2011
    Posts: 1,419

    egads
    Member

    Domestic's also use the soybean based insulation, had several come in here that were almost stripped of all insulation.Under the hood, frame rails, fuel tanks, etc.
     
  25. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Beanscoot
    Member

    If you do buy it, please post a review here.

    I would think that good old PVC plastic will be cheaper than soy based insulation, the latter is probably used for "green" credit and not likely to be used on the cheap wiring kits.
     
  26. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,814

    BJR
    Member

    If your lucky!:D
     
  27. PVC (and most other wire insulation) is made from oil, I'll bet any amount of money that the soy-based stuff is cheaper to make, particularly in Japan where all oil is imported. The OEMs are all about keeping costs to a minimum. Slapping a 'green' label on it is just a bonus....
     
  28. My 2¢.. I bought one of those harnesses off of Ebay. You would think at least you are getting some colored wire and a fuse block. Well, thats all you get.
    The fuse block was not wired like the wiring diagram that came with it. It looked like the little Chinese girl, or the convict that wired it just stuck wires where they liked them. The wires had some illegible writing on them but they were not wired to where you would want them to go. Improper gauge wires to the accessories.
    To make it usable, I would have to remove all the wires out of the fuse block and rewire it properly. I don't think its worth my time to do that.
    I was also curious......so now I know. I would rather rewire a car the old fashioned way, wire by wire, it would be quicker. Or just get some harness of quality. Oh yeah, the wires are too short except for those that would be just under the dash near the ignition switch.
    But they were colored!
    For a little more money over one of those cheapy deals, you could get an EZwire or Rebel wiring harness.
     
  29. If you look at reviews on Amazon this seems to be exactly what all the reviews that are not three word "greatest product ever" replies are saying about the product. Wires in wrong places, poorly labeled, too short.
     
  30. Hombre
    Joined: Aug 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,075

    Hombre
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Don, I have never even considered one of these cheap wiring kits, somehow the word cheap and wiring should not ever be used in the same sentence. With that said your last statement is just wrong " For a little more money over one of those cheapy deals, you could get an EZ wire or Rebel wiring harness"

    I personally feel very strongly about this wiring deal, and this is a case were you do not want o save a little money or even a lot of money. EZ and Rebel wire are both very good systems and worth a hard look that's for sure. They are not however a "LITTLE" more money. using Rebel wire as an example they run for right around $195.00 for the cheapest kit to around $450.00. When you compare that to the cheap E-Bay crap it is a lot of money---- or is it?

    Is money what we want to use to make the decision for us when it comes to a thing as important as wiring. Mess this up and after the fire is out you get to start all over again. How much is that going to cost?

    I have used a Rebel kit on all of my car builds, never even considered how much or how little they cost, I also didn't even shop price on my wiring. I highly recommend Rebel wire, and I am sure that EZ may also be good, I just have no experience with them or there product.
     

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