Painless Steering column connectors?

[Roppa440]

Hi.

I am nearing the end of a full wiring installation in my 1970 Challenger using the Painless Mopar kit.

I have become stuck at the steering column wiring.

The instructions suggest you remove the male pins from the two existing connectors at the underside of the column and replace them with the supplied pins in the kit.

However, looking at them, the supplied pins look nothing like the pins in my original connectors. What gives? Are these the wrong parts? Do they fit somehow?

I just can't see any way these will work.

Photo shows two original pins from the connectors (with wires) and two supplied Painless items.

[wally426ci]

something looks funky. you can get the original connectors from the guy who builds the repro harness'. Sorry i cant remember his name, someone here may know.

Or, can you remove and reuse the old connectors? 

[Chryco Psycho]

they use the GM connectors , so you either need to cut he wires & replace the ends on the comumn plugs or solder & heat shrink the Mopar connectors onto the Painless kit

[Roppa440]

Thanks.

Not very "Painless" after all then is it?

Some of the original wires are quite corroded and a little burnt where they crimp on. Maybe I can grind off the existing wire and leave something to solder too?

[Bullitt-]

I'm pretty sure the 1st teminal on the left is what comes in this kit at Radio Shack

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103448&cp=2032058.2032231.2032286&parentPage=family

& maybe the smaller ones like this

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103294&cp=2032058.2032231.2032286&parentPage=family

[Topcat]

Good find Bullitt. I was looking all over Tyco Electronics for them. alot of close but no cigar.

[Bullitt-]

Good find Bullitt. I was looking all over Tyco Electronics for them. alot of close but no cigar.

Hope the ARE what you need....no guarantees just observations

[Roppa440]

They look very close don't they.

I have made a note of those. Thanks!

[Bullitt-]

I happen to have a couple of left overs from I don't know where, that appear to be in between the 2 radio shack items, probably for 16-18 gauge....sorry for the pic quality

Little business I frequented, that is now gone, specialized in electronics had these by the bags full, ck out your local business's......& support them!

[Roppa440]

Panic over. I did what Chryco first suggested and found that it was not hard at all to quickly grind down the end to make something i can easily solder the wire onto and finish with a little shrink sleeving.

Thanks Chryco and thanks to everyone else for the suggestions. Much appreciated.

[Devil]

When I did the Painless setup I just cut and soldered the old wires to the new ones.  I had redone the column a few years ago so I didn't need to do it.

Worked out fine for me.

Ryan

[Chryco Psycho]

glad you got it figured out
 Painless is a name not the way the product is

[Roppa440]

When I did the Painless setup I just cut and soldered the old wires to the new ones. 

I did that with the headlight switch etc connectors on the back of the dash. Some connectors I replaced the spades inside them. Others I have just used plain old spades.

The steering column connectors were quite corroded though and showing burn marks on some of them where they have got hot.

One of the reasons for doing this installation is to sweep away all the bad connections that have given me low voltages and other problems over the years. So any connector that does not look in good condition I am replacing. The ones that do look good I test with an ohm meter to make sure I have as little resistance as possible anywhere on the car.

[Roppa440]

glad you got it figured out
 Painless is a name not the way the product is

Yeah. "Not fully thought out and rather awkward" does not roll off the tongue as easily as "Painless" does it?

I got better at cleaning up those pins as I went on. Much more of the pin left in place by the time I finished.

The list of things not included in the "complete" kit is quite a long one. But overall it is not a bad product.

I do have one worry.
If a fuse does go - how do you know which fuse it is?

I cannot find anything that shows how the fuse box is connected up or what value fuse is used for each circuit.

[Chryco Psycho]

the fastest way is to use a test light on the back of each fuse , if it has power on one side & not on the other you know you have a problem , carryibg a test light for such occaisions is a pain though