914World.com > Anyone built their own wiring harness?

aggiezig

Jul 20 2016, 12:14 PM

Hey everyone. New to 914's but not new to wiring harness(es). Curious if anyone out there has built their own harness?

Options for replacement right now look like either:

Paying out the a$$ for a beautiful, new harness from one of the companies manufacturing them. (This thread)
Purchasing a complete secondhand harness out of another car (HPH quoted me $950 + shipping for main harness).

But, I'm curious if anyone has ever taken the current flow diagrams or schematics and "made their own" harness? My current project has 65-70% of the original wiring in it, but has been trashed from rodents and the P/O cut the harness after the firewall.

I'm contemplating "rebuilding" the harness using what I have in the car and a wiring diagram as a template. Meaning, I'd label each wire, pull it all out, and build a new harness side-by-side with the old and diagrams as a guide.

Surely, I could do this for less in materials (obviously not counting my labor) than a new $2k+ complete harness?

JOEPROPER

Jul 20 2016, 12:20 PM

JEFF BOWLSBY... is the wire harness guy here. Check him out.

orbit398

Jul 20 2016, 12:23 PM

QUOTE(aggiezig @ Jul 20 2016, 01:14 PM)

Hey everyone. New to 914's but not new to wiring harness(es). Curious if anyone out there has built their own harness?

Options for replacement right now look like either:

Paying out the a$$ for a beautiful, new harness from one of the companies manufacturing them. (This thread)
Purchasing a complete secondhand harness out of another car (HPH quoted me $950 + shipping for main harness).

But, I'm curious if anyone has ever taken the current flow diagrams or schematics and "made their own" harness? My current project has 65-70% of the original wiring in it, but has been trashed from rodents and the P/O cut the harness after the firewall.

I'm contemplating "rebuilding" the harness using what I have in the car and a wiring diagram as a template. Meaning, I'd label each wire, pull it all out, and build a new harness side-by-side with the old and diagrams as a guide.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check with these guys for a used one:
Gerold Shaffer; 914eco@gmailcom
Brad May; p914ltd@yahoo.com

Surely, I could do this for less in materials (obviously not counting my labor) than a new $2k+ complete harness?

Mueller

Jul 20 2016, 12:30 PM

Yep, done it a few times, stock injection and with aftermarket EFI.

Not that difficult, just time consuming.

I think Jeff had access to some new connectors and pins, depends on how deep you want to go with it.

stugray

Jul 20 2016, 12:38 PM

I have a mostly complete harness that was removed from the car in one piece.
The front turn signals (warts) were cut out and the ignition switch removed and replaced with a switch.

It is otherwise complete with relay board and instrument cluster if it is any help to you for parts.

I have built my own entire harness but was for a race car so has about 1/10 the total wires as in a OEM harness.
But I drew it up, ordered parts, crimped, soldered etc. so I might be of some help if you go that route.

Tom_T

Jul 20 2016, 12:57 PM

QUOTE(JOEPROPER @ Jul 20 2016, 11:20 AM)

JEFF BOWLSBY... is the wire harness guy here. Check him out.

http://bowlsby.net/914/WiringHarnesses/

.... even if you're an Aggie!

Cheers!

Tom (`74 Trojan)
///////

mepstein

Jul 20 2016, 01:08 PM

Buy someone's used harness. If you place a WTB in the classifieds and are patient, you will get one - engine or body, whatever you need, in good condition, for $75-150. This will save you a TON of time, money and effort compared to diy. Just the cost of buying the proper color wires and connectors is over the top to make one harness.

oldie914

Jul 20 2016, 01:41 PM

Many years ago, I spliced a rear wiring harness into a 911 that had and engine fire. Not hard to do, just takes time.
Buy a harness from somebody who has installed a new one and go to work.

JawjaPorsche

Jul 20 2016, 04:03 PM

QUOTE(JOEPROPER @ Jul 20 2016, 02:20 PM)

JEFF BOWLSBY... is the wire harness guy here. Check him out.

BeemerSteve

Jul 20 2016, 07:09 PM

I recently contacted Jeff about a replacement harness for my 73 2.0 and was informed by him that he no longer does new harnesses.
I was told best bet to find a good used one from someone.

Mueller

Jul 20 2016, 07:14 PM

QUOTE(BeemerSteve @ Jul 20 2016, 06:09 PM)

I recently contacted Jeff about a replacement harness for my 73 2.0 and was informed by him that he no longer does new harnesses.
I was told best bet to find a good used one from someone.

Really?

I know he put a feeler thread out a few months looking to see if someone wanted to learn how and possibly take over doing it?

