Wiring Looms (1 Viewer)

[Ken White]

After pulling Jade down and stripping the wiring out I have found that the old wiring is probably too brittle to put back in for the rebuild. I was wondering what everyone is doing as far as replacing their complete wiring loom for a FJ40 and where they are available from. I am trying to keep her as original as possible. Any assistance greatly appreciated.

Should put in here it is for a RHD version.

 

[msahr]

TONS of good info here on re-wiring. Search posts by coolerman, etc. I bought all the wiring and components from him and built my own semi-custom harness that I'm really happy with.

 

[PWCO70crusier]

ditto on Coolerman...very knowledgeable and has the parts you need if you need them. Having had wiring issues (short from the starter fried mine so I have to replace it), I found a used 71' for my 70'. There will likely need to be some modifications, but for the most part should be plug and play. There are a couple of places out there that have stock used harnesses that are reasonable in price. So there are options out there.

 

[Coolerman]

Ken,
As long as your harness has not been in a fire, or totally hacked to pieces, it can be repaired and made to look almost new. If you lay the harness out on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and un-tape a section of it, you will discover that the wire underneath the dirty tape looks new and will NOT be brittle! Only the ends of the wires that are exposed to heat and oil will be brittle. It's easy to splice in replacement sections of wires. You may also have some connectors that need to be replaced.
What year is you FJ40? I carry all the connectors and the correct colored wire for trucks 74 and older, and most of the connectors and wire for the newer trucks. I also have schematics for most years.

The rear chassis harness is something else. They can rarely be repaired and usually have to be rebuilt from scratch. I built Andrew Silver a new rear harness for his Aussie FJ40 recently. He sent me the remains of his harness and I was able to duplicate it. Turns out the Aussie rear chassis harness is identical to the US version. Give us some details about your truck...

 

[Ken White]

Thanks for the info Cooerman. I have already done what you suggested yesterday and got the front section laid out on a board. I will do the same with the rear section over the weekend so I can at least have a good look at it. My sons 40 is a 1971 model RHD. If you have a correct schematic diagram for it that would be great. Here is a pic of what I have done so far. Just got to work out what is what and also what I need to repair and get rid of.

Again thanks for the info.

 

[Coolerman]

Ken, from what I can see, that harness is in great shape! You can download the 1971 schematics I have from the link in my sig. Just scroll down until you find the 1971 then click on the file, it will download automatically.

Go through the harness looking for any signs of melted or chafed wires. Make a note of any connectors that need replacing. Get a list of what you need and send it to me. I will quote you a price. I also sell the non-adhesive harness tape. A re-taped harness will look new! I also sell a fusible link for the early trucks to protect the main power system.

While you have the harness apart it is easy to add circuits to it. I put in a fog light circuit in Andrew Silvers harness when I had it. It was powered by the spare "radio" fuse.

 

[Ken White]

Thanks for that Coolerman. Although the harness looks in pretty good shape it has been hacked, butchered, chopped and joined in quite a few places. Most of the connectors are all brittle but I will have a look over it and see what I need. I would dearly love to just say to you build me a new one but just cant afford it.

 

[Coolerman]

Don't give up on that harness! If money is tight, then fix it! It takes time to remove the terminals from all the connectors and replace them with new ones but it can be done. Just the connectors are not that expensive. Make and email to fj40coolerman@gmail.com a list of what all you need connector wise and any wire segments you might need and let me get you a quote. You might be surprised how cheap it is to repair this harness!

Mark aka Coolerman

 

[diogenese]

I have just done mine and although it took some effort it is worth it. I have added extra wiring for spotlights and day runner lights and beefed up the ground circuits. I now have a loom that has no extra wires outside the wrapping and looks standard apart from the fusible links which I have replaced with a modern 3 way fuse box on the battery terminal.
I did have the luxury of having a spare loom to disassemble so I had spare wiring of the correct colour to replace damaged sections. I soldered all my joints and covered with heat shrink where I could and made all the repairs inside the taped parts.
Once I had removed all the previous bodges and returned it to original there was really only a couple of wires that were hardened and needed new ends in the engine bay.
The frame harness I have given up with and made a new one from 7 core trailer light wire. I broke out of it at thr rear of the gearbox to get reverse lights and fuel tank sender wires and it now runs into a junction box on the back end as I have a non original flatdeck and will be using different rear lights.

