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| Restoring the electrical harness' | Rating: 
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| Posted: 04-03-2006 05:48 pm |
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1st Post |
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tracypaulet Member
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I took delivery of my '74 JH (#15787) last July. I have logged 1,800 miles on it since without much re-investment. This winter I pondered what I could be doing to upgrade the situations and conditions of certain areas of the car the P.O. had done or not done to the fullest. I decided to do nothing! Funny how that is, sometimes a no decision is the best decison. I say this as no can of worms were opened and I did not miss the 1st day of spring with the car! After much poking around though, I have found that much of the original wiring has been spliced and diced to the point of un-recognition to any wiring diagram I have seen. My question...does anyone have or know of anyone who can put together a front and rear wiring harness? I am interested in getting this area back on track and any feedback would be most appreciated. I live outside of Poughkeepsie, New York.
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| Posted: 04-03-2006 06:50 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Judson Manning Member 
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I took the route of ripping out the OEM wiring and installing my own custom system, but it's not for the timid. Alternatively, there are plenty of used wiring harnesses out there from cars that have been parted-out. I have several, as do places like britishmasters.
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| Posted: 04-03-2006 07:09 pm |
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3rd Post |
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tracypaulet Member
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Thanks for your response Judson. I have gotten a couple of items from BritishMasters and I have seen from time to time on my ebay watch the offerings but have sat on my hands seeing what may or may not be available. I am constantly amazed at what is available for the JH. I learned to drive on my parents '73 and back in '75, a water pump took months to come from overseas. Our mechanic was a guy named Jim Reilly who had a shop in Bedford, New York. I worshiped this guy (I was 16 y.o) as at the time he also raced 2 JH's here in the Northeast. I am going to give British Masters a call and see what they have. Thanks again for your thoughts.
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| Posted: 04-10-2006 12:51 am |
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4th Post |
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Ron Earp Member 
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Another good one would be a Painless harness. They have off the shelf hot rod harnesses that are not specific for any car, they simply have all the basics - brake lights, turn indicators, ignition, etc. and could be installed quickly. I made my own like Judson did, but mine is very simple since I need little for a race car. Ron
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| Posted: 04-11-2006 09:21 pm |
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5th Post |
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TXJH Member
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I saw where Britishwiring.com will make harnesses for the JH. Has anybody used them? I haven't had the courage to ask them how much it would cost
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| Posted: 04-11-2006 11:24 pm |
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6th Post |
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John Young Member 
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I priced it from Britishwire just this week .The main harness is $701. the rest range in price from $143 to $150. The main harness is special order.
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| Posted: 04-12-2006 12:56 am |
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7th Post |
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jcrc1 Member 
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That's just about what I Paid too. Mine was a bit more...... of course new bulbs/connectors are usually a good idea "while you are at it". I had to wait about a Month for the special order main wiring harness. http://jhppg.com/gallery/album113 [/url] You can see some pictures of it going in ( sort of) Good Luck, JOhn Last edited on 04-12-2006 12:57 am by jcrc1 |
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| Posted: 04-16-2006 07:34 pm |
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8th Post |
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oldfatjohn Guest
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the fuse block on my 73 burned up last fall,while rewiring I split the wiring into eight fuses instead of the three.I think if you do anything with the system try to improve the protection and use.
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| Posted: 04-17-2006 06:34 pm |
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9th Post |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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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.
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| Posted: 04-18-2006 05:28 am |
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10th Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member 
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I agree with Greg. Having completely rewired several vehicles from scratch myself, I'll add that correctly using the proper crimping tools for your connectors is the difference between a satisfactory wiring job and one which will fail in a myriad of puzzling ways at embarrassing moments. They're expensive, of course, but you can sell them when you're done and recover most of the expenditure.
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| Posted: 04-18-2006 04:35 pm |
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11th Post |
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jcdean Member
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I totally agree with the crimping tool. I have been working aircraft electronics for over 28 years now. There is a reason a 5 cent terminal is put on by a $400.00 crimp tool. Don't be scared, that is an aviation price. You'll find them to be much more reasonable than that. Joey
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| Posted: 04-19-2006 01:27 am |
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12th Post |
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LambandAndy Member 
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A dab of dielectric grease on the conductor before inserting into the connector and crimping is always good insurance. Bullet connectors (and most others) are available in solderable form as well, which I prefer. Andy
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