BeemerSteve

Jul 20 2016, 07:19 PM

QUOTE(Mueller @ Jul 20 2016, 06:14 PM)

QUOTE(BeemerSteve @ Jul 20 2016, 06:09 PM)

I recently contacted Jeff about a replacement harness for my 73 2.0 and was informed by him that he no longer does new harnesses.
I was told best bet to find a good used one from someone.

Really?

I know he put a feeler thread out a few months looking to see if someone wanted to learn how and possibly take over doing it?

True dat!!!

ClayPerrine

Jul 20 2016, 08:19 PM

I took the stock 73 four cylinder harness and did extensive modifications on it for my six conversion. It is really time consuming to build wiring harnesses.

If you can find a good used one, I suggest you get it.

There is a wrecking yard in Grand Prairie Texas that has a 74 1.8 in it. I tried to buy the whole car, but it is for "part out and scrap only" so they can't sell it whole. You could get the harness out of it if you want to drive here and pull it.

It is at Awesome Auto Salvage.

And for those who ask... I could not get the vin. It is up on a big metal stand about 8 feet in the air.

914Sixer

Jul 20 2016, 08:22 PM

I can't remember the name but some one in Holland or Germany IS making them. Found it Kroon Wire Harnesses

Amphicar770

Jul 20 2016, 08:30 PM

Glad to hear that the rumors of Jeff no longer producing harnesses is false. I have one of his FI harnesses. A work of art!

JeffBowlsby

Jul 20 2016, 08:55 PM

Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

Not true, I am still here! Not sure how this misperception started and has grown legs but its false. Nothing has changed in the 914 wiring harnesses I build for our community.

I still make and have no plans to stop making all of the 914 harnesses I always have for the last 15 years...fuel injection, ignition, alternator, MPS rebuilds, etc...everything on my harness website:

http://bowlsby.net/914/WiringHarnesses/

The only exception is that I do not now nor ever have made new chassis harnesses, although I plan to someday. I have had to manage the chassis harnesses restoration projects that I accept because they take so much time away from building the other harnesses and I am not able to accept them all.

BeemerSteve

Jul 20 2016, 09:14 PM

I did say a complete harness....but should've said complete chassis harness instead. Sorry if I raised hell from that statement Jeff it wasn't my intention to disrupt your flow.

aggiezig

Jul 20 2016, 10:34 PM

Wow - lots of replies and lots of great information.

In the VW world, it was common to trash the factory harness and replace with a new kit. In our '74 Thing, we used a kit from Watson's Street Works like this one. It was nice moving to a "GM style" kit as there are not multiple circuits running current through each other, etc. Plus, the wires are all labeled every 3" and very heavy duty.

Has anyone done anything similar? The only real difficulties I can foresee would be incorporating some of the original components in like the turn signal switch? This would also eliminate the need for a relay board.

Jeff Hail

Jul 20 2016, 11:13 PM

QUOTE(Jeff Bowlsby @ Jul 20 2016, 07:55 PM)

Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

Not true, I am still here! Not sure how this misperception started and has grown legs but its false. Nothing has changed in the 914 wiring harnesses I build for our community.

I still make and have no plans to stop making all of the 914 harnesses I always have for the last 15 years...fuel injection, ignition, alternator, MPS rebuilds, etc...everything on my harness website:

http://bowlsby.net/914/WiringHarnesses/

The only exception is that I do not now nor ever have made new chassis harnesses, although I plan to someday. I have had to manage the chassis harnesses restoration projects that I accept because they take so much time away from building the other harnesses and I am not able to accept them all.

Were on to you. Please stop impersonating the artist formerly knows as Jeff Bowlsby. You write like Jeff, get technical like Jeff, use his screen name etc. Have a clone website just like Jeffs. The only way to clear this up is the real Jeff will stand up and make chassis harnesses.

larss

Jul 21 2016, 08:37 AM

The header of this thread is "Anyone built their own wiring" and yes I made a new harness on my own (since PO had chopped the original one into one feet pieces to get it out). Not to hard really, used a piece of board and nails to represent different objects as the rear lights etc for to get the distances right, took some effort but almost no money.
No, I did not get all insulation colors same as the original and it does not look (but function!) like the original. A good thing is that I could put in some spare wires for oil pressure sender etc.

Lars S

IPB Image

Frankvw

Jul 21 2016, 08:54 AM

Hi Lars S, nice work, looks like a fun project. How did you get the correct lenghts ? (since the original was chopped in small pieces)
Did you do it by measuring in the car or did you have another method to determine that ?

