12 replies to this topic

[mbinsaleem]

Hi all,

 

I am a new member, from Islamabad in Pakistan. I own a Morris Mini-minor, Mk-1, 1963, 850cc. Recently, I got a short-circuiting in the wiring, and I now plan to prepare and install new wiring. I have the wiring diagrams available with me, but they don't mention the lengths of wire needed between different terminals. Could anyone help me out with a diagram that I could use as a template for a wiring loom/harness to be made locally (as there are no suppliers available locally, and it is difficult as well as extremely costly to import one). The car was running with a generator (alternator) but I have now acquired a dynamo to return it to original specs (once the wiring is done). 

 

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

Regards,

Mohammad.

[KernowCooper]

Not sure there are any data for the lengths of the wires, I always leave tails long enough coming out of the harness points to connect

[cal844]

Wilson1330 on this forum should be able to make a wiring loom for you!

[colinf1]

Could you not use your current one as a template, taking measurements and notes of each wire, shouldn't be any need to remove any plugs etc until you have all your new wire ready to go.

[dklawson]

I agree with Colinf1, if you still have the old harness, use it as a template for the new one you are making.  

 

If your goal is to save money by making your own loom, consider the following.  Buying a pre-made new harness may sound expensive, bit it really isn't... not when you consider the cost of buying individual lengths of the correct color coded wire in the correct gage.  If you were not planning on using the correct color coded wiring, consider that decision again.  Troubleshooting further problems will be a nightmare if the color codes are not maintained.

 

That being said, it is not uncommon over here to use a generic 12-fuse wiring harness from a firm like EZ-Wiring or Painless Wiring  to "update" an older car.  It's not original but the wires are well marked and the kit is affordable.

[mbinsaleem]

Thanks for the info. Apart from the price, the logistics involved are also difficult. Having said that, I do plan to follow the original colour-coding as per the wiring diagram, so not currently looking at any generic harnesses. I do have the current wiring loom in place, but I would have to take that out for measurements. Without taking it out, it is difficult to do that. So, I was looking if the lengths were available with anyone here.

 

Any further suggestions are welcome :)

[dklawson]

The only suggestion I can offer at this point will not be useful until the future when you remove the old harness and installing the new one.

 

The rear harness runs through sections of the roof and rear roof pillar.  Before you pull the old harness out, tie heavy strings to the wire ends so they are pulled through the car, then untie the strings and leave them behind in the car.  When putting the new harness back in, tie your new harness to the strings and pull the new wires back through the car body.  This is much faster and easier than trying to fish the new wires through using other methods.

[mbinsaleem]

Thanks for that suggestion. Will definitely keep that in mind when replacing the harness.

 

The only suggestion I can offer at this point will not be useful until the future when you remove the old harness and installing the new one.

 

The rear harness runs through sections of the roof and rear roof pillar.  Before you pull the old harness out, tie heavy strings to the wire ends so they are pulled through the car, then untie the strings and leave them behind in the car.  When putting the new harness back in, tie your new harness to the strings and pull the new wires back through the car body.  This is much faster and easier than trying to fish the new wires through using other methods.

[mbinsaleem]

With the wires still in the car, I am planning to use a detached piece of wire to measure the lengths, then plot these lengths on the wiring diagram, order wires accordingly, and then set up the harness. Will try to keep the ends open for as long as I can so that the connections are made only once the loom is in, and I can be sure that the lengths are correct. Will keep you guys posted to on this one hopefully :)

[racingenglishcars]

I could only say that you remove the original cabling, then get a large piece of plywood and lay out the cabling on the plywood. Put nails in the plywood along side the cabling especially where it branches. Draw the cabling and mark the colors of the wires where possible directly on the plywood or other labels. Remove the old cabling and string new cabling around all the nails. Leave slack and make the ends long enough.

This method does work. :)

[mbinsaleem]

Yes, that's pretty much the plan I would like to follow too. Let's hope for the best :)

[Archie]

Hullo,
Does anybody know where I can buy a Colour Coded Diagram, for retiring my Mini Thirty. I have just had a complete rebuild of the Body Shell, I have now in front of me a large jumble of Wires. ie: The loom. But what goes where ?

[peter-b]

Archie, try laying it out with the more obvious bits like ignition switch plug, alternator, starter etc in their approximate places and you'll find it starts to make sense were they go. The genuine Rover workshop manual shows colours and lay out.