VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 re-wiring

I am wanting to rewire my 53 chevy. 4door. What am I going to need?
Thomas

You can purchase a new wiring diagram and a new wiring harness from the Filling Station in Lebanon, Oregon.

1, wire
2. beer
3. more beer
4. more wire

Sounds like a good way to get your wires crossed.

With the new wiring harneses that are available the project should only occupy a Saturday afternoon. The instructions are complete and the way the harness is color coded and numbered it is no longer a nightmare to complete the project. Good luck.

Just a note.The early '53s had cloth covered wire and the late plastic covered wire used in the harness.You may want to check yours first in event the question is asked.

Here is a site full of Chevrolet Wiring Diagrams; http://morechevys.homestead.com/fileindex.html

Good Luck with your wiring job.

Take Care,

Keith

A couple of things, i am by far not the most mechanical, so if i chicken out can someone recommend a mechanic in the Houston erea? Also, what is a good price for a wiring harness? Do I have decide between plastic or cloth wrap? What kind of beer should I be drinking for this job and does anyone have an opinion on whether I should go ahead and convert to a 12 volt system?
:confused: :confused:

Oh yeah do I need any special tools for this endevour?

1. Original cloth wrapped wiring harnesses run about $182 to $488.

2. Don't use plastic wires.

3. Drink either Coors or Miller, or if you want a lousy job, you can drink Oly.

4. Stay with six volts!

5. Special tools needed........a screwdriver. Not for the wiring harness though....use the screwdriver to open your beer! Also, a photo of Elvira hanging on the garage wall wouldn't hurt either.

I just disagree with JYD on one thing , use the plastic ready madewireing harness on your 53, just call your 53 a late one! most of the clothwire ones work better on 51 and 52s.

Cool Macky Wacky! Good point. I was actually referring to making your own wiring harness out of plastic wires, instead of buying an new reproduction harness already made up.....but guess what? I didn't say it that way! :( :( :( :(

JYD, I have wrestled with both, a cloth one for the 51, it either was a NOS or one made by one of the wireing harness vendors, It was a mess and I spent a day laying it out on a sheet of plywood and going from the instructions that came with the harness back to a wireing diagram in the shop manual, relabeling and useing the 1/4 inch numbering tape, it was easyer on the 53 because it was color coded (plastic wire)and matched the colors on the 53 wireing diagram in the shop manual I am no stranger to doing wireing harnesses because I worked on the wireing of panels on open hole wireline oil well logging trucks for 15 years, we laced each branch with flax cord. I had a lot of help from some of my tri-five street rodder friends, they wade through these wireing harnesses like a duck takes to water.
JYD and my Tri-Five guys do things a lot alike, they have pics of Elvira AND Ellie Mae Clappet at critical places on the walls and even the ceilings of their shops They relate really well with the Jesse James guy over at Monster Garage! I only have one of my favorite which is Miss Piggy! but I also have sone really young helpers.

I would suggest a novice with some knowlege of wireing diagrams and good familarity with his car could do the job by going slow and doing a lot of homework studying the harness (lay it out on a sheet of plywood) The hard part is laying upside down under the dash and matching each branch to its respective area, and routeing the wires thru the fire wall and fenders,and along the sillplates then thru the trunk, it is a job for the not-faint-at- heart. (IMHO)