Wiring harness, Removal Options

[cwpeden]

Hey everyone,

I'm in the final stages of preping my project tub for blast and have come to a pothole in the road.

Taking out the wiring harness. I have got everything from the front in the passenger comp. and the rest at the aft side firewall.

Who has done it? Do I go from inside out or outside in?

Conrad

[JeffBowlsby]

I'll suggest a couple of revisions to the chassis wiring harness removal/installation thread to make things easier.

It is easiest and best to take apart or remove a couple of the larger connector housings to ease the process and avoid damage to either the car, the wires, wire terminals or the connector housings, especially at the chassis holes where the harness passes through. Reinstallation is a 'snap'.

1. Don’t cut anything, there is never a need to cut wiring just for removal or reinstallation Connectors with housings easily disassemble. Make a diagram for where specific wires go in the housing before disassembling connector housings, for later use during reassembly. See diagram below to access the wire terminal release tangs.
2. Remove the plastic housings from the headlight branches.
3. Remove the cover and base from the 14-pin connector housing.
4. Remove the single pole box cover at the oil temp wire near the battery on the 1973-76 cars.
5. Avoid putting stress or severely bending any wire terminal or portion of the harness. Avoid nicking or chafing the wire insulation or casing by liberal use of a lubricant. Applying a lubricant like glycerine really helps pass it through the tight spots and can avoid damage. Glycerine is non-oily and wipes off easily, find it inexpensively at your local pharmacy and use it regularly on your other rubber trim parts to keep them fresh and prevent them from drying out.
6. The rubber double grommet conduit (‘snorkel’) is hard to deal with. Assuming it is on the harness already, leave it on the harness, do not slice it (unless is badly deteriorated). There are no new replacements at this time for this grommet. Lube this up to save it if at all possible.

[worn]

I'll suggest a couple of revisions to the chassis wiring harness removal/installation thread to make things easier.

6. The rubber double grommet conduit (‘snorkel’) is hard to deal with. Assuming it is on the harness already, leave it on the harness, do not slice it (unless is badly deteriorated). There are no new replacements at this time for this grommet. Lube this up to save it if at all possible.

Great set of instructions! I have a couple of new snorkels from 914 rubber in silicone. Do these not count in your estimation as new available? They are not perfect matches I admit, but they feel nice and more pliable than the rotten rubber I had.

What are your thoughts about a more modern through-wall multipin connector that you can buy from many different vendors. They are watertight and a matching hole in the firewall can be made so you don't have to snake everything through. You just disconnect if needed. I know every connection is a potential failure point, but bending wires through tight spots is also a possible break when the wires have been minding their own business for 40 years. Also it would be non-original for sure, and the cuts would be irreversible.

[JeffBowlsby]

I'll suggest a couple of revisions to the chassis wiring harness removal/installation thread to make things easier.

6. The rubber double grommet conduit (‘snorkel’) is hard to deal with. Assuming it is on the harness already, leave it on the harness, do not slice it (unless is badly deteriorated). There are no new replacements at this time for this grommet. Lube this up to save it if at all possible.

Great set of instructions! I have a couple of new snorkels from 914 rubber in silicone. Do these not count in your estimation as new available? They are not perfect matches I admit, but they feel nice and more pliable than the rotten rubber I had.

What are your thoughts about a more modern through-wall multipin connector that you can buy from many different vendors. They are watertight and a matching hole in the firewall can be made so you don't have to snake everything through. You just disconnect if needed. I know every connection is a potential failure point, but bending wires through tight spots is also a possible break when the wires have been minding their own business for 40 years. Also it would be non-original for sure, and the cuts would be irreversible.

Note that my previously quoted post predates the availability of the new silicone snorkel tubes (technically called 'double grommets'). 914rubber's snorkel tubes are GREAT! I have used them several times and will buy more when I run out. Be sure to use the glycerin, I just don't think they can be installed/removed with out the lube.

As far as the multi-pin connector...I would avoid it. Not that it won't work, technically it will, but its a bit of a challenge to install for little to no benefit. I see it as a solution to a non-problem, and it creates more problems than it solves.