JeffBowlsby

Jul 21 2016, 09:03 AM

QUOTE(Jeff Hail @ Jul 20 2016, 10:13 PM)

Were on to you. Please stop impersonating the artist formerly knows as Jeff Bowlsby. You write like Jeff, get technical like Jeff, use his screen name etc. Have a clone website just like Jeffs. The only way to clear this up is the real Jeff will stand up and make chassis harnesses.

HA! Too phunny...!

The chassis harnesses are unique to each model year, and they are not interchangeable due to differences in the dash area, seatbelt interlock circuits etc. About 70 different combinations of wire gages, colors and striping with 170+ circuits. 32 feet long. Not an easy task. I'll get back to you when thy are ready but it will be awhile....

You are the real artist here, love seeing your metal work.

larss

Jul 21 2016, 09:11 AM

QUOTE(Frankvw @ Jul 21 2016, 03:54 PM)

Hi Lars S, nice work, looks like a fun project. How did you get the correct lenghts ? (since the original was chopped in small pieces)
Did you do it by measuring in the car or did you have another method to determine that ?

Yes this was a fun project! I measured the distances in the car...in some places I test routed one wire just to see the exact lenghts, where the loom should split etc then I put nails on the board at that distance. In general I did not put terminals on the ends before fitting of the whole harness so i made every wire some cm's longer just in case. Before fitting I also put PVC tube and black tape on as in the picture.
Print out a large wiring diagram on paper so you can mark each wire after it is completed, note new colors and make comments etc.

Lars S

barefoot

Jul 21 2016, 02:07 PM

QUOTE(aggiezig @ Jul 20 2016, 02:14 PM)

Hey everyone. New to 914's but not new to wiring harness(es). Curious if anyone out there has built their own harness?

Options for replacement right now look like either:

Paying out the a$$ for a beautiful, new harness from one of the companies manufacturing them. (This thread)
Purchasing a complete secondhand harness out of another car (HPH quoted me $950 + shipping for main harness).

But, I'm curious if anyone has ever taken the current flow diagrams or schematics and "made their own" harness? My current project has 65-70% of the original wiring in it, but has been trashed from rodents and the P/O cut the harness after the firewall.

I'm contemplating "rebuilding" the harness using what I have in the car and a wiring diagram as a template. Meaning, I'd label each wire, pull it all out, and build a new harness side-by-side with the old and diagrams as a guide.

Surely, I could do this for less in materials (obviously not counting my labor) than a new $2k+ complete harness?

Wiring unser my dash got trashed & I was able to source a full chassis harness off E-Bay for $100. You'll never find all the same color/sizes for a harness, so you'll have to do with much fewer colors, so tracing stuff will be FUN.
Put WTB add in here, surely somme good ones out there.

aggiezig

Jul 21 2016, 02:10 PM

QUOTE(barefoot @ Jul 21 2016, 03:07 PM)

Put WTB add in here, surely somme good ones out there.

Thanks for the tip, I've got an WTB ad posted.

How much difference is there between year models for the main chassis harness? I know that they are all "different" - but would it be to the point to where I couldn't make an earlier harness work with some minor modification?

Still also contemplating the idea of a painless / watson's / universal harness, since I pretty much have a blank slate at this point.

Mark Henry

Jul 21 2016, 02:18 PM

One thing I'll add about harnesses is that I'd like beat the living shit out of any PO that cuts original harness.

Over the years some have ragged on me about the Ford Solenoid fix, the thing is I've NEVER cut a single factory wire doing this, EVER!

I'm in a pissy mood right now because I'm fixing a ghia with a hacked harness....grrrrr!!!!

aggiezig

Jul 21 2016, 02:21 PM

QUOTE(Mark Henry @ Jul 21 2016, 03:18 PM)

One thing I'll add about harnesses is that I'd like beat the living shit out of any PO that cuts original harness.

JeffBowlsby

Jul 21 2016, 11:45 PM

Here is a chart of the differences between model years.

http://bowlsby.net/914/WiringHarnesses/914...nessIDGuide.pdf

Don't even think for 1 second about trying to adapt a harness from a different model year to your car, get the correct model year harness identical for your cars model year.

aggiezig

Jul 22 2016, 07:57 PM

Just thought I'd post some pics of my rat's nest. Most of the wiring in the cabin is all there, albeit many wires are frayed, missing sheathing or snipped. The wiring in the front trunk is there, but all cut. The harness is completely cut past the firewall - so nothing present past that.

Relay board:

aggiezig

Jul 22 2016, 10:42 PM

Also, thought I'd post these for anyone who might need in the future. I found via google image search and combined them / cleaned them up in photoshop. Be warned, they are huge files.

1975 Porsche 914 Wiring Current Flow Diagram

PDF-1 PDF-2