37 replies to this topic

[Clip]

Just some of the mess. You should see behind the speedo!

[Clip]

I’m now thinking I could buy an 850 harness and start with that. It would need modifying as I run the alternator plus a pre-engaged starter motor (still use the floor starter button as trigger), but all that heavy wiring is in place and was done neatly and correctly.  Plus I want to keep relays for headlights, wipers and horn, plus additional fuses (different fuse block though- I’m not a fan of those LED ones), but that mightn’t be so hard to adapt. Or I go with Spider’s suggestion of laying it all out on a board. I watched a YT clip last night of someone doing just that and was pretty impressive. 

[timmy850]

If you’re going to buy one, contact Vinwire as spider suggests and get them to make it to your spec

[Clip]

If you’re going to buy one, contact Vinwire as spider suggests and get them to make it to your spec

That’s the problem Tim, I’m not sure what my spec is? Can I tell them it’s a “62 850 with all the modifications that I currently have with those I want (relays etc), or do they need specifics like cable lengths etc?

[timmy850]

They’ve made hundreds of mini looms, so I’m sure if you tell them what you have and what you need they can get it done for you

[Clip]

Thanks 

[stuart bowes]

.. nothing wrong with glass fuse boxes. .

 

I just find the blade fuses seem to be more conveniently available in garages when you need them really, that's the main thing

 

also the colours make it a lot easier to check the right amp rating, where glass ones can be a bit of a pain to read sometimes. 

 

also older fuse boxes tend to get loose and you have to give them a tweak to tighten up the prongs, where the blade ones generally stay tighter for longer in my experience

 

It's largely a matter of preference though at the end of the day I suppose

[sonscar]

Wiring may not be to every taste but it looks OK to me.Steve..

[Avtovaz]

 

.. nothing wrong with glass fuse boxes. .

 

I just find the blade fuses seem to be more conveniently available in garages when you need them really, that's the main thing

 

also the colours make it a lot easier to check the right amp rating, where glass ones can be a bit of a pain to read sometimes. 

 

also older fuse boxes tend to get loose and you have to give them a tweak to tighten up the prongs, where the blade ones generally stay tighter for longer in my experience

 

It's largely a matter of preference though at the end of the day I suppose

 

 

 

 

yes i agree, but they get a bad reputation, but then most of the cars they are fitted to are like 40+ years old. 

[IronmanG]

The best tip i can give is David @ wired by wilson
You put the kettle on

[Clip]

The best tip i can give is David @ wired by wilson
You put the kettle on

That’s a great find thanks IronmanG, gives me another option to consider. Really like their dash panels and switches too.

Edited by Clip, 31 August 2022 - 10:42 PM.

[Andosoft]

As an alternative, If the loom is functional, especially the core, could you not just rewrap what you have and integrate all of those add-ons into one for neatness sake ?

Mine had been messed around with a few times and wrapped with horrible electrical tape - unwrapped it all, got all the sticky goo off it, replaced some fried sections added fuel pump to rear harness and rewrapped all in good quality fabric tape - came out a treat.

[Clip]

As an alternative, If the loom is functional, especially the core, could you not just rewrap what you have and integrate all of those add-ons into one for neatness sake ?

Mine had been messed around with a few times and wrapped with horrible electrical tape - unwrapped it all, got all the sticky goo off it, replaced some fried sections added fuel pump to rear harness and rewrapped all in good quality fabric tape - came out a treat.

That’s also another serious option thanks Andosoft. I haven’t had any issues with the wiring, it’s just that’s it’s a mess. So maybe pulling it all out and removing redundant wires, checking and replacing what’s bad and re-terminating everything might not be the easiest or quickest, but certainly the cheapest route. 

Edited by Clip, 01 September 2022 - 12:23 AM.

[Clip]

After thinking more about Andosofts suggestions, I did take a close look today and I’m really pleased I did. After a day’s work I was able to completely remove the second major harness running from the dashboard to the front of the car! I’m not sure why they had run a new harness for indicators, horn, park lights, plus another 2 double cables that went no where other than to the grill (maybe for driving lights that were never installed?). Anyway, I checked the original harness as best I could including voltage drops etc. across all the wires, then re-terminated, checked again, then hooked each component up one by one, checked again and everything worked fine. They had also run a third smaller harness that connected tachometer, ignition, temp sender, but I’m going to leave that one as is.

There’s still a big lump of cables from where the voltage regulator was, but I can live with that once they are bound up neatly.

So a bit more tidying up under the bonnet, then to tackle the speedo head and gauge wiring that’s a massive birds nest of wires. Needless to say I’m pretty happy tonight and can’t thank you all enough for your thoughts and suggestions. If I do need to replace the harness in the future, I’ll have your info to look back on. 

[humph]

Three tips from me having just spent an age on my Elf wiring.

 

1)  Spend some time planning what additional accessories you're adding.  Adding ones you've missed will just lead to another mess.

2) Speak to https://www.autosparks.co.uk/finder about a loom with the bespoke bits you want added.  They offer options for neg earth, radio, electric fan, power socket, fog lights etc. as add ons anyway.  

3)  If you're going to do your wiring get a proper "heavy duty" crimper, don't waste your time with the cheap ones, you'll ruin more connections than you make. https://www.autospar...ts/wiring-tools

Edited by humph, 01 September 2022 - 08:23 AM.