 

[Aussie FJ40]

Ken it is a good wet season project and not really that hard, I done mine over a few nights and the effort is worth it,get new connectors and wire and it is a matter of copying the original, the wet season is coming,I know it will get in the way of fishing but really it's not hard,a new harness is very cool too,go for it

 

[Flatlandr]

@Coolerman-

Is ground-up harness/loom creation a service you offer? I'm dreading this process, but am interested in DIY for running circuits. I have much less time than money to dedicate to the process however, and anything I can do to hit the ground running would be a boon!

 

[Bambi Girl]

Hi Ken
I wanted to keep my wire loom factory but found parts of the loom had become hard and cracked.
My solution was to buy from Ebay 2 forty series looms. I then disassembled both the Ebay looms . Wires that had been incased in the OEM plastic wrap for 30 plus years were found to be in very good condition .
It was then a case of cut and splice the old and brittle and replace with the same same from the Donner looms .
Also as The Coolerman so rightly States replace burnt or corroded connectors with new.
I found the Navara range of fittings were a close match. Hint use the correct tool to crimp.
It took Nat and I a weekend s work to rebuild and wrap the loom.
If you need the correct crimper I may have a new spare tool in china office. Let me know.
Good luck
Cheers Peter



...via IH8MUD app

 

[Ken White]

Cooleman what is the correct size for the wiring 3, 4, 5, or 6mm.

Ken

 

[andrews520]

I sent my beaten up '68 loom to Mark (Coolerman) and it turned up back here a month or so later, brand new. For less than 1/2 the cost of a crappy aftermarket kit loom.
Can't recommend Mark's service highly enough.

 

[David70FJ40]

Just saw my 40 after the new wiring has been installed. Gone was to butchered wiring from past owners, everything works as it should and the volt meter didn't record any wild swings as it did before. Yes it did cost more than I expected and took longer than I expected but when I saw what the installer had done I was pleased. It is my opinion that if I am spending this much money on my 40 for other things like brakes, transmission and other major things, why not replace 45 year old brittle wires, broken fittings and paint covered wiring colors for something that will be more dependable and serviceable for the next 45 years. I will heartily recommend them to anyone who needs work done - Tinman Hot Rods, Restorations and Customs in Thomasville, NC.

Saw a suggestion above about cutting the old fittings off and splicing on new wire. IMHO, that is allowing possible troubles to appear later as the splices become loose. Just my opinion and 2 cents worth.

 

[Coolerman]

Hey Andrew! Good to hear from you!

Andrews harness was a hoot to refurbish! Being that it was an Australian harness, my wiring jigs would not work. However the main cowl harnesses are very similiar to the US version so a refurbish was very doable. I built him a new rear chassis harness. Turns out that there is NO difference between US and Aussie versions, they both are routed down the right side of the vehicle.

 

[Flatlandr]

So...
How's a guy get on your list, Coolerman?

 

[Ken White]

Coolerman, one thing I have noticed when looking at schematic diagrams for the wiring is that some list purple wires and others list blue wires. Not really sure why this is. Also there must be a bit of difference between Aust and USA models for things like heaters, transfer indicator light switch, blower motor, rear heater etc. I have gone through the colour coding on the wires that I removed from my 71 model and have identified 30 combinations of colours.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Hey Andrew! Good to hear from you!

Andrews harness was a hoot to refurbish! Being that it was an Australian harness, my wiring jigs would not work. However the main cowl harnesses are very similiar to the US version so a refurbish was very doable. I built him a new rear chassis harness. Turns out that there is NO difference between US and Aussie versions, they both are routed down the right side of the vehicle.

That is awesome. My harness was burned up beyond redemption. I agonized over this for years. I would have liked to reuse my OEM harness, but in the end, not happening and it's gone, with Coolerman parts grafted into a new harness.

Coolerman, many thanks for the services you provide.