Custom Wiring Harnesses (Part 2)

[superwombat]

I just finished rebuilding the harness from my 76 Z from scratch.

I don't know of anyplace to get OEM connectors for the ends of the harnesses, that was my biggest problem. I wound up having to cut off the connectors on the car side and put on a whole different type of connector.

Does anyone know where the OEM connectors can be purchased?? They have so many different shapes and sizes.

Knowing what I know now and already having all the parts I think I could reproduce a harness in about 2 days (maybe 10 hours work total) With the exception of the connectors.

BTW, the original wiring diagram in the '76 datsun service manual has at least one error, so you can't follow it exactly. The dash light circuit is suppossed to be connected to all of the instruments and to the variable resistor to change the brightness, but the service manual has the Tach on its own circuit without being connected to the others. A little bit of logic and looking at the old harness saved me from an annoying problem.

Good luck on this wiring harness thing. I almost contemplated going into the harness production buisness when I saw how much Painless charged and how easy it was to make one myself.

[drunkenmaster]

Internet search for these companies:

tyco

sumitomo

yazaki

They should have all the connectors you require.

[TomoHawk]

You're lucky you don't have a 280Z with efi, and maybe some emmissions control stuff.

[superwombat]

Heh, funny you should mention that EFI and emissions crap. I have the California model of the '76, so she's stuffed with more emissions crap than anything, and is of course fuel injected.

But just to clarify, I'm only talking about the dash harness so far, I haven't gotten beyond that yet, and in that case, the only thing that emissions adds is two wires for the "Floor Temp Lamp"

-DD

[AChev]

I was curious about wire harness restoration. I am very close to the point where I will be removing the wireharness, because everything else is practically removed. I was only planning on replacing wire harness sections that were necessary, such as maybe a meled wire. Other than that I had planned on not touching anything. Although I began to think that I am only going to have the car in this condition maybe once, so I should do as much as possible.

So would the best policy be to replace as much as I can? Although it was all working when I disassembled the car, and the connectors were in good condition, so I didn't think it would be necessary to do much more work on it, other than rewrap and some cleaning up. I was having mixed thoughts.

[bpilati]

I was going to suggest Internet searching. You have to spend time looking around. I haven't found anything yet, but I may not be looking in the right places.