New (to me) Truck, needs rewire...

[R8rPhan]

Just bought a 73 C10 long bed (327ci), and it has some issues...

Need to make into reliable transpo ASAP, and then will continue fixing it up from there...

When I bought it, it had no lights.. one turn indicator was working intermittently, now not at all..

Thing runs and rolls great though.. Aftermarket stereo works, but nothing else.. no dash lights, no cab light, no heater fan, nada...

My plan was to just get the lights working, and then go from there on everything else.. Driver side door needs adjusting, probably need to replace window regulators and all weatherstripping..

But as I started digging into everything, I found that the fuse box connector (on the firewall in the engine compartment) is fried.. Lots of black wires where they connect, some melted plastic... It's toast..

I was able to take it off and separate it into three separate harnesses.. Virtually every wire on all three harnesses are affected.. Fuse Box side itself doesn't appear too bad...

With everything turned off, when I went to reconnect the battery, there was a bit of a spark when I made the connection, so there is obviously something drawing a little current even when the key is off...

I was already suspecting the truck might need a rewire, but now my hand appears to be forced... Fortunately, I got the truck at a great price, so even after a rewire, I'll still be ahead..

I'm just glad to be working on something that is pre smog.. Thoroughly sick of the ridiculously over the top hassle of CA smog laws...

The cheapest rewire kit I've found starts at about $650 and they go up from there.. Can't find the fuse box and firewall side connector by themselves anywhere, so I guess attempting to replace the fuse box and connector themselves is out of the question... I have no transpo to go look in junkyards or whatever, so I have to get what I need on line...

This is one REWIRE KIT I've found, but I'd really like to find a way to knock at least another couple hundred bucks off the cost of doing this..

Not sure if it's wise to just redo just the fuse box and harness, as whatever caused this might still be an issue... (providing I can find what I need to just do that much)

Any ideas, other options, recommendations?

 

[BiggG74]

You're better off buying the complete kit and rewiring it. It'll save you the headache. But for the meantime you can buy aftermarket fuse blocks and make a temporary set up just to get your lights working and then go from there.


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[74 Shortbed]

Best way to go..

http://www.americanautowire.com/shop/factory-fit/

 

[gmachinz]

I've got NEW firewall bulkhead harnesses available:

Engine harness $169
Front lighting harness $159
AC climate control w/AC $139
AC climate control heat only $89

Btw, are you sure that's a 1973? Your firewall bulkhead style is 1975-up....and the wiper motor wiring is clearly 1978-83 style according to the wiring colors.

 

[R8rPhan]

I've got NEW firewall bulkhead harnesses available:

Engine harness $169
Front lighting harness $159
AC climate control w/AC $139
AC climate control heat only $89

Btw, are you sure that's a 1973? Your firewall bulkhead style is 1975-up....and the wiper motor wiring is clearly 1978-83 style according to the wiring colors.

The thing I'm a bit concerned about is if I just replace the engine side harness, the condition that caused the melt down might still be present, and then do the same thing to the new harness...

Or is there some other typical cause for the complete meltdown that would make such concerns irrelevant?

Also a bit concerned about what this might have done to the fuse block itself...

This is definitely an area where I need others to weigh in with their experiences...

 

[R8rPhan]

There seems to be a choice between 2 manufacturers out there...

one is the 1973 CHEVROLET C10 PICKUP American Autowire Classic Update Series Wiring Harness Kits 510347 (Wiring Harness, Classic Update Series, 18-circuit, Front Fuse Block, Chevy, GMC, Kit) which is 18 circuit and comes with all the switches, new bulb sockets, dimmer switch, etc. for $665..

And the other is the 1973 CHEVROLET C10 PICKUP Painless Performance GMC/Chevy Truck Harnesses 10205 (Wiring Harness, 27-Circuit, GM Column, Front Mount Fuse Block, Spade Fuse, Chevy, GMC, Pickup, Kit) which has more circuits but only a couple sockets for the headlights and no switches or other sockets... $750 ($650 after $100 mail in rebate)

I don't understand what they mean by 'circuits' seeing as in the pictures, both fuse blocks seem to have the same number of fuses.. I'm a career electrician with a background in avionics before that, and to me, circuits are everything that comes out of the distribution panel fuses/breakers...

So what is the difference between the 18 and 27 circuit versions, and what are the additional circuits for and are they something I would wish I had if I bought the American Autowire kit? To me, they both have 18 fuses (according to the pictures) and are therefor 18 circuit systems....

But maybe the automotive industry has it's own definition of what a circuit is...

 

[gmachinz]

The thing I'm a bit concerned about is if I just replace the engine side harness, the condition that caused the melt down might still be present, and then do the same thing to the new harness...

Or is there some other typical cause for the complete meltdown that would make such concerns irrelevant?

Also a bit concerned about what this might have done to the fuse block itself...

