Tear down/wiring

[Guyz55]

I am in the process of dismantling ( to a a point) my 2nd series 55 3100 . I have removed the front clip,the old bed wood and the interior . I will be rewiring the truck at some point ...My question is ....do I need to retain and of the old wiring ...??? and when I start the wiring process , does anyone know any tricks to make the wiring process as neat and clean as possible . Any builds I could be pointed to that have good picas and directions

Thanx

[roger55]

I can recommend the AAW Classic Update harness.
You can discard 100% of your original wiring if you go that route.

[Daze57]

x2 with roger
start with a new complete harness --there are several good ones to choose from.
i have a AAW 21 circuit harness ---prolly wont use all of them but at least i know if i need more --i have it ...
which ever you decide on --the directions should help you out and never never be afraid to ask the forum questions -- we have all been there and are here to help ...
make sure you have good grounds
i would start with one area at a time -----start it ---understand it ---wire it !!
then go to another section -----bags hopefully are labeled so you can start out with 1 bag and then continue on .
AAW has a very nice harness set up - might be a bit pricey but all there paperwork is well thought out and all wires are labeled ---plus directions are in color
lastly ----whatever you buy --- take your time ---- work methotically and recheck everything -- it may take ya a little more time but better safe than sorry sir !!!!

just my 02 centavos

[Jesse Z]

When you uncoil that kit, it will seem daunting, but just start with one wire at a time, beginning with the most distant accessory first (typically the right taillight). Route the wires to each quadrant of the vehicle, temporarily securing them with zip ties, twist ties or clothes pins until the final hookup - just in case you decide to change anything. Don't cut the wires at the minimum length; instead leave a little play, or even an extra loop, to give you options for possible adjustments or re-routing.

[hogfarm]

I enjoy wiring.The first thing I do is make a wiring diagram that you can understand,not one in a book but yours.then I make a excel spread sheet and list all the wires and where they go.After installing all the wires,I put all the wires that can be seen in shrink tube,I but it in 100' rolls from amazon,it's cheep

[Dan in Pasadena]

Piggybacking on what Jesse said above: When the wiring harness comes out of the package and you think, "Oh I'm screwed" - remember the harness can be mentally (and later physically) divided into:

- The wires that go in front of the firewall
- The wires that stay IN the cab
- And the wires that go out the back of the cab.

Dividing the job into three smaller more manageable "chunks" alone makes the job seem less daunting.

Remember every wire connects to the device and connects to ground. If you do a solid job of grounding the battery to the body, the body to the frame and the engine to the frame, you're assured of a reliable ground - you'd be surprised how many re-wiring jobs become a nightmare of problems because the grounds aren't reliable.

I'd also advise buying high quality solderless connections and a top quality crimper. NOT the cheaply stuff ou will find at Autozone or O'Reilly's. Personally, I'd prefer soldering all connections and using high quality heat shrink but I keep getting told high quality solderless are as good - I don't know.

[1project2many]

I keep getting told high quality solderless are as good

I would tend to agree. Most folks find many of the original terminals are still intact when removing the original harness from their truck.

OEM quality solderless Packard 56 terminals:


Cheap solderless:


Quality terminal crimpers:





Cheap Crimper:

[AZbent]

I deal with wiring on large commercial aircraft. Its been said that the job can be overwhelming when you get the box and open it up. Break it down into as many small jobs as possible ie; engine, front lights, cabin, instruments, back lights, etc.

For a beginner, crimping would probably be best. A cold solder joint will fail and then you will be chasing something that you thought would last a lifetime. With a properly crimped wire, it will last almost a lifetime. The wire needs to be supported, with a few inches of excess wire for possible repairs. The ground needs to be on bare metal, sand the paint away. You might want to weld a couple of bolts under the dash for grounds, you need a lot of grounds under the dash. Make your ground wire the same size as your power wire.

Hope this helps you in you decision. BTW, your original wiring is probably brittle, and the insulation is bad.

[Coupeguy2001]

I would not use the type of connectors that were used on your truck when it was new.
They are not weatherproof, and the weatherization process back then was to put white grease in the connector to keep them from corroding.
I would use the GM weatherpak type connectors that have sealed terminals.
They have special crimpers, and clip together so you make a greaseless weather proof joint.
Look up weatherpak on ebay, and they are relatively inexpensive if bought in bulk

[mr48chev]

Experience and not the good kind has taught me that it is best to just pull all of the old wire out and go with then new from one to the other and be done with it.

Now to figure out what I have that Hogfarm thinks he needs and do a bit of trading when it comes to getting my truck wired. it would be worth the tow up a winding mountain road to not have to do it. As the crow flies we live about 60 miles apart as the car either 75 or 94 miles depending on what road you take.

[hogfarm]

I would be happy to wire your truck

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by roger55

I can recommend the AAW Classic Update harness.
You can discard 100% of your original wiring if you go that route.

Not sure about the Classic Update harness, but I'd keep your connectors until the job is finished. I know when I used an AAW kit it came with most, but not all of the connectors for my truck. The kit did come with correct terminals to go into my original connectors. Instructions that came with my AAW kit did tell me which of my connectors I'd have to re-use.

[donandal]

I just completed an upgrade to my 53 wiring.

I used AmericanAutowire classic update kit and all of the comments
above ring true!

The kit is excellent and came with ALL connectors I needed to upgrade
to an LS engine, plus the connectors for the original equipment as well.
There is more than enough wire length on all circuits.

When you unpack it, it is overwhelming, but the instructions are excellent.
Read, reread then follow them. It is broken down into sections and if you
proceed slowly and follow them, it is fairly easy!

Also, I purchased their recommended crimping tools. They are expensive
it might seem, but they work perfectly. They give you a spare packet of
connectors to practice on. No solder is necessary and by the time you
finish practicing you can make factory quality crimps.

[roger55]

X2!
I bought the crimpers from them too. Nice tools.

[donandal]

Also, the connectors used are these Packard type, and are available
cheap on the web if you want to add other wiring circuits. The update
kit has plenty of optional circuits for things like power seats or power
doors etc.


https://www.delcity.net/store/Packar...rminals/p_9108