How much $$$ to rewire a car?
#1529369
11/06/13 11:33 AM
11/06/13 11:33 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,344 Central TX
roe
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OP
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First, how much would you expect to pay to have it done?
I have a 71 Satellite that I want to have completely rewired, and have some of the upgrades done to help with the the common problems with the charging systems on these cars. I have already run a heavy guage wire from alternator to battery, and installed a relay for my elctric fans and a voltmeter, and would like to keep those. I would also like to have the headlights, A/C,etc.. put on a relay. Does anyone know of reputable shops in the Orlando/Gainesville FL area or in the Killeen/Austin and maybe even Dallas or SanAntonio TX areas?
1971 Plymouth Satellite 408/904 8 3/4 3.23 SG
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: roe]
#1529370
11/06/13 12:05 PM
11/06/13 12:05 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert
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Circle Track
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that'd sure be a labor intensive deal. I'd see if you could find a local Mopar head that you trust & are comfortable with & work a deal with him to take care of it
live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: roe]
#1529372
11/06/13 01:03 PM
11/06/13 01:03 PM
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12,307 Looking for a way out of Middl...
IMGTX
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If I was going to re-wire a car I would have to look at it and discuss it with you.
Some important things to look at are.
1. Do you want all new wiring or fix, repair, and upgrade existing wiring. Replacing wiring can go two ways. All new harnesses or build them from scratch. Building them from scratch is not what I suggest for a car with readily available harnesses. Too many connectors, sockets, wrapping etc needs to be included plus the myriad of colored wiring to make it professional. I would only suggest building a harness in specialty applications. Racecar, streetrod, kitcar, or cars with no available harnesses like a 60's rambler.
2. If you want a fix, repair, and upgrade to existing wiring what does the current wiring look like? The whole harness needs to be inspected and the dash/engine harnesses unwrapped to inspect it right. Rat's nest repairs, cut chaffed wires, etc need to be removed and repaired correctly. Solder only no crimps, bulkhead terminals replaced but how are the bulkhead connectors?
3. What kind of upgrades? Halogen lights on relay's? 100,000 giga-what ear bleed stereo? Alarm system? Electronic engine like a stock modern Hemi? Battery cutout? electronic ignition? LED lights (Dash, marker & Taillights)? Foot dimmer switch, Door switches, etc are they good/bad? Do you want to replace (Save trouble later) or just check (Save money now)? I have had good outcomes with old Mopars by rebuilding the harnesses and adding upgrades to the main power circuits. a. Fusible links at the Alternator & Starter relay connections, b. straight wire or bulkhead bypass for the two main power wires from dash to engine compartment, c. bumping the main power wires to 10 gage, d. soldering the power wires to the ignition switch instead of using the under dash connector. e. Replacing the terminals in the bulkhead connector, headlight, wiper, & heater switches.
Good fuse blocks are the sticking point on our old cars. Often a harness is needed to repair bad fuse blocks. They are integrated into the harness. it's more than the plastic block that often gets charred. You need to replace the terminals in the block which is a problem. They are sorta integral to the harness.
Also consider replacing the fan motor for the heat/AC. They often are old and pull so much current they overload the switches & fuses.
If you are replacing switches what kind of quality? Cheap china switches or expensive NOS/OEM switches?
Depending on how you want it done it could be hundreds or thousands.
If you have time and another daily driver it's not a bad time to learn wiring.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: roe]
#1529373
11/06/13 01:31 PM
11/06/13 01:31 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,829 Omaha Ne
TJP
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4-6K depending on choices. IE: stock or updated, how many aftermarket accessories etc. I would strongly encourage you to stay away from painless kits. It is a very labor intensive job to do CORRECTLY The harnesses that we do will last as long as the originals did if not longer
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: TJP]
#1529374
11/06/13 03:56 PM
11/06/13 03:56 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 12,675 Columbia, CT
moper
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i charge by the hour for it... Some good advantages to upgrading to a power center like the Ram trucks had (anything with a Magnum V-8). Then you have a lot of relays, power and ground buss, etc to work with and it's relatively easy to make look clean. It takes a long time to do a nice job and you need to know a bit about electrical systems to do it well. I think the last one I did was to upgrade and get the car set for high amperage alternator, fans, AC, ignition, HID headlights, etc. and it was close to 40 hours.
Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... Now you tell me what you know.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: TJP]
#1529375
11/06/13 04:01 PM
11/06/13 04:01 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,761 It's a dry heat
gtx6970
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Quote:
4-6K depending on choices. IE: stock or updated, how many aftermarket accessories etc.
It is a very labor intensive job to do CORRECTLY
The harnesses that we do will last as long as the originals did if not longer
If your just dropping off a running car then want to come back once finished and pick up a running car I think this is in the ballpark.
Like mentioned this would be extremly labor intensive.
Also, if you buy every harness avail , you will be in the $1000-$1200 range in minutes just in parts.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: RSNOMO]
#1529378
11/06/13 04:40 PM
11/06/13 04:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,562 Brookeville, Md
Mr.Yuck
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Not enough dumb comments...yet
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Quote:
Get a service manual and have at it...
Get replacement harnesses;decades-old wiring needs to go...
If yer electrically-challenged, get some help...
