Painless wiring install

[Lico]

Hello, long time listener, first time caller. I’m getting ready to rewire my 67 c10 swb. Had an electrical fire last year that cooled off all the wiring forward of the firewall. Never done this type of work before. Any suggestions for those that have done it before? Thank you for any responses.
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[6600DURAMAX]

Take your time, I prelabeled some of the wires with tape so I didn't have to keep squinting to see what the dam writing on the wire said. Used lots of zip ties to segregate the wires.... its a pain not painless for sure

[pjmoreland]

Unless your truck is highly customized (LS swap, EFI, etc.), my suggestion would be to buy reproductions of the factory harness sections that you need instead of buying a universal kit that requires you to wire everything from scratch. Here are some examples (make sure you select the correct options for your specific truck):

https://www.classicparts.com/1967-En...info/52%2D133/

https://www.classicparts.com/1967-Fr...info/52%2D231/

[truckster]

You need space and time. You need space so you can lay out the entire wiring harness and time to do it right. I recommend marine-grade heat shrink at any terminals or connections. I also used blue masking tape to label my wires so I could identify them more easily. If you're planning any electrical upgrades (HEI, electric fans, etc), now is the time to think about wiring for them, even if you're not going to install them for a while.

I like things to look neat when I'm done, so I used split wire sleeves to house everything:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

[LS short box]

I've used Painless kits on about 1/2 dozen hot rod projects. Most were LS swaps into something. Used the 21 curcuit universal. When I get the kit I lay the harness out and group the wires together. Back, front and under dash then tape together in groups. I'm less than good with electrical stuff but I've never had a problem.
My only gripe with Painless is that they supply really cheap butt connectors. I toss those in the trash. Then go to Fastenal and get the heat shrink connectors in bulk that have some type of goo inside that melts when you heat shrink them down. Never had a failure.
Not knowing your truck plans but I filled the stock junction block firewall hole. Then I moved the Painless fuse block back and fastened it to the panel next to the vent. Really cleans up the fire wall. Then I hid most of the wires going forward and back.

[Lico]

Wow that looks amazing!!!!

Originally Posted by LS short box

I've used Painless kits on about 1/2 dozen hot rod projects. Most were LS swaps into something. Used the 21 curcuit universal. When I get the kit I lay the harness out and group the wires together. Back, front and under dash then tape together in groups. I'm less than good with electrical stuff but I've never had a problem.
My only gripe with Painless is that they supply really cheap butt connectors. I toss those in the trash. Then go to Fastenal and get the heat shrink connectors in bulk that have some type of goo inside that melts when you heat shrink them down. Never had a failure.
Not knowing your truck plans but I filled the stock junction block firewall hole. Then I moved the Painless fuse block back and fastened it to the panel next to the vent. Really cleans up the fire wall. Then I hid most of the wires going forward and back.

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[Lico]

Thank you for the reply! My truck is stock. I thought of going with the stock harness replacements however my painless kit sat in the garage for months and passed my return period. Thanks again!
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[MikeB]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Unless your truck is highly customized (LS swap, EFI, etc.), my suggestion would be to buy reproductions of the factory harness sections that you need instead of buying a universal kit that requires you to wire everything from scratch.

I will second that, but would check to see if American Autowire has the harnesses you need. Their support is second to none.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Not knowing your truck plans but I filled the stock junction block firewall hole. Then I moved the Painless fuse block back and fastened it to the panel next to the vent.

Please elaborate on that. Where did you mount the bulkhead connector??? Photos?

Beautiful engine compartment!

[LS short box]

A little hard to explain but I will do my best. The Painless fuse block doesn't fit the stock 68 fuse block hole. It's bigger. So as I was trying figure out what to do with maybe a cold one in my hand!
So what I did was move fuse block (front and back as a unit) back just enough so the wires going to the front and back could be routed thru the firewall using the Painless supplied round grommet.
There really isn't that many wires. The complete Painless fuse block has two mounting bolts that typically go thru the fire wall. In lieu of that I made two "L" brackets that used those two bolt holes and then using sheet metal screws I screwed into the panel up above and in front of the stock air vent hole. I was able to hide the wires behind the wheel well. Both front and back wires follow the frame rails.
Sorry no pics.