Is there a clean way to get the wiring runs from the inner dash to the frame for the front and rear wiring runs? The only way I can figure is down through the cowels right to the frame which won't look very clean.
Stock "A" dash has a channel under gas tank to fire wall,then you go right or left to side panel an down from there ;stock. But most hot rods have bottom of tank removed an gas at another local< tank outback. So can just run left or right in side behind dash. In my "A",I run from dash to a fuse panel on inside fire wall,then down/under rug to what ever I needed.
I forgot to say that mine has the tank cut out and im runnung a 32 style dash . I thought about the way you did it under the carpet but how do you keep the inside of the firewall clean looking with a bunch of wires running down it to the floor? My firewall is recessed 4 inches which complicates things more I think.
Run it up high under the cowl over to the right or left kick panel as suggested in post number 2... down behind thru the kick panel and exit out behind it or I guess that you could work your way under the sill or carpet to the back
Winduptoy is on the right track. You can run it along the upper side of the firewall to the left kick panel and at the bottom of the panel there is room to sneak it through the cowl mounting foot and back to the rear lights..Several ways to go about it and you may want to drill a hole in the cowl at the bottom somewhere to completely hide the wire(s).
If you reversed your A firewall to get the 4 inch recess that creates a nice narrow area along the firewall/side panel area to drop your wires down through the floor to the inside edge of the frame (or wherever you prefer). That’s what I did and it’s almost invisible. I’m sure you could do the same with a different type of recessed firewall too. I ran all my wires for lights, etc. through the floor where the firewall/kick panel meets the floor and sent them to their proper placed after that. Others like starter, etc. I ran through the firewall where they were hard to see. You can also run the wires through a nice loom and get a good look if they can’t be hidden. I used this here and there: https://www.vintageford.com/sect_search.cfm?Line=Wiring Shop&Category=Loom- Cotton Braided John
When building a house a good framer will be sure to leave a chase for the guy running wire later. I would think the body guy would run conduit for the guy running the wire. Question is how much wire, what size wire and how big is the bunch of wire. Bob
Did mine a little different than most. I put a piece of angle iron across the back side of the firewall from brace to brace. Used it to hang my battery on and as a wiring chase. I ran my rear wiring in front of the A pillar door jambs, then thru the door sill. I ran my forward wiring thru the bottom of the firewall and into (inside) the frame itself. Battery is hung right above the starter, so cables straight down thru the bottom of the firewall.All exposed wiring is asphalt coated cloth loom.....which hides what is exposed - in my black under-dash.
There is a lot going on under the typical hot rod dash, and wire runs are somewhat controlled by where everything is located. On my Model A cabriolet, things were spread out, left to right. A framework behind the dash can provide a solid mounting for the steering column as well as mount locations to attach wire runs, relays, signal flashers, etc. To keep the dash panel clean, I made 3 separate under panels for various switches, lights, choke, and horn button. The fuse panel, typically mounted on the backside of the firewall may dictate where the wire bundles are run, left, right, or center. I prefer routing wire bundles to the left side and behind the cowl interior panel with a large hole or maybe two through the firewall foot and a grommet to get it to the frame.If you need to run wires down the firewall, you might make a sheet metal channel to cover the runs, as in the photo below. I prefer to roughly wire the car, get it running and enjoy a shakedown period to get any problems sorted out, before disassembly and final painting. Remember hot rods are not street rods. Neatness and functionality are more important than having everything perfectly hidden from view.
Thanks everyone! Lots of great help here and I will be using your examples to do mine. I also have a rail built to mount the fuse panel on.
Is that all the wire you need in a Model A Hot Rod? If so why does everyone else have 2-3 times as much? Bob
I hope it wasn't an electrical fire Why does everyone else need so much? Fk'n relays! You have to relay the relay in order to relay current to the current relays. It's the fashion statement of the new millennium. "I relay everything..." is extolled with pride and confidence. Lately I read that it's now best to relay the main battery cutout switch (!) which makes ZERO sense to me. Hey, relay this info will ya?
Bob, the amount of wiring is directly related to the amount of electronic items in the vehicle, right? A car with an electric fuel pump, electric guages, radio, 12v power sources, electric fans, wipers etc will need quite a bit more wiring than a car using all mechanical components. The pic you quoted actually has a good amount of wires showing under the dash. However, the builder did a very nice job routing them cleanly and grouped tightly. It looks like a 12-14 circuit fuse panel with a built-in turn signal relay, plus 2 more relays in the panel, 2 additional relays to the right, a maxi fuse further right and a 12v power junction block above that. There is actually a good amount of wiring here, just a very sanitary installation! With that said, I have wired a few super traditional cars with basically stock early Ford wiring harnesses, adding a few more fuses and horn and turn signal relays. It all depends on what the car has for electronic devices/ needs.
Depends on how much electric stuff you have, I have one breaker and three fuses on my '35; a step up from the one fuse Henry used when he built the car.
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