Rewire the beast

[Bahamut]

ok to make a minimalist wirring harness what do i need i want the tail gate to work as well as all the guages and a radio

how much of what size kind of wire do i need?
what micilanius parts do i need?
how much should this cost me?

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The Beast
1975 Jeep Wagoneer
Bald Tires
Old 360 4v
TH400 (doesen't leak anymore kinda makes me worry i didn't fix it)
BWQT W/Reduction unit custom shifter
MUD MASTER
Delco Alternator(riged mounts)
Slightly Saggin Springs
Good Sound system
Parts Killer
my web page (http://www.geocities.com/bahamut_master/jeeps.html)

[dweezle]

you might want to add how much luck your going to need to your list. http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/biggrin.gif Some time in the near future I've got to rewire my truck and frankly, the thought scares me, I hate dealing with electrical, to much potential to screw things up.
good luck

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wanted: Dana 20 PTO and winch.

[porkchop]

You might want to look into the painless wiring system. It cost about $350 for the complete set. It is very easy to hook up. Me and a friend are hooking it up to his Scout right now. It may seem like a lot but what cost can you put on your piece of mind? I will be doing this when the time comes.

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'67/'79 Wagoneer mix
“Old Timer”
Check it out! (http://members.fortunecity.com/porkchopsfsj)

"I have a dream that one day FSJ's will be equal at every parts store."

[Bahamut]

true but i have $0 to my name and hope to get this done on the real cheap without sacraficing quality


i have perfect confidence in my electrical abbilitys
may not when i am done but hey

anyone know if i can use bigger wires than stock?

just to make sure my wireing job wont go fissling down the line and light up my dash?



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The Beast
1975 Jeep Wagoneer
Bald Tires
Old 360 4v
TH400 (doesen't leak anymore kinda makes me worry i didn't fix it)
BWQT W/Reduction unit custom shifter
MUD MASTER
Delco Alternator(riged mounts)
Slightly Saggin Springs
Good Sound system
Parts Killer
my web page (http://www.geocities.com/bahamut_master/jeeps.html)


If ya break it slap it with a welder and see if that works

[porkchop]

I know what you mean on the $0 to your name. The reason I said painless is because it is color coded and labeled so if you have to go back later you can figure out which wire is which. If you still want to do it on your own then I would say that a good 18 or 16 guage wire will do good for you. Just remember that the main power wire from the alt is a 10 guage and there are a few 14 1nd 12 guage wiires out there too!

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'67/'79 Wagoneer mix
“Old Timer”
Check it out! (http://members.fortunecity.com/porkchopsfsj)

"I have a dream that one day FSJ's will be equal at every parts store."

[andy d]

Bahamut, are you up for a trip into that dash board? theres 2 ways to go. whole hog witha new harness. or the slow, painful, wire atta time way described by BBjust recently. auto wiring is a PITA. get a 12volt test light, and a continuity tester or a volt/ohm meter. if you can get ahold of a crimper and the terminals and splices,fine. if not lamp wire,a soldering iron and electrical tape will work. get a pack of stick on labels. labels will be your path outta this jungle,cuz youre not gonna have a color code. take notes and tag both ends. i make my work longer than the original. use a heavier guage replacement wire instead of lighter if you dont have the proper gauge. the wiring diagram in the chiltons is fairly accurate, the print quality is poor, get a magnifying glass. but it can help. use the fuse panel if possible in line fuses if not. do the work with the battery discoed. test every step. good luck!!

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'88 gwag,pure stock

[SpruceMoose]

hey guys. the wire and fuse size is determined by the expected maximum load on each run of wire. the fuse is designed to protect the wire in case of a fault in the load. thats why the fuses should be as close to the power source (battery) as possible. the fuse block should really be in the engine compartment, right next to the battery, but thats a real nasty enviroment, so most cars (and airplanes) have them inside the passenger compartment where its dry (except british cars, where its not dry in there, so they put the fuses in the engine compartment - go figure). yes, you can make the new wire larger, but the smaller of the fuse or wire will determine the current carrying ability of the individual circuit. MAKE SURE THE FUSE IS THE LIMITING FACTOR IN EACH BRANCH!!! you REALLY want the fuse to blow, and not the wire to melt and then catch on fire! PLEASE dont tackle the job if you really dont understand what you are doing, unless installing a prefab harness, or replacing wires one at a time with the same guage.
sorry to rant, but i have seen some really bad, ready to burn wiring jobs, even on homebuilt airplanes that i had to inspect for FAA airworthiness approval.

[nograin]

Hey, wire ain't exactly free!

If you must rewire everything, then I would save up for a good premade harness, otherwise, just fix the bad/ critical wires.

There are a couple other factors to keep in mind. Not all wire is the same. If you are running in the engine compartment, you would be better off with insulation that can tolerate high tempertatures, oil, gas, etc. Stranded not solid copper wire is needed because its flexible enough for automotive work. Recognize that down the road, those labels will fade and fall off, making tracing even more enjoyable.

Another critical area is the joints. A loose crimp or "cold" solder joint will not conduct well. Also, although I am partial to soldering, it has the disadvantage of making the connection rigid. Try to support the wire end with good tape bound tight because all the flexing will concentrate where the solder stops on the wire.

Check out road racing suppliers (like Pegasus and Racers Wholesale) or industrial suppliers if you don't think the local supplier has the grade wire you need.

Good Luck!

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360 auto select
body by beer (PO)
carries wood inside
no "wood" outside

[This message has been edited by nograin (edited December 31, 2000).]

[bignblue]

As a kid I helped a step-cousing (d*mn modern families!) rewire a VW bug that we'd (mostly he) converted to a dune buggy by ripping off the body and everything else we deemed unnecessary. We had to rewire a very simple circuit to power lights and engine stuff. What we did was use a piece of 3/8" plywood as a kind of fuse panel. We used in-line fuses and stapled the wire on either side of the fuse to the plywood. We also wrote the wire assignment on the plywood as a sort of half-a*sed circuit diagram.

Granted, this was a stripped Bug and not an FSJ but a similar idea might work if you're totally against the Painless harness. Hate to say it, but the Painless unit would be my first choice--either that, or the one used by...well, his truck's name is "Fire Truck." From his web site pictures the wire runs look neat, organized and safe.

[SpruceMoose]

before fsj,i used a cheap plastic inline fuse holder that came with a set of fog lamps a long time ago, wired to the fog lamps per the instructions. several days later i smelled something really nasty and the fog lights went out. i discovered the fuse holder had melted and caught on fire. luckily, when the circuit broke the fire went out. if it had been mounted to something flammable THAT would have been real fun! BE CAREFUL PLEASE, and think about "what-ifs". i know you cant cover all the bases, but most is better than a few.

[nograin]

Just checked my '99 Pegasus catalog for prices(I think they have a website but am not sure).

18 gauge 14 cents/foot or 20.99 for 250'
six color choices
16 gauge 19 cents/ foot or $ 28 for 250'
14 25 cents or $34
12 49 cents ? or $ 49
10 49 cents or $ 73
One color choice for 16-10g, black.
They give amp ratings too, but that might be misleading on a long run.