60-66 chev - gmc wiring basics

[62gmc910]

These trucks were first set up with generators, until 63 then an externally regulated alternator, these systems were only designed to run point ignition, incandescent headlights, a perminant magnet heater motor and maybe an am radio. The alternator was 37 amp so even at max out put it had trouble with those spartan accesssories. even in an all original truck running the fan at full with the hi beams on and maybe the radio the "gen" light glowed faintly.
Most of these trucks end up with newer internally regulated alts. most of these are at least 60 amp or better. the heater motors change up to the same stuff as the 90s trucks these fan motors are serial wound and draw way more power, electronic ignition has a 12 guage wire for a reason.
We are over taxing a 43 to 50 year old system just running nessesities.

My '62 has had the fuse box and primary wiring replaced with a harness from an eighty this was a fairly major under taking even though i knew what I was doing and our friends at GM had kept most of the plugs ETC the same size,
If I were to do it again I would
1) if the basic wiring was OK , just run the Ignition turn signals brake lights thru the stock wiring. The rest head lamps, fans , stereo, and what ever I would run thru a fused relay system fed from close to the battery/alternator
2) maybe try one of the replacement systems but these scare me, made in china?
3) find a decent after market fuse box and build my own
I 'am hoping this thread gets a sticky and we can expand on it as necessary I will draw a map of the relay plan as soon as I get a chance.

[1restorick]

I agree that these wiring systems were not designed for today's accessories. On my 63 C10, I replaced the factory harness and fuse block with a stock
replacement from Golden State Pick-up Parts. (This was in 1989). Now I have an MSD Ignition, full Gauges, stereo and upgraded lighting. Last year I installed the LMC Headlight relay harness and was really impressed with this
simple improvement. I am now considering one of these new Painless Performance accessory harnesses to clean up my fuse box and provide safer circuits for reliable performance. Check out this link:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-70207/


If I was starting from scratch I would buy a complete harness from Ron Francis Wireworks. He stands behind his products and will customize to meet your application. I used this harness on a 58 Chevy Truck and was pleased.

Just one person's thoughts,

Rick

[62gmc910]

Just one person's thoughts,

Rick[/QUOTE]

Excellent info this is exactly what we're looking for
Thanks

[bubba327]

Great Idea !
Wiring seems to be a problem for a lot of guys. I have scratched my head once or twice and I am a Journeyman Electrician!
The electrical insulation on the wiring gets old and brittle When the oils in the insulation deteriorate and bake out in the heat of 40+ summers. A lot of today's electrical loads were not a issue when these trucks were new! The headlight relays make a world of difference as they eliminate the voltage drop found with the old conductors and switches.
I vote to make this a sticky

[62 Bowtie]

great idea 62gmc I've got one or two rather for ya. I installed a 73 automatic column and a ez-wiring kit on my 62 I have no connector for the turn sigs and I'm wondering if I can make my own 8 pin connector it's just male and female right? My other issue is my accy is not wired correctly, when i hook it up all accys work but when I start the truck the starter makes a noise like the bendix is stuck then when I turn it off the engine stays running and no response from the ign sw untill I disconnect the accy wire from the ign sw unfortunately the diag from ez wiring sucks

[62gmc910]

Originally Posted by 62 Bowtie

great idea 62gmc I've got one or two rather for ya. I installed a 73 automatic column and a ez-wiring kit on my 62 I have no connector for the turn sigs and I'm wondering if I can make my own 8 pin connector it's just male and female right? My other issue is my accy is not wired correctly, when i hook it up all accys work but when I start the truck the starter makes a noise like the bendix is stuck then when I turn it off the engine stays running and no response from the ign sw untill I disconnect the accy wire from the ign sw unfortunately the diag from ez wiring sucks

I would find the connector from a 73 that plugs into your column and I can't
remember what type of ends they have right now but there are a lot of replacement ends on the market that way if you have to change the column or the signal switch it just plugs in.
I'm not familiar with ez but it sounds like alternator feed back or the power wire going in to the wrong terminal on the ign. Are you using the 62 switch or the 73?

[66GMC-Canuck]

After looking at a lot of the replacement wiring kits I think I am going to go with the American Autowire kit specifically for the 60-66 truck. Its US made and looks pretty complete. I want to wire in new gauges anyway and my old wiring was hatched up by the previous owner. The kit costs more but I think you get what you pay for.

Anyone else used this kit?

[duallyjams]

Originally Posted by 66GMC-Canuck

After looking at a lot of the replacement wiring kits I think I am going to go with the American Autowire kit specifically for the 60-66 truck. Its US made and looks pretty complete. I want to wire in new gauges anyway and my old wiring was hatched up by the previous owner. The kit costs more but I think you get what you pay for.

Anyone else used this kit?

Do you have a link for the kit that you are looking at ?

[66GMC-Canuck]

Here is the link to the kit. You can find better price at dealers.

http://www.americanautowire.com/60-66truck.html

[62gmc910]

Originally Posted by 66GMC-Canuck

Here is the link to the kit. You can find better price at dealers.

http://www.americanautowire.com/60-66truck.html

That looks like a well though out system . And for anyone else contemplating buying a wiring kit DON'T buy on price alone it's not like tire that get changed out often the wiring is there to stay ( we hope)
Thanks for the feed back 66GMC
Anymore wiring kit feed back would be great especially good or bad system experiences
BTW guys a good kit is probably the easiest and best value, cause if I did a custom harness for someone I can't see it costing less than 3 grand (not an add)
heres some good info if you haven'twired ant thing (NOT an indorsement for there products) http://www.painlessperformance.com/wiring.php

[66GMC-Canuck]

Yeah I think for reducing the hassle this is the way to go. I know one guy who installed it and said he really likes the fit and finish. They have good customer support as well. I want to add a tilt column to mine and it has the connectors for these.

