I just cleared out my inbox; apparently it's been full for a few years
Don't want to know how many others I've missed. I just so happened to stumble on that from this thread! I installed a Painless 18 circuit harness when they only offered the universal ones. Realistically, with everything I've done, the Mopar specific one wouldn't have saved me any time.
My personal rules on wiring:
- Nothing on the exterior of the car gets an unsealed and non weatherproof connection, period!
- Use weather sealed power distribution blocks under the hood. No corrosion, far more compact, and you won't have a ton of random relays/fuse busses being an eyesore. I use 2 Bussman blocks and love them.
- Any splicing or teeing of circuits is done with crimped/soldered connections and adhesive lined, dual wall heatshrink (normal heat shrink OK for interior). They make prebuilt butt connectors for this, I just use the heat shrink and non insulated butt splices to make my own because I'm cheap. Pain is finding the corroded to nothing splice you did with butt connectors or regular heat shrink years later when you don't know where you made the splice. I use this heat shrink on non insulated ring terminals too when I do grounds. Again, crimped and soldered. The semi rigid heat shrink tube type adds strain relief and support, and also eliminates flexing of the solder joint that can cause failure.
- Make detailed wiring schematics! I make mine like a factory manual: circuit numbers, gauge, color, connector pinouts, splice/connector location, etc...
- Use convolute tubing or whatever you prefer to loom the wires. Nothing looks worse and is more prone to damage later on that spaghetti jobs
- Use zip ties or 1-2 wraps of electrical tape to band the harness inside the convolute ever 6-10" or so. It helps the harness hold the shape you route it in and keep it protected
- I use a decent electrical tape and wrap the convolute completely the entire length of the harness with overlap. Again, it keeps the harness in, other things out, and can be worked to assist with routing and branching. I do the same around T's and branches to make it hold shape.
- Use P-clamps where possible to route the harness. Zip ties work too, but use them with moderation. They look like crap when used in excess and make it a bear to get everything back where it should be if you ever move it to work on something.
- Bulkhead connectors are work, but so is cutting 70+ wires and resplicing them correctly if you ever have to remove that harness. Best to do it on the bench and NOT when everything is installed... Also makes it difficult to maintain a seal between the engine bay and interior.
- If you have to wire in something to a component with multiple wires and no connector, use a modern Metripack, Molex, or Weatherpack connector instead (ebay has a few sellers that have individual connector kits with a male/female connector body, pins, and seals for cheap, usually get a few spare pins too). Don't use 10 spade connectors. Looks like crap and causes service problems if everything isn't colored the same on both sides. I have a mix of Weatherpack, Molex, Ampseal, and Metripack 150/280 connectors depending on location, pin density, and current rating. Makes for simple disconnects too.
- No scotchlocks or T-taps!!!! Just don't! Crimp/solder/shrink splices per above.
- If you have to use wire other than what came with your kit, spend the little bit extra and get TXL/SXL/GXL wire of your color/gauge choice (Wire Barn and ebay are cheap sources if this). Don't use that GPT garbage that you find locally.
Anyways, if anybody needs specific info about the Tyco Ampseal connectors I used for my bulkhead, just let me know....
