View single post by Greg Fletcher
 Posted: 04-17-2006 06:34 pm
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Greg Fletcher



Joined: 03-11-2005
Location: Lake Nacimiento, California USA
Posts: 430
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 Having a ready made harness built for you is one way to go, but it's not very cost effective and may not match exactly what you need because of the variation from the factory. Since a big chunk of that is labor, an owner handy with things can make up his own without too much fuss. I've seen a pro do this in no time and basically if you have an old harness, then half the work is already done.

The wiring is not a big deal for most British cars including a fairly simple one like the JH, quality resto shops do all their own wiring. Think of the wiring as simply another component in the vehicle that needs to be serviced at least every 30 years. If your car will be stock and you're not adding a ton of accessories, I've found that the original 3 row fuse block is completely adequate as long as the wiring has not been messed up or incorrectly modified in the past.

In a nutshell, you'll want a large peg board or series of boards spread out as your wiring extends. The old harness is carefully staked to the board a section at a time and all tape removed. If the harness is in excellent shape (it can happen), spot repairs can be made after an inspection or you use the old harness as a template and start running lengths of the correct color and gauge wire to match the old harness. All the wiring and almost all connectors are still available, I'd say it's smart to replace with the proper stuff. The cost of wire, a few tools, terminals, connectors and an afternoon of work can save you quite a bit of money.