I'm nearing the end of a 4 year nut/bolt '75 restoration. While a purist at heart, what I want to show here is applicable to all who tackle a harness rebuild. Restoring a harness or building new is a worthwhile and rewarding challenge that once done, will really help you in the long run. All the schematics and education are readily available. If I can do it...
When I started, I built this station and restored each circuit with the correct wire color, new terminals and correct connectors.
Thanks @Coolerman !!!
While this common approach is a great start to your circuit education, it can only provide the first stage of testing end-to-end continuity and proper resistance to prove the physical structure of your build.
The real test of your harness must be done using all of the switches, lights, sensors and gauges. The temptation here is the rush to install your harness before it is thoroughly tested. It may seem a bit anal (I'm usually called worse things) but I'm at the stage where body parts are out for paint and the chassis is easily accessible for hanging wire. I took a weekend to mockup a firewall and attach everything. This allowed me to test each circuit in the schematic repeatedly and chase my remaining gremlins BEFORE burying it behind the dash. Even though my harness build was thorough, I discovered a few problems where I was grateful that I had easy access to trace and diagnose.
- No slow speed on wiper motor (switched wires on connector)
- Faulty ignition switch
- Horn grounds under radiator frame
- Slow/bad flasher relay
- Bad amp gauge
... you get the picture
With this exercise behind me, I'm (more) confident that when this harness goes in, it won't need to come back out.
Probably nothing new here, but maybe it'll provide a little encouragement or inspiration.
Your own level of anal-retention will of course, vary.
When I started, I built this station and restored each circuit with the correct wire color, new terminals and correct connectors.
Thanks @Coolerman !!!
While this common approach is a great start to your circuit education, it can only provide the first stage of testing end-to-end continuity and proper resistance to prove the physical structure of your build.
The real test of your harness must be done using all of the switches, lights, sensors and gauges. The temptation here is the rush to install your harness before it is thoroughly tested. It may seem a bit anal (I'm usually called worse things) but I'm at the stage where body parts are out for paint and the chassis is easily accessible for hanging wire. I took a weekend to mockup a firewall and attach everything. This allowed me to test each circuit in the schematic repeatedly and chase my remaining gremlins BEFORE burying it behind the dash. Even though my harness build was thorough, I discovered a few problems where I was grateful that I had easy access to trace and diagnose.
- No slow speed on wiper motor (switched wires on connector)
- Faulty ignition switch
- Horn grounds under radiator frame
- Slow/bad flasher relay
- Bad amp gauge
... you get the picture
With this exercise behind me, I'm (more) confident that when this harness goes in, it won't need to come back out.
Probably nothing new here, but maybe it'll provide a little encouragement or inspiration.
Your own level of anal-retention will of course, vary.
