Custom Wiring Harnesses

[Bambikiller240]

OK, I stand corrected.

Vinegar is a weak ACID solution. All you want to do is CLEAN the parts, not eat them. ACETIC acid would be inappropriate in the solution (much stronger than vinegar) that you now describe.

[TomoHawk]

No problem.

I just though a little stronger solution would work a little faster. Vinegar seems so weak that I think it would take forever to work.

Of course, you use any chemical with caution.

[ZHadMan]

Hey! You're hijacking my thread!

Just kidding... it's good information.

Keith

[gema]

Keith,

Any progress or needs? Just wondering if I can help out. I figure I might be of SOME use, having access to Nissan and such. Let me know, thanks.

[Mike]

Originally posted by gema

Keith,

Any progress or needs? Just wondering if I can help out. I figure I might be of SOME use, having access to Nissan and such. Let me know, thanks.

Gema, can you get ANY of the old connectors ? Ie, if someone wanted to keep their existing harness and replace the connectors, are they even available from Nissan? What, in the form of wiring, *IS* available?

[TomoHawk]

From what I've seen, if you wanted to make a wiring harness all you'd need is:

sheet(s) of plywood for jigs

a working harness for pattern

You just lay the harness on the plywood, hammer (nails) in where the wires bend or end, draw lines for the direction and document the places where each wire start/stops, including pin#, color, & guage.

I've seen it done on DIY car restoration shows and video of commercial companies. Even OEM companies do it, but use better jigs. I bet the Painless people do it too.

You would start with just a small section to get the process figured out.

[ZHadMan]

You just lay the harness on the plywood, hammer (nails) in where the wires bend or end, draw lines for the direction and document the places where each wire start/stops, including pin#, color, & guage.

Jigs are definately the way to go when doing large wiring projects. Before you cut any wire you can run string (of similar thickness) to double check wire lengths and bundling. You could even build a 'mock' harness with the string and 'install' it in the car to ensure everything is ready and accurate. Much more cost efficient than having to re-re-wire the harness later. Measure twice (or three, four, five times!), cut once.

Keith, Any progress or needs? Just wondering if I can help out. I figure I might be of SOME use, having access to Nissan and such. Let me know, thanks.

Gema,

I am making progress, but slowly. I'm going to pull my full harness this weekend and make my supplies list. I had hoped to have done that by now, but I've been busy with work and family. Mike's question is a good one. Using your resources can you find any information on connector availability and price? IF they are available I would assume they would be pricy.

[gema]

I'll whip out the microfiche and see what's up tomorrow morning. More than likely I'd have to purchase a full wiring harness (if any are available) to get the included connectors. We can hope for the best, though. On that note...looks like I'll be needing a 280zxt style engine room harness, with 240z underdash and body. Crazy swapping ideas! Watch for a reply tomorrow.

[gema]

The situation appears to be rather tricky. It seems I can get some parts labeled as "Connector," yet on different cars, selection varies. Obviously, if I purchased a wiring harness in full (If still available from Nissan), I'd get the connectors. However, I have no way of telling if they'd be labeled with a nonexistent Nissan part number, or labeled with whomever made the connectors' names. Let me know if there's anything else I can do.

[ZHadMan]

The only reason I've been trying to find original style connectors is in case someone wants an 'original' harness. On older cars, like ours, most of the electrical equipment was connected using simple (and easily obtainable) PIDG FASTON terminals. They are (simply) the female end of a spade terminal. There are only a few areas on the car where a nylon 'terminal block' style connector is needed, i.e headlight/taillight pigtails. A MAJORITY of these nylon pieces were used merely to join area's of the harness together. Because the car was built on an assemply line the harnesses were sectioned to allow ease of installation at various points on said line. THESE connectors may not be available anymore, but that is by no means a show-stopper. 90% of these will be hidden by interior panels, or stuffed up under the dash... so using a non-original AMP style connector is acceptable.

Even if headlight/taillight connectors are NOT available I have devised a plan to provide 'substitute' connectors pre-wired for easy installation. All the installer will have to do is cut off the old connector and crimp on the new one. Very simple to do.

If an individual is leary of cutting their old connectors off then I am also working on a way to use FASTON connectors and heatshrink tubing as a substitue.

[gema]

*eyes widen* Oooh, you're good. Well, let me know if you need anything else, and keep us posted. Take care.

Edit: Just creating a budget for the next few months. What do you expect a new wiring harness to cost? By which I mean full harness. Thanks again.

[frank13]

Hey ZHadMan I just wanted to know if YOUR personal preference for a new harness is updating it for better performance, better lighting, less weight, simplicity, etc. etc. Or just remaking a flawed harness new? I have thought many a time on stripping any of my Z's and ripping out every bit of wire from the cabin I could find. Then using what was left from the rear(updating the connectors) rewiring everything from the bulkhead foward and using current tech to have a nice ride with all it's light working. No Car B.Q. etc. etc. I run a relay for my headlights from a toggle switch from switched power. Sure would be nice if we could do everything we needed to do from the drivers seat with out all those high amps to melt your new combo switch or fuse block. Just asking. I don't think high performance is high. I think it just works. If you could come up with something like that in a harness, then Amen!!:devious: