Should I keep the harness or no?

[ZohanIsBack]

I am doing a ls1 swap and am down to the body now. I took out the wiring harness, then realized I intend to swap in the entire harness from a camaro/firebird/gto. Custom dash, interior, lights, etc. Should I even bother keeping the harness?

[Reverend]

I think people from HybridZ could answer that better IMHO.

[Wade Nelson]

No, you don't want to swap in an old, used harness. Out of ANYTHING!

Go find a new GENERIC harness on eBay or whereever. You want brand new wires that are too long and not too-short requiring splicing.

You want brand new insulation not cracked and heat-baked insulation on 20 (40?) year old wires.

Buried inside EVERY old harness are hidden splices and "stuff" that will take you hours if not DAYS to figure out why 12V is showing up where it shouldn't be. You'll invest

more effort debugging THAT than you would to build a new harness wire by wire. One single broken or melted wire in an old harness and you are SNAFU.

Or you can proceed as planned and wring your hands later going "Some auto electrical dude on the Internet WARNED me against doing this...."

Now go buy a heat gun and tons of heat shrink tubing and do it right so that running through a puddle doesn't short out your entire lighting system. And give EVERY single

crimp you make the pull test BEFORE you heat shrink it!

Good luck!

[Zed Head]

There might be parts of the harness that are in good condition and easier to keep and use intact, than to try and rewire. If you don't live in a studio apartment you might as well keep it for reference, at least. Unless you're a wiring wizard who can figure out a wiring scheme from the FSM diagrams, assuming that they're complete and correct, and your own electrical knowledge.

[ZohanIsBack]

Well here is the thing, there is virtually nothing going back into the car besides the shell and suspension components that will be from a Datsun. Sure, lights and stuff, but those are all 12v, straight forward. The dash is all custom. The gauges are all custom (motorcycle Koso rx-2n gauge and autometer everything else). I just don't see what I could possibly use the old harness for. Though I suppose hanging on to it might not be a bad idea...

If I don't swap the harness out, I intend to build a new one completely. I was an electrician's apprentice for a while, so I know my way in and out of electrical pretty well. Just not interested in trying to mate old stuff with new stuff. Seems pointless.

[Zed Head]

Why did you even ask?

[ZohanIsBack]

Idk, just scared to get rid of it. Ha ha! Yeah....I guess I am getting rid of it. I will build a new one for the ls1 engine. As you can see, I am in the tough, unsure part of the build. Should I keep the fuse block, or swap that it, too. Thinking of parting with that, too. Then use an aftermarket one.