After digging around under the dash of my 56 Chevy pickup, I noticed a lot of splices in the wiring. I really don't want to be plagued with chasing someone elses wiring nightmare. So I'm asking for opinions on the best replacement wiring harness for this truck. I don't plan on running any power options, not even a stereo in it so I don't need a ton of circuits. The only upgrade will be from 6V to 12V.
I used Painless in my 31 A-bone. I was pretty painless. Well-marked, excellent instructions, and the one time I needed a bit of 'help line' assistance, there was someone on the other end at their tech service department that got me back on the straight path. I'm sure most others are just as good.
I just re wired my 55 Ford this past spring with a rebel wire harness. Every wire was clearly labeled and plenty long enough. I was happy with it.
Your 56 should be 12 volt already. American auto wire makes a very easy to install and made as a direct replacement for your old harness. Painless has a very good one for your your truck. Then you have the Rebel sold by one of the guys here. Just as good and will do everything you want for a great cost saving option. You just have to decide and call Tugmaster.
+1 for Painless. I rewired my '56 with one several years ago...couldn't be easier. Should I find myself needing to rewire another vehicle in the future, I'll call them first. That said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the popular aftermarket kits out there. Find the one that has the features you want at a price you're happy with, and pull the trigger.
ive done 3 rewires myself 1 was painless to install (painless) 2 were ez wire both labeled only 1 was color coded the other one was all black wiring labeled every 6 inches works well have it installed about 10 yrs now but learned my lesson they need to be color coded as well as marked or troubleshooting a problem is tougher
For the price and service and quality of the wire you can not beat Rebel-Wire if you have any issues Give them a call and you talk to the Owner Bob not a hired kid also they offer HAMBers a discount Cant go wrong
If price is any indication of "best" , American Autowire is pretty pricey but certainly a very nice kit. It has some nice advantages too, such as wires that individually unplug from the fuse panel, and that makes installing it somewhat easier. I guess if there was a list of best to worst American Autowire would be very close to the top if not number one, at least in my mind. But pretty much all the kits on the market today are very good. Some have better instructions than others though. I used a Rebel 9 + 3 last time and liked it and especially liked the price. My current project will get a Rebel when the time comes. Don
I've used several EZ wire kits. the kits have limitations, but they work and you can't beat the tech support!
I have an American Autowire in the Nash (installed by the previous owner). I would give it a thumbs up. I've re-routed and cleaned up a lot of the wiring, and it was super easy with color coding and labeling. As Don said, the fuse panel is user friendly. Have a friend that bought a wiring kit (can't remember which brand) and he had all of the wires "hard wired" through the back of the fuse panel. Said it was a major pain in the butt. He liked the way my Autowire was configured. Stevie
I used 'American Autowire ' highway 15 , I did run out of fused circuit's and had to use a extra unfused one to make up a small fused panel. All wires were labeled well, not cheap an has gone up since I did mine.
I used a NW Autowire universal 12 ckt. kit in my last build. It is a basic kit, with one relay to operate a cooling fan or electric fuel pump. For a basic universal kit that isn't going into a car with later factory column, it's the best I've used. Lots of spares marked, and for my purpose a very nice little kit at under $100.
Painless,...Ron Francis.... and i'm certain there's others... I'm sure you can get one made exactly for your car. 4TTRUK
American Autowire is about the nicest, most complete kit out there. I liked them so much I became a dealer. Make sure you compare what kits come with what switches. Many kits leave out the headlight sw, dimmer, ign swithch and many of the connectors. AAW hot rod wiring kits come with everything you need And they are nice panels that mount easily. When you add up all the stuff missing in the other panels, AAW is the better deal If you want an update kit for your model truck http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-autowire-classic-update-series-55-59-chevy-truck/ If you want a hot rod harness 15 circuit http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-autowire-highway-15/ 22 circuit http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-autowire-highway-22/ or pre terminated http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-autowire-power-plus-13/ Check out our website and call or email any questions www.cappshotrods.com thanks
I bought my Painless Wiring at the 1991 St. Rod Nats in Columbus. The guys at Show from Painless Wiring gave a Painless Hat, and I believe I bought it from Yogi's, and they gave me a shirt, which I sold to my Brother, Sir Thomas, I forget the price I sold it to him for. I installed it in my '39 Chevy. on a weekend. I have also used American & E Z Wiring. E Z is Cheaper, but American is easier to install.
14 circuit harness from Kwik Wire would cover you. It gives you all the essentials and a few extras that you may not use now, but could later down the road or could be used by the next owner if you were ever to sell it. http://www.kwikwire.com/wh_14CircuitStreetrodwiring.html
i have the one from speedway,my father has a more expensive one, i have found mine from speedway is much easier. and i have had not one problem with it.
www.cappshotrods.com has the American Autowire kits... they are very nice! The one we have has the ignition, headlights and dimmer included so there's not confusion on wiring them up!
I am an American Auto Wire fan because I don't like pre-terminated fuse blocks. You only use what you need and don't have to deal with left over wires. I have used most of the kits and most are good quality but I prefer the AAW.
When I bought the 47, there was a brand new harness in the trunk. Inside the box is a warranty sheet from Painless, but the instructions say Wysco. Maybe some of you guys can ID it. If this is Painless, no wonder everyone is all about them. It's pure quality,a killer set with 20 fuses, seven looms all bundled as to where they go, and each wire marked it's entire length. I have circuits for stuff I'll never use! I've never installed a harness before, but this one is so self explanatory I'm going to have at it! Thirty years in John Deere parts distribution, and I've never seen a harness this nice.
The hardest part is the shopping around. With Rebel Wire, as well as some others, you do NOT get connectors. So you have to buy those. by the time you are done buying them, you could have just spent it on another kit that came with it and more. Some kits have switches and stuff included with the kit. So shop around. For me it is Painless Wiring. It is just that. It comes with connectors and everything is wired correctly to start with. Unlike other kits that had wires mislabeled as to cause confusion with the installer if they are a first timer especially. Not very thick wires unless they need to be so it helps out wit hte space they take up, as well as how easily they plug in to the switches you are wiring anyway. Just my opinion
american auto wire highway 22- ive used a bunch of different ones over the years and i like aaw the best- pricey for some i guess but--you get what you pay for.
I used a store bought first time in my life and went with a Keep it clean kit. Not sure about the others and i'm sure they are all good. I wired my car and fired it. Was a happy camper.
I use E-Z Wiring in all my cars and the ones I build for customers. I just installed one in my cousins son-im-laws 51 Chevy. E-Z is so easy to install took me about 3hrs. He had bought a Painless kit to the tune of 400+. He sent it back and picked up the E-Z kit for 165.00. One of my co-workers son bought a Rebel kit for his Dodge truck amd he is still trying to figure out how wirer starter and alt. He should of used E-Z.......
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