This is definitely an area where I need others to way in with their experiences...

Unfortunately, I don't know how'd you find that out unless you install new wiring and then be prepared to check the system out for shorts, etc.

 

[R8rPhan]

Looking for experiences, thoughts, reviews on the "21 Circuit EZ Wiring Harness Chevy Ford Mopar Hotrods" that are for sale from "Keith's Restoration and rod Shop's" eBay store..

Price is less than a third of the other two I've been looking at.. Appears to be a universal wiring harness? The picture shows what appears to be a similar fuse block to what is in my truck... Is it a chevy fuse block?

Any issues with the harness not being vehicle specific (or at least I don't see how to select the make, year, model when purchasing if it is vehicle specific)?

any Instructions/tips included with harness at all?

 

[gmachinz]

A lot of it won't be correctly color coded-making future troubleshooting a nightmare for one. A lot of the connectors you'll need to re-use. Along with that are specific dedicated terminals which may not be included at all. You don't get any of the correct looming, clips, retainers, OEM style grounding rings, lots of little things like that. But, it is definitely cheaper. Nobody offers factory style harnesses for these trucks like they should-I do for most of the truck but not for underdash.

 

[da_raabi]

Is it just me or do the wires in the pic not look bad at all? All I see is the nasty protective gunk all over them. You sure they are actually melted?

 

[R8rPhan]

Is it just me or do the wires in the pic not look bad at all? All I see is the nasty protective gunk all over them. You sure they are actually melted?

That nasty black gunk is melted plastic...

 

[gmachinz]

That nasty black gunk is melted plastic...

What are you referring to? That "black gunk" is an electrical sealant to keep moisture out-those wires are fine imo-just because they look messy doesn't mean they're bad.

 

[R8rPhan]

What are you referring to? That "black gunk" is an electrical sealant to keep moisture out-those wires are fine imo-just because they look messy doesn't mean they're bad.

Dude, the plastic is visibly melted.. You can see where it's not as high as it should be, and in some cases the plastic between the connectors is completely melted away.... The insulation is melted back on a bunch of them.. Heck, some of them have melted their insulation together so that two or more wires are one.. If you take the connectors off and look at the other side several connectors are blackened and eaten away...

The guy I bought it from said he put a new headlight switch in it and it and the wires connected to it caught on fire... lol

But even if the wiring were fine, I know from experience that 90% of the breakdowns on these old trucks is electrical in nature.. I want to remove that potential.... This will allow me to go through the whole truck, device by device, switch by switch, wire by wire, and redo the grounds, have nice clean connections, and oxidation free wires.... It will allow me to get rid of all the PO hacks 'and' I'll know the truck intimately afterwards, meaning should there ever be a problem or something I want to change, I'll know instantly where to go on the truck...

 

[gmachinz]

Dude, the plastic is visibly melted.. You can see where it's not as high as it should be, and in some cases the plastic between the connectors is completely melted away.... The insulation is melted back on a bunch of them.. Heck, some of them have melted their insulation together so that two or more wires are one.. If you take the connectors off and look at the other side several connectors are blackened and eaten away...

The guy I bought it from said he put a new headlight switch in it and it and the wires connected to it caught on fire... lol

But even if the wiring were fine, I know from experience that 90% of the breakdowns on these old trucks is electrical in nature.. I want to remove that potential.... This will allow me to go through the whole truck, device by device, switch by switch, wire by wire, and redo the grounds, have nice clean connections, and oxidation free wires.... It will allow me to get rid of all the PO hacks 'and' I'll know the truck intimately afterwards, meaning should there ever be a problem or something I want to change, I'll know instantly where to go on the truck...

lol....ok-maybe this is the first time I seen a fire mentioned-that definitely changes things. I've seen some sketchy "appearing" wiring bulkheads that were fine in reality-as with anything that has some years of use under its belt electrical gremlins are always a concern....it is better to go all new.

 

[R8rPhan]

lol....ok-maybe this is the first time I seen a fire mentioned-that definitely changes things. I've seen some sketchy "appearing" wiring bulkheads that were fine in reality-as with anything that has some years of use under its belt electrical gremlins are always a concern....it is better to go all new.

yeah, I found all that after the OP...

I have also since noticed there are several wires stabbed into the fuse box, and I have a feeling that when I get into it, i will find that someone bypassed the headlight fuse, and that there is a short somewhere in that circuit and that is what caused all the destruction...


I just want to redo it all and have peace of mind that it's all done right and i don't have to worry about wiring issues leaving me stranded on the side of the road somewhere..

And besides, I've already bought the new harness, picked up a bunch of connectors and cable looms, heat shrink, etc, got new replacements for most of the switches in the thing at the ready and am just waiting for the weather to give me enough of a break to get into it..

Right now, it appears that that opportunity will arrive next Wednesday.. Several days in a row in the fifties and low sixties with now rain/snow...

Fingers crossed..