EZ Wiring Harness - Lightin' The Fire

Here's the complete kit, supplied... 

   

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Here's the complete kit, supplied by EZ Wiring, complete with the fuse box with wiring already attached, as well as flasher relays and plastic connectors to hook up to an ignition switch. Also included are headlight connectors, the necessary connectors to connect to a GM column and alternator, GM turn signal connectors, a pre-wired dimmer switch plug, a fusible link for the starter motor, cable ties, rubber grommet and instructions.

I don't know about you but I'm perfectly happy fabricating chassis, welding and doing body and paintwork, and physically putting a car together, but I've always left the wiring in my projects to someone else. Of course, having a good friend who owned an auto-electrical company, and who was always happy to trade bodywork favors for wiring, meant I never really had to worry much, but he's on the other side of the planet now and so when it came time to wire my '46 I decided to bite the bullet and tackle the job myself. My cars are usually pretty basic with not much in the way of accessories-- not even a radio--so I figured a simple wiring harness with the minimum of circuits would work best for someone who'd never wired a car before.

After a little research, EZ Wiring's 12-circuit harness looked perfect for my needs, so I called 'em up and ordered one. However, the project then somehow became relegated to the back burner for a couple of years, and it wasn't until I decided to drive the truck to Bonneville last year that I actually dug out the still-boxed kit and took the plunge. The installation was pretty straightforward and pain-free, if you disregard the couple of errors made by me and the need to fabricate a mount for the fuse box.

Methodically following the instructions and breaking the job down into sections like engine harness, front of car, rear of car, and interior certainly made things easier, especially as I didn't unravel one section's wires until I'd completed the last. That way there weren't a whole bunch of wires all over the place. With the exception of the turn signal switch, everything worked fine the first time. Somewhat pleased with myself, I'll certainly tackle the wiring in the Project '49 Chevy myself, and may even move on to doing my own upholstery next. Er, maybe.

The mini fuse box supplied...        read full caption The mini fuse box supplied in my kit had specific little mounting tabs on the reverse, meaning I had to fabricate this mounting pad to enable it to be clicked into place for easy removal.	Here's the complete kit, supplied...        read full caption Here's the complete kit, supplied by EZ Wiring, complete with the fuse box with wiring already attached, as well as flasher relays and plastic connectors to hook up to an ignition switch. Also included are headlight connectors, the necessary connectors to connect to a GM column and alternator, GM turn signal connectors, a pre-wired dimmer switch plug, a fusible link for the starter motor, cable ties, rubber grommet and instructions.	Following EZ Wiring's recommendation...        read full caption Following EZ Wiring's recommendation I tackled the job in stages. The wires shown are all those that will be routed to the front of the truck, for the lights, turn signals, electric fan and horn. The engine harness was tackled separately, as was the dash and the wires to the rear of the truck. This way the number of wires unraveled at one time doesn't become overwhelming.
Each wire is clearly marked...        read full caption Each wire is clearly marked for its application, meaning even a novice like me would have a hard time making mistakes.	Once I'd run all the wires...        read full caption Once I'd run all the wires to the front of the truck and established they'd all reach their intended destinations, I used this plastic shrouding that I'd bought at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals to not only protect them, but also to ensure they'd be routed neatly through the engine compartment. I chose to use P-clips to route the wires along the top of the driver's side inner fender, using the bolts that bolt the inner and outer fender together to secure them.	With the wires run to each...        read full caption With the wires run to each headlight opening, I could connect them to the EZ-supplied headlight connectors, the connections made inside each headlight bucket.