What is the best brand of repop wiring harness for a 55 chevy? Which harness have you used & how was the quality
Don't know about best brand, but I purchased one from Eckler's a few years ago and am pleased with it.
We offer American Autowire, the most complete kit on the market and made in the USA http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-auto-wire-classic-update-series-55-56-chevy/ thanks
American Autowire hands down by most members over on ChevyTalk.Org, but Tugmaster here on the HAMB sells Rebel Wire, and he's a HAMB vendor who offers discounts to members. There is a vendor on that auction site we all know and love, his vendor name is Crazylight's Classic Chevy Parts, and I bought his setup, because I wanted it to look "stock". You can get one of his harnesses for generator, or 3 wire alternator, or single wire alternator. His E-Mail's [email protected]. Butch/56sedandelivery.
That looks like a neat harness http://www.ebay.com/itm/150740779556 The American Autowire would probably be better if you're adding more modern street rod type accessories. The Rebel would be ok if you don't mind terminating all the wires....which is kind of a pain if you want to use original switches, etc. But the price is right.
American Autowire, they are oem quality. I've used most all, if you have a GM and want oem quality then American Autowire, hands down.
If you are going with a stock replacement harness I also carry the american autowire factory fit line. The Factory Fit Replacement Harnesses are not on my site but pm me which way you want to go and as an Alliance Vendor I give free shipping to the Alliance members
i used ron francis wireworks. great kit but had to terminate the ends on most of it. marked every few inches to tell you what wire it is. great for troubleshooting if you have problems.
AAW is great and easy for the tri five cars. Step up to the atc fuse box. Tell them you want it for HE I and left mounted alt.
Since there are members here who are vendors for wiring harnesses I don't often give my opinion any more. But since you asked, E Z WIRE kits. Not a repop but a modern replacement with fuse box, etc. We've used many of them on our own cars and others. Check in many Rod magazines for prices and descriptions. Good price and good product. May not be the best but a good buy.
Hands down American Autowire . It is an awsome kit and the instructions are simple enough my 4 year old could install one . Each wire has its purpose printed on it every 6 inches or so which makes it really nice as well , Hooks to original switches . Just absolutley a perfect Made in the USA harness .
This thread has been dead a while so I'm guessing the the hijack factor is gone. Got a related question though... I'm a cheap bastard that likes nice things and I'm trying to decide on a wiring kit for a 57 Bel Air. American Autowire seems to be the way to go but I can't bring myself to pay $550-600 for replacement wires. Does anyone know the difference in the replacement kits and the highway 22 kit? Seems like it has everything I would need at a much cheaper cost. Also, the car has been sitting inside for the last 42 years. Do I really need to replace all of the wires to begin with? Most of them look to be in descent condition.
I used an EZ Wire 21 circuit kit to do my 55. My car is a really basic hot rod, with no frills, so I didn't need the 21 circuits, but by using that kit you get a nice fuse box with the big fuses, and the flashers mounted in the fuse box. Any wire you don't need can easily be snipped out...it's good to hold on to for future projects, because it's much better quality wire than the stuff you typically get at parts stores. I paid $185 for the 21 circuit harness, + about 15 bucks for shipping. I've done quite a few wiring jobs, using Painless, American Autowire, EZ Wire, Ron Francis, and KwikWire kits. EZ wire is still my preferred wiring kit because it's great quality, and decent price, but their customer service sucks. If you call with a question, you'd just as well ask your wife, because it's a secretary that usually answers the phone. She can take your order, but couldn't install a light bulb, and if you do hold out to talk to one of the techs, they act like they could care less about answering your questions or to making accomodations, like selling you extra terminals for the headlights, etc. Painless and American Autowire are good, but they're quite expensive...usually over $500. With American Autowire, you get lots of extras, like a light and ignition switch, dimmer switch, and modular plugs, but from my experience, those items are generic, not like original, so you'll end up not using them (the stock light switch knob won't work, for example, and the dimmer switch won't fit without cutting out the floor). Ron Francis kits are up there with the expensive ones, and at least for me, they seem like whoever designed them has a different (and strange) way of thinking. A separate ground wire for EVERYTHING? Really? I could go on and on, but that's my 2 cents. Good luck with your project,a nd don't let it intimidate you...it's like eating an elephant: just one bite at a time. In like fashion, just deal with it one wire at a time, and it ain't so bad.
Do you really need to replace ALL the wires, even if they don't all look bad? One word answer: YES. If you're buying a wiring kit, then use it all. It's far easier to just strip out all the original wiring and go all new than to sort through and try in integrate some new with existing old. Not only that, but the new wire is superior...it's usually larger gauge, it's marked, and it's NEW. The old wire, even though it might look good, can have an oxide build up that cuts down on conductivity, and the insulation is undoubtedly hard and brittle after 50 years. With most wiring kits, you'll find they don't include everything, such as the dome light wiring, and you may either have to retain the original wiring for that, or you may elect to replace it with new unused wiring out of the kit, even though it might be marked "power door locks" or something else. Also, you'll find that the cost doesn't end with the purchase of a wiring kit. You'll find yourself spending up to $100 or more for such things as GOOD crimp on terminal ends, Weather Pak modular connector plugs, tape, grommets, loom materials, etc. It's worth the effort, because once you've done the job properly, you can pretty much forget about electrical issues for that particular car for the rest of your life. Don't get in a hurry...it's not unreasonable that you could spend a week at 8 hours per day to do a rewire. Be very skeptical of the kind of job you'd get if someone says they could do it in a day or two. Attention to detail takes time. For most cars, the best approach is to just start by removing the seats and carpet before even starting. You'll be spending a lot of time up under the dash, and unless you're 2 feet tall and weigh 30 pounds, you're gonna need the room to move. Just remove all the old wiring...don't try to science it out or noodle out what someone else was thinking. It'll just waste your time, confuse you, and bog you down. The new wiring kits are, for the most part, good and straight forward. One last tidbit: go a little easy with the diagonal cutters when removing some of the original wiring, like the heater switch to heater wire harness or the wiper switch to electric wiper motor (especially on 60's Fords), because you might choose to re-use those particular sections of harness, or at the least, choose to duplicate them.
I have used the American Autowire 500423 kit several times and it is hands down the best kit out there, comes with switches and excellent oem quality connections. There are several dealers on fleabay that sell them for $466.65 including shipping, this seems about the best deal I found on the kit
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