We're talking 40 year-old OEM auto wiring, not a computer data-center...
ANFW I'd even THINK about shelling out 4k...
no need for a manual, I printed out a color diagram here (tech section) worked great. You almost don't need it..if you buy the correct harness as the lines/wires pretty much line up and will only plug into the slots they need to go. Now if you want to create an entire harness from scratch that's a entire differnt ball of wax.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: Mr.Yuck]
#1529379
11/06/13 04:43 PM
11/06/13 04:43 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9,031 Ontario, Canada
Stanton
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Don't question me!
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I think a lot depends on what your ultimate goal is ... a stock-type upgrade or a full custom job. If you plan to use the original bulkhead connector then it can be tackled yourself in sections i.e. firewall forward, etc.. If that's the case, get all your relays, etc. mounted where you want them then start with each individual circuit back to the bulkhead. Do up some drawings so you can work out the runs to be tidy and follow the same path. Test each circuit as you do it to ensure there are no shorts, etc.. Its time-consuming but not rocket science. Take a look at some of the stuff these guys offer: http://www.madelectrical.com/
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: RSNOMO]
#1529380
11/06/13 05:24 PM
11/06/13 05:24 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 12,675 Columbia, CT
moper
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Quote:
Get a service manual and have at it...
Get replacement harnesses;decades-old wiring needs to go...
If yer electrically-challenged, get some help...
We're talking 40 year-old OEM auto wiring, not a computer data-center...
4k???
LMMJAO...
It all depends on what the end goal is. It's more like going from a switchboard someone else designed to a data center you have to design if the goal is to modernize and retrofit. There's a lot of upgrading to be done if the goal is modern electronics and accessory load and it's easy to make the situation worse. The FSM isn't worth much other than circuit identification at that point.
Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... Now you tell me what you know.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: TJP]
#1529383
11/07/13 12:05 AM
11/07/13 12:05 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,233 petaluma,ca. u.s.a.
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Quote:
4-6K depending on choices. IE: stock or updated, how many aftermarket accessories etc.
I would strongly encourage you to stay away from painless kits.
It is a very labor intensive job to do CORRECTLY
If you ever need any work done be sure to give me a call.
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: moper]
#1529385
11/07/13 01:17 AM
11/07/13 01:17 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,033 Salem
Grizzly
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Quote:
i charge by the hour for it... Some good advantages to upgrading to a power center like the Ram trucks had (anything with a Magnum V-8). Then you have a lot of relays, power and ground buss, etc to work with and it's relatively easy to make look clean. It takes a long time to do a nice job and you need to know a bit about electrical systems to do it well. I think the last one I did was to upgrade and get the car set for high amperage alternator, fans, AC, ignition, HID headlights, etc. and it was close to 40 hours.
Awesome suggestion.
I have a side question for you Moper: what about the first-gen, mid 80's Rams for wiring sources? Just going on what I've read on here indicates that some of the short-falls of the 70's cars was addressed on the trucks.............
Thanks!
Mo' Farts
Moderated by "tbagger".
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: Grizzly]
#1529386
11/07/13 03:05 AM
11/07/13 03:05 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,344 Central TX
roe
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Whoa man. Some of you guys make this seem like its a walk in the park. If I didnt say it before, let me say that electrical stuff scares that crap outta me. I've been able to pick up small stuff like adding in the relay for the electric fans and doing the alternator to battery wire, and install voltmeter. I also pulled apart my bulkhead connector and cleaned everything and coated in di-electric grease. But I've tried looking at the circuit diagrams when I read other posts on the subject, and that crap confuses me. Im really hesitant about doing it myself and maybe screwing something up. Run the risk of burning down my car.
What I would be looking for is pretty much a full stock replacement with maybe a little larger wires than stock. (are the kits stock or larger than stock wire size?). Then I'd want a few upgrades like relays for: electric fans, A/C,. I have an alarm system and stereo system on it as well.
Is it really as easy as ordering a couple of different harnesses and slowly going through everything? I would feel a lot more comfortable about doing it myself if I had someone who knows electrical to help me through it.
1971 Plymouth Satellite 408/904 8 3/4 3.23 SG
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: roe]
#1529387
11/07/13 03:14 AM
11/07/13 03:14 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,344 Central TX
roe
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Also, I dont have a manual but will look in the teck sections for the one someone said they printed off. For a 71 B body with A/C, how many harnessess am I looking at needing? What are they?
Thanks roe
1971 Plymouth Satellite 408/904 8 3/4 3.23 SG
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Re: How much $$$ to rewire a car?
[Re: roe]
#1529388
11/07/13 09:24 AM
11/07/13 09:24 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,562 Brookeville, Md
Mr.Yuck
Not enough dumb comments...yet
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Not enough dumb comments...yet
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Posts: 24,562
Brookeville, Md
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Quote:
Also, I dont have a manual but will look in the teck sections for the one someone said they printed off. For a 71 B body with A/C, how many harnessess am I looking at needing? What are they?
Thanks roe
Not sure on a 71, but on 70-back you have the bulk head, up front you have the wiper harness, engine harness, light harness, starter relay and assoiated wires, under dash harness, steering column harness with fuze box, then you have the harness that runs things like dome light, console lights, and harness to the rear. Why do you want to replace yours? Is it messing up?
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