For those who have rewired their car

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Well we're at that stage. Got an American Autowire 22 circuit kit, 2 electric rad fans that can run on one 40 amp relay a Nu Vintage dash, a Classic auto air set up, single wire alternator. I have one mustang shop here in reno that can do the install but probably $1500-2000. What say you all. There are no wires connectors or anything in the car Dash is open. For those who have done it would u doit yourself or pay?

 


About that same time I am getting windows installed including side windows. All roll up have parts but nothing in car. I've heard adjusting windows to run right is a real difficulty.

 


I'm looking for advice, links to others videos that have done. Any feedback (other than u poor ****) I can get. I didn't take it apart so am unfamiliar and that always intimidates me,

 


Thanks,


Jenny

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Jenny,

I'm no expert when it comes to Auto electrics and aircon installes, so i paid good and big money to get professionals to do that scope of work. Thank God i did as it's not for the novices or the Diy brigade at all. I had Classic air installed as well for my'73 Vert.

In my case, the scope of work varied to some extent from what you are doing as i had other small jobs to be done when my dash was out as well. I paid around the $3,000 to $4,000 mark for my job, but sadly, i got ripped off by the company, and ened up paying $6,000 for all the work to be done.

Please make sure you go with the right crowd, as this type or work can run away a bit and end up costing a lot more than you bargained for. Try to get written quotes before any work commences. That's important. I did not, and paid a heavy price for not doing it, as the cost grew and grew as the job progressed. If you feel intimidated by certain jobs or some of the work is out of your depth, it pays to have a pro do the jobs, that's for sure. Also, watch out for buddy or love job help, as that can backfire on you in certain ways, and end up causing you a lot of grief as well.

Hope that helps,

Greg.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Wow - that's a lot of "new" things (and what-ifs) to do all at once - but might as well since it's all apart.

I installed my own Classic Auto Air set-up, and it's a lot easier than it might seem. It's a little unnerving cutting the hole through the firewall, but once that's done it's not a bad install at all. The heater box is smaller than the stock unit, the control cables are a bit longer than they need to be, and the ducting seems kinda toinky compared to the stock hard plastic pieces, but all in all, a nice system. The compressor bracket is mega-adjustable for just about any belt configuration.

My only gripes:

• ducting is cut to fit absolutely - no 'extra' play at all
  
• no provisions for fresh air at all (and only 1 block-off plate included)
  
• no belt specs, idler, or routing instructions for non-A/C cars - technician said to run it off the power steering belt circuit and use the 'string' method to get the right belt (I though that was a little crappy considering how much the kit costs)
  
• A/C lines routed over to run with the stock power steering lines make changing driver side plugs a major PITA - wish they would've ran them down the passenger side or something
  

I still have yet to plug it all in and run it, but everything I've read says it's a solid system.

Fortunately, my original harness seems to be good, so I went with it. If there would've been a model-specific kit available (i.e., for '71-'73s), I would've gotten one and ran it myself.

I may switch over to the 1-wire alternator at some point, but I didn't want to mess up my voltage regulator or ammeter. I'm planning on having the ammeter converted to a volt meter, so the one-wire route (along with a higher-output alternator) is in my future, I'm sure, considering all the electronics I'm adding.

Hope that helps somehow.

 

[caspianwendell]

Wiring is not that difficult. A little common sense, a lot of patience, and planning ahead will get the best results. Connector plugs are going to be the biggest obstacle to overcome. I have custom wired a lot of cars so if you have problems just PM me and I will be glad to help. Sort the harness by sections...headlight, engine, dash, and tail on the floor, this will get you acquainted with what you have, and allows you to eliminate anything you don't need such as stater, power window, door lock, etc. One thing I do not like is running headlights from a relay unless HID. On sealed beam I upgrade to a #8 from constant + to switch, and from switch to light. The fans will feed from a single relay but the coil must be dual fed from a temp switch in block, and AC trinary, so when compressor reaches a set pressure it kicks the fans on no matter what the coolant temp is. Like I said, if you have questions...just ask.

 

[Mesozoic]

The vehicles wiring harness is the vehicles nervous system, so to speak, so any problems with it will leave you in a world of misery. There are established techniques for wiring vehicles (and aircraft, for that matter) and if you're not familiar with them or do not have many of the specialized tools required for proper crimping of various types of contacts, it may make more sense to pay someone qualified to do the job. Unfortunately, wiring harness work is very expensive because it is a highly labor intensive job. I would expect to pay a shop around $4000 for a complete replacement of a '71 Mustang's stock harness with a Painless Wiring kit, complete with sleeving, terminals, etc. Keep in mind the interior will need to be removed/carpet replaced potentially if you're doing a wholesale replacement.

 

[midlife]

I can refurbish or provide a complete stock wiring set for anywhere from $325 to $450, depending upon if you have cores. All you have to do then is do the labor of installation.

 

[cjstaci]

I rewired my car, found a reproduction harness for under the hood and it was excellent. Under the dash harness is not being reproduced yet so I bought a used harness, took mine apart and rebuilt it with the use of the used harness. I have a wiring diagram and an assembly manual that I used and I also took pictures for reference. Everything works perfect and it looks 100% original.

I used a special wiring harness tape (non sticky) and cloth sticky tape at the ends. Also you need tools (inexpensive) to release the wires from the connectors.

 

[droptop73]

No experience on the wiring. I have worked to adjust the windows. The travel stops and main tubular guide are the most critical in my opinion. The stops can be moved up or down to position the window height and will work independentluy from front to rear. The tube will determine where the top of the glass ends up in and out. It can be tedious, patience and thinking it through will be a tremendous ally, sometimes the move made on the tube guide does not result in the desired change. I would advise making marks on the brackets as you go so you can go back to where you were. I used a fine line sharpie and cleaned the old marks off with a little alcohol on a rag.

Like BT says, I hope this helps.