Editing Rewiring a vehicle

When completely rewiring a vehicle there are a few things that must be determined beforehand. First, one must decide if a prefabricated harness will be used, or if a custom harness will be made from scratch. In any case the harness should be assembled into groups and cut within a reasonable distance to the right length, while leaving extra wire to account for routing.

Next one must have the tools and supplies required for the job. Here is what is required:

*Wiring harness
*Black wire (for grounds)
*Wire strippers
*Crimpers
*Connectors
*Electrical tape
*Wire loom
*Rubberized wiring hooks (may not be needed in some cases)
*Sheet metal screws (may not be needed in some cases)
*Wiring diagrams are very helpful too


If soldering:
*Good soldering gun (don't skimp and use an iron; it will slow things down)
*Solder
*Shrink tube
*Read [[how to solder electrical connections]] if you are unsure how

Next, the wiring harness in the vehicle must be removed. Be sure to label every disconnected or cut wire as to its original location. Keep the original harness intact as possible and UNPLUG EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Keeping this harness intact can help with understanding of how things were wired before the routing of wires. Once that is complete you are ready to begin installation of  your new harness.


Once you have your wiring harness and your old wires removed, your first step is to install the fuse block. Many fuse blocks connect to the factory bulkhead connector with bolts, in other cases the fuse block may need to be screwed or bolted to the firewall or another secure location.

The next step is to begin routing your wires. While doing this keep in mind any sharp areas that may sever a wire and secure the wires as good as possible. This will prevent the wiring from deteriorating as quickly as they would if little care is given. Begin by routing your longest wires first, as, quite often they will get in your way while dealing with the shorter wires. Once these wires are routed and secured you can begin attaching them to their connections. The following order is reccomended tail lights/fuel gauge sender, headlight/horn, engine compartment, interior lights/speakers, power windows and locks, heater and stereo, dashboard. Keep in mind that certain connectors are not easy to find new, therefore in some cases you must solder or crimp an old pigtail onto the new wire. Furthermore it is suggested that a maxi fuse is installed rather than a fuseable link and while some wiring harness's reccomend the main power come off the starter live connection, running the wire straight to the battery can be a better way to go. Such a case would be an offroad vehicle where water or mud could cause problems if the main power wire is connected to the starter.