removing whole car wire harness

inaminit · 01-12-2019, 05:32 AM

My two friends are contemplating a project to remove the drive train and the entire wiring harness from a donor car and put them in a newly rehabbed somewhat earlier car. How difficult is the removal and install of the harness? Where do you start, and what parts do you remove to enable pulling one end through the tunnel? I am now thinking that it would be easier to pull the 14 pin plug apart and fish it through front to back. Thanks in advance for your help!

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

If newer than 68, the tunnel harness pulls out the back and is installed from the back to the front.
Knowing the years of the cars would help to describe how to remove/install.
For tunnel harness generally need to remove:
front fuse panel wiring, gauge wiring, rear defroster switch wires, hand brake wiring and speedo wiring at shift coupler tunnel area.

inaminit · 01-12-2019, 09:32 AM

Donor is 1980, project car is 70 or 71. I have an 89 whole car harness at home that we could use to avoid the removal work, but I am guessing that the circuits and wire colors are not the same.

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

89 harnesses are very different. Stick with the same year for drivetrain, instruments, and wiring.

wareaglescott · wareaglescott's Garage

I just did this in my 79
Per the advice on the forum pulled it front to back. My first time doing something like this. Took me a long time as I photo documented, took notes and labeled everything I did very thoroughly in hopes of getting it all hooked back up properly. Nothing was all that difficult. Just very time consuming.

Uwon · Uwon's Garage

Conduit size varies year to year, for example, my case......‘86 to a’78= smaller conduit in ‘78 so very difficult to get the more elaborate ‘86 wiring through. Check diameter and decide if you need to run a separate PVC sleeve.
Johan

inaminit · 01-13-2019, 07:28 AM

It would seem that the battery and fuse wires would pull through easily. What about the round sockets that extend through the firewall and pick up the circuits from the dash switches ?

78-911SC · 01-13-2019, 02:11 PM

Starting to put mine back in after 5 years. Make sure you take pic and label. It's a ***** without.

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by inaminit

It would seem that the battery and fuse wires would pull through easily. What about the round sockets that extend through the firewall and pick up the circuits from the dash switches ?

None of the dash wiring on the through body harness has the round 6 pin plugs.
They are all on the dash harness or others.