As a retired marine electrician I really appreciate watching somebody who knows what they're doing and is happy to teach others. Now, if only they will listen.
hahaha wow I'm almost done with the video and almost the ENTIRE time i was thinking back to my time in the army being a mechanic and the amount of hack shit jobs that were going on constantly hahaha fun times... sort of
Ahh, marine electrics. A place far more hostile than automotive electrics and full of boat owners who consider themselves fully qualified to work on their own boats.
@@PaulLemars01 Yes, and they are some of the best customers because they've learned the hard way that it isn't as simple as it looks. Therefore they better appreciate a professional done job.
I'm actually a high-school dropout, as far as knowing how to wire everything up correctly, choose the right fuse rating and everything else period not to mention the schematics and thought process period but did anyone catch the amperage chart, I would really like to see someone try to push 30 amps through 18 gauge wire or even a hundred and fifty through 10 gauge wire as it states in the chart that is listed in the video. Even I could immediately distinguish that this chart is way off with its amperage to length ratio for 12 volts.
Bonus tip, heatshrink the ends of the nylon cable braid. This way it doesn't roll back and expose the wires, looks neat too! Also let's you label a bundle of wires like "Left headlight" or "Flux capacitor" :D
one thing i’d add, when you’re at the “how long does each wire need to be?” stage, it really helps to use bits of cheap rope and tape to find the routes that will determine the length, shape and look of the finished harness.
Yeah, that's one of those steps that even the sincerely nice helpful people get kinda curse-worthy about leaving out or refusing to in any way advise on. And then they sneer at you for getting the wrong length cable when you had no way to know what the right length was.
@@claws61821 It's also one of those things that's more of an art than a exact science, the trick is to make sure you have too much so you can cut them off at the right length once everything is all laid out.
@@hannahranga And yet they don't offer ways to figure out even those rough approximations, and at best laugh derisively at you for asking. Why is that, I wