gearb0x

Hey,

As some people know, i have an XC Coupe im restoring (its got 4 wheels, but no headlight fluid yet) and i know ate one stage or another im gonna have to rewire the old girl..

Roughly how much would this cost for an auto elec to do, or are their kits/premade wiring harness is can by ?

Thanks,
Phill

__________________
"mmmmmmm, DOHC'rilicious..."
- H. Simpson

Ghia

There are kits you can buy called Painless Wiring Kits, i'm not sure if they cover everything though. Rare Spares sell them http://www.ehfspares.com.au/ehf__rare_spares.htm
give em a call and they should be able to help you

__________________

Ghia

I just foud out that they have a web site too
http://www.painlesswiring.com/
They have a few australian distributors/installers so they are easy to get over here

__________________

XC_GS_351

Dude, if you have some time and patience then why not do it yourself? When I resprayed my XC (8 years ago) I took the chance to remove next to everything from the car and tidy up a lot of stuff. I had never attempted anything like that before and it all went well. It took well over 30+ hours and even if an autoelectrician took half that time at $50 and hour it adds up.

All you need is:

1. A factory workshop manual (these are worth their weight in gold if you are doing a rebuild anyway and that is probably what you will pay these days too :) ). They have a full wiring diagram. A book on autoelectric basics is also a good idea. I borrowed one from a mate but can't remember what it was called.

2. A few spare XC looms. You can buy these from wreckers for next to nothing and they come in real handy if you need a special connector or extra wire of the right colour. Never seen the painless wiring ones but if they look good then why not try them.

3. A decent set of wire cutters/crimpers as used by professional auto electricians. I paid $40 for a set and they have lasted. Avoid the $5-10 cheapies. Other tools are a soldering iron and a circuit tester. Multimeter if you are serious.

4. As you go along you will need assorted bits and pieces like aftermarket connectors/fuse holders/wire/etc. Also plenty of elec tape and something like convoluted tubing and clamps if you want to make it look neat. I ran an extra large earth wire from the block to the body too.

As for how far you go you just have to look at your average show car to see how wiring can be hidden or tidied up. It all comes down to your time and what you want to do.

__________________
Former owner of:
'78 XC GS Sedan
1988-2002

Xyphoid

Yeah, that would be my advice too !
Give it a go, if you feel confident.
Most of the time, you can do a MUCH better job yourself, than compared to a full time sparky, as the Auto Electrician is more concerned with finishing the job, and getting his money, rather than little fiddly bits like spending an extra hour running the cable through some hard to get to place, just so that wiring can't be seen from certain angles.

Also, If you do it yourself, if there are any further problems later on, you will have a fair idea of what went wrong, Unlike if a sparky did t for you.

I Agree with all the posts here.
Get yourself the following
1) Workshop Manual ! (Worth their weight in Gold).
Even if you cant afford one, go to a few public Libraries ! They tend to have common models there, (Falcons Commodores, Kingswoods, etc etc).
Take a photo copy of the Electrical Diagrams, take them home, and have a good look at them.
2) A large (80Watt) Soldering Iron, and heaps of Solder.
3) Lots and Lots of good quality Electrical tape. (Cheap Quality tends to lose its stickyness, on hot days, and can come apart, meaning exposed wiring can short out on the chassis, and other wiring.) The Best Electrical Tape I have found is 3m Brand. You can get 5 x 30m Rolls for around $12.
4) Take your time with the Job !


The good thing with older cars is they are relatively easy to work with, in terms of electrics. There is only the basics that need to be completed. (I.E. Ignition, Starting System, Accessories such as Radio, Cigarette lighter, Heater Fan, Wipers, Headlights, turn signals, and Hazards.)

If you treat every section, or every part as an individual project, you will find the Job so easy ! (Eg Takle the Starter and Ignition first. Spend 1 day on it, and take you time, when you get these working, move on to something else).
No Auto electrician Tackles a whole car at once ! ITs always bit by bit, slowly slowly.

If you do it yourself, then you can look at introducing some more accessories. Eg. Central door locking, Alarm, Power Windows, Interior Light delay, etc etc.

Sparkies tend to charge an arm and a leg, if you want the car back urgently. (Say for example you wanted the car re-wired within 2 weeks, from nothing).
Some will charge a lot less, if you let them do the Job in their spare time, (E.g. 2-3 Months, some sparkies will re-wire your car for about 1 grand).

Again, Its not really a difficult job

Hope this helps !
Cheers
Matt

gearb0x

If the Factory manual has got he wireing diagram i should be able to give it a go my self...

Im above average solderer when it comes to soldering kits together, but ive never tackled something this big....

Will be fun to give a shot, just after seeing the mess of wires in just the T-18 it kindra threw me, but if i take my time i should be able to do it

or if im lazy ill get one of those painless kits :)

Thanks for the replys

__________________
"mmmmmmm, DOHC'rilicious..."
- H. Simpson