1979 HJ45 with 2H - Complete rebuild - Wiring harness advise

[vincent85]

Hey guys! I am currently deep in a complete rebuild of my 1979 HJ45 with 2H motor LC for my Pan-American trip next year. I have above average mechanical skills, but electrical is another story. I can do the basics with wiring and some custom work, but rewiring a whole vehicle is foreign to me. I know there are tons of custom kits out there.

So I a wondering the following:

- Any suggested kits from you guys from experience?

- Should I just take the wiring harness out when I pull the body to be restored and reuse the existing harness?

- Does anyone have any idea if this is something that is easily doable by someone who is not a professional with wiring or is it something I would have growing pains in the process, but I can do the job and feel satisfied at the end. This is one part that if I don't do it right, I feel it will come back to haunt me so I am almost inclined to pay someone on this part to get it done right the first time.

Thoughts?

 

[ozcrusier]

These old girls have basic wiring from new so I would tend to keep it stock as possible on the engine side and upgrade all the lighting with relays or LED's I would also fit tripple heavy duty batteries to run the winch and fridge freezers. These old diesels engines can bypass all the wiring by removing one clip from the edit motor and this lets the engine run with no electrics at all. The main thing you need to worry about is getting clean fuel with no water so maybe you need to do some home work on reusable filters that can be cleaned by hand when you cant pick up off the shelf items. The donaldson cleaner will keep the air clean and a high mount spin type donaldson pre-filter will work for you in the very dusty parts of the world.

 

[chappohj47]

Use the old harness if you need help post in the diesel 24v thread and lost marbles or one of them will help

 

[vincent85]

I plan on putting some lightforce lights on. Four up top and two on the bumper. I was going to do a duel battery setup, I did not know people did three in conjunction. Usually I see for example a red top for starting and a yellow top for accessories. I was going to do a independent battery system just for the fridge itself and recharge it with a 150W solar panel on top.

Good point on the filters, I totally agree on that!

I am thinking the same things guys about sticking with the old harness, that sounds like the right way to go.

My plan is to take the body off the frame to get it completely rust free. I assume this is going to include me pulling everything out anyways, so I would think that when that time comes I should just pull the harness out completely and refurbish it. I was planning to take the body off and have that worked on while I was cleaning up the frame

 

[Spallet]

Lots of aftermarket lights will bring "unwanted" attention to your vehicle in Central and South America.

 

[Vossie]

hwzt.

take it from me, what ever you do, do not gut your 45! keep the stock harness and upgrade whatever you want, eg new LED's and relays.

I gutted mine. worst mistake ever. took a very long time and a lot of money to fix it.

as a side note, I also have 2H, and I don't need any eletrics for her to run. no fuel solinoids or anything, a bump start will get her to run without the key even!

 

[vincent85]

hwzt.

take it from me, what ever you do, do not gut your 45! keep the stock harness and upgrade whatever you want, eg new LED's and relays.

I gutted mine. worst mistake ever. took a very long time and a lot of money to fix it.

as a side note, I also have 2H, and I don't need any eletrics for her to run. no fuel solinoids or anything, a bump start will get her to run without the key even!

Yeah, I want to take the body off the frame that is the only problem. Any idea how I can do that without "gutting it"?

 

[Vossie]

Yeah, I want to take the body off the frame that is the only problem. Any idea how I can do that without "gutting it"?

well, removing the harness can be done without doing what i did. when i say 'gut', i mean aggressive destructive surgery with a knife and wire cutters...

to remove the harness still intact, all you really need to do is work your way systematically from one end, normally the engine bay, and disconnect and remove the harness. the beautiful thing about any 40 is the sheer simpleness of the wiring. be thankful this isnt a 200 series

and if in doubt, MUD can help you out theres a tonne of info on this site, and the search bar is the magic portal to all that knowledge and experience.

one tip though, if you can, do all the work yourself. ive rebuilt my 45 from the chassis up. theres not a bolt on her that i havnt undone and done up at least twice. what that means is, you get to know your 40 like the back of your hand. it becomes more than a car or a truck. it becomes an extension of yourself. in my opinion, theres a lot of great rigs out there that look amazing, but have been built up for people by pros. i take nothing away from them, but when some one says to me, "I built her", then he garnishes a lot more respect from me

have fun on your build

 

[vincent85]

Hey man great info! I am built it thus far myself to include the engine rebuild (still in progress). I am not going to stop there! I will just pull out the harness and then pull off the body. I need to do some restoration to the frame for a little rust and paint the body.

Thanks!

 

[CycloSteve]

It all depends...now if your wiring harness looks like mine (actual picture), you may want to go modern. The only hack missing was a live .22 rimfire fuse.

My rig is getting so many non-stock items that there was no way to possibly use the 50 year old loom.

IPOR has a nice solution for those starting fresh. http://www.ironpigoffroad.com//index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_32&products_id=71

 

[vincent85]

My front bumper, grille guard, rear tire carrier/bumper (holds one tire and 4 jerry cans), and 5 speed transmission/transfer case combo has arrived today!