NOS A Main Wiring Harness

[Midwest Tin]

I have an nos main wiring harness that I would like to revive the original wire colors. Has anyone found a method or know of anyone that has renewed nos harness? Any thoughts on this? Jim

[BNCHIEF]

No but you could ask a guy like tyree harris since it is cloth covered a sharpie maybe but seems like a lot of time and trouble and doubt the results would be that great and welcome to the vff.

[Mitch]

[email protected] Tyree Harris

[Mark Maron]

Jim glad to have you here on the VFF. Well all that is faded is what protrudes out of the harness. I have used like a saddle soap or wax polish in them. The late Dave lopes had told me to do it that way on an nos dash harness I have.

[Mitch]

Interesting tip Mark

What about the chances of an 85 year old harness being a fire hazard? I can see the internals being degraded that wont be seen at the ends.

[Mark Maron]

this has always been an issue, do you give up 5/10ths of a point for safety...OR do you install and then tell your self your going to change it after judging (HAHA-NOT!)

[Mitch]

Well will any of the suppliers harnesses pass fine point?? What about Tyree's?

Pluck had one made by Tyree from his original if i recall

[Mark Maron]

"PASS" fine point NO...there will always be a deduction on the reproduction harness. How much depends on the quality of it, Tyree make the most perfect one along with Rhode Island Wiring....BUT none give you full points at all, AND to the best of my knowledge Tyree has stopped making show quality harness's..

[Midwest Tin]

Mark, Thanks for your inf. on the nos harness and from the late Dave Lopes. I will post some photos hoping to show the diff. in color on the exposed colored wiring. Jim

Mitch, most of the nos wiring harness I have seen have been stored inside and appear to be in good usable condition. Jim

[Mark Maron]

Yes jim, lets take a look and see where you at color wise to see if it can even be done....

[Jim Mason]

I never liked Rhode Island wiring. (Top)
wire.jpg

[Tom Wesenberg]

Jim's picture is exactly why I like to save old terminals. I know lots of people toss the old harness in the trash, but I'd sure like to have the terminals.
It's an easy part to make correct, but they all seem to go the cheapest way and do it like Jim's top picture.

[Mark Maron]

Agree I save them all.

[Steve Plucker]

I had Tyree make me a harness right down to the correct specs and drawings for which I got from the Ford Archives a few years ago. He did exactly that. I had asked him to make the ends slightly longer so I could put all of my original terminals on for which he did and for which I did. Every terminal was original, even the ones that went into the Tuna Can rear tail light for which I was very lucky to have found two.

If you want a very good reproduction harness...this is the way to go but you need to do the research and get the specific drawings of the specific harness for your car or truck and there were a few...TRUST ME!

The ones coming out of the repro parts houses are not done to Fords specs as I ordered three sets at the time. I think Brattons was the closest but was not done to what was correct for my February 1929 (single light) Tudor.

Pluck

[Gary Karr]

With the exception of the electric wiper wire, I have all original wiring in my '29 Tudor. I simply painted the outside black weave so that the fades parts would be a crisper black. All was NOS before I installed it. I used Sharpy pens on a couple of wires to enhance the original faded colors. You can also re-lacquer the outside of the wires although it tends to crack. That's the advantage to using wax. I do sometimes worry about original wiring but as long as it is left alone and not messed with, it should be fine. I just hope I don't go out to the garage some day to find it all looking like overcooked bacon!

[DaWizard]

Hey Gary Karr, WELCOME to the VFF!!

[Steve Plucker]

I had Tyree make me a harness right down to the correct specs and drawings for which I got from the Ford Archives a few years ago. He did exactly that. I had asked him to make the ends slightly longer so I could put all of my original terminals on for which he did and for which I did. Every terminal was original, even the ones that went into the Tuna Can rear tail light for which I was very lucky to have found two.

If you want a very good reproduction harness...this is the way to go but you need to do the research and get the specific drawings of the specific harness for your car or truck and there were a few...TRUST ME!

The ones coming out of the repro parts houses are not done to Fords specs as I ordered three sets at the time. I think Brattons was the closest but was not done to what was correct for my February 1929 (single light) Tudor.

Pluck

[Midwest Tin]

I have taken some photos of one of the nos main wiring harness. I hope they show the details. I would like your thoughts on how to straighten out the harness with out damaging the harness. It is not stiff but does want to return to it's 80 plus years of storage. Also the colors of the wires are aged but still show color. Any thoughts welcome. Thanks, Jim

[Mark Maron]

I let them hang and use warm air on them

[DaWizard]

You can suspend the harness and lightly weight the ends and if you have a steam iron, lightly steam the kinks out. That moisture may bring out some of the colors as well.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I let wires and hoses hang from a rafter and let the weight of the ends slowly pull them straighter.