I also think its good value and your right it should be a one time update. My wiring is so hatched its not worth looking at. I cleaned it up for safety but I have new gauges and want to install a 700r4 and the kit covers everything I want to do with 18 fuses and 21 connectors plus all new switches and ignition.

I have a 350 sbc under the hood and HEI and the PO wired that in pretty crappy I had to fix that but I am not happy about it.

Only thing it does not have is an upgraded relay based headlight harness so I am going to make that myself.

[62gmc910]

Originally Posted by 66GMC-Canuck

Yeah I think for reducing the hassle this is the way to go.

Only thing it does not have is an upgraded relay based headlight harness so I am going to make that myself.

There is a good example of this some where on this forum maybe (Please)the OP of that could repost it here or a Mod could move it

[66GMC-Canuck]

Yes i found those areas with the examples. I have done the headlight relay stuff before on my Hudson Hornets.

[66GMC-Canuck]

Here is another good link to American Autowires online store that shows what other items they sell to help with the rewire of our trucks.

http://shop.americanautowire.com/cla...hevytruck.aspx

[low79fx]

Guys,I am installing an American Autowire Classic Upgrade kit#500560.I have to tell you this kit is every thing you need.It is specifically tailored for these trucks.It is complete from bumper to bumper w/all connectors included.It is simple to install as it is setup to install in stages,w/individual instructions for every stage.What is cool about this kit that I liked is that it can be installed as a stock install but has plenty of room incorporated into for future addons i.e. a/c,pw windows,pw seats,etc.Has plenty of wiring for custom install as in routing the way you want to.This thing is complete,it is the most complete kit I've found.I also saved about $100 bones getting through this guy on ebay.the link below should get you to it.Hope my 2 cents helps.
http://stores.ebay.com/Classic-Auto-Wiring
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/19-60...Q5fAccessories

[72bigred]

I will back anyone using the american autowire products. I might suggest depending on how stock your truck is you might look into the highway 15 harness as it is more than enough depending on what you are running and will save ya a couple hundred bucks. Of course if you are going fuel injection, power windows etc then the one tailored for the 60 truck is also a good option. I have done two of the Highway 15 series and they are just flat out amazing for 300$..

Reid

http://www.route66supply.com/store/page108.html

[66GMC-Canuck]

hey low79fx you should post some pics of your kit and your install I would like to see that I am getting the same kit. I saw that guy on ebay selling for cheaper than direct.

[low79fx]

I do show some the install on one my post.Not a detailed step by step post on wiring just some pics as I progress on truck in general.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=368149

[markeb01]

If I had it to do all over again, I would buy another Ron Francis kit like it did back in the early 90's, unless I had a near stock truck. I had several other brands of wiring panels previously, and haven't found any with the integrity of the fuse panel in the Ron Francis offerings. I prefer the feature where the wires can be disconnected from the face of the panel, since there have been a lot of changes to my truck over almost 20 years of ownership.

The one thing I would do differently - mount the fuse panel behind the glove box so it can be worked on while sitting in the passenger seat (after removing the glove box liner). I'm old and busted and there's almost nothing more miserable (for me) than twisting under a dash adding or modifying a circuit.

[72bigred]

Originally Posted by markeb01

If I had it to do all over again, I would buy another Ron Francis kit like it did back in the early 90's, unless I had a near stock truck. I had several other brands of wiring panels previously, and haven't found any with the integrity of the fuse panel in the Ron Francis offerings. I prefer the feature where the wires can be disconnected from the face of the panel, since there have been a lot of changes to my truck over almost 20 years of ownership.

The one thing I would do differently - mount the fuse panel behind the glove box so it can be worked on while sitting in the passenger seat (after removing the glove box liner). I'm old and busted and there's almost nothing more miserable (for me) than twisting under a dash adding or modifying a circuit.

I totally agree if you want perfection RF is the way to go but you best be ready to pay for it. I have delt with quite a few products and if you are on a budget the highway series from american is very nice. I am not an ez or painless fan although some have good luck with them. I am currently doing another highway 15 in my wifes 60 sb and I am mouting it so as I get old and broken I wont have to become a pretzel to get at my fuse box.

[1restorick]

Here's the Ron Francis website:

http://www.ronfrancis.com/


I was really impressed with the Harness that my friend purchased for his 58 Chevy Truck.

Rick

[62gmc910]

I would probably agree that the francis system is the rolls royce of kits ,if you can afford it, Personnally i would go with the kit reccomended by 66GMC
for simplicity. Markeb01 makes a very important point about location Changing fuses or new hook ups is a lot more comfortable from the passengers seat and you can reach your beer in the cup holder easier too

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by 62gmc910

Changing fuses or new hook ups is a lot more comfortable from the passengers seat and you can reach your beer in the cup holder easier too

[66GMC-Canuck]

Nice if you make your own glove box liner with a inner hinge for easy access. Would not like to be pulling a glove box liner at the side of the road at midnight to put in a new fuse.

Got to look for the pics I had of a guy who made a hinged fuse box holder that he mounted under the dash you flipped it down and it was by your left leg for easy fuse changing.

[1restorick]

Yeah, Ron Francis isn't cheap. But check out this magnet mounted fuse box. This would be great for accessability and could be hidden easily:

http://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AC%2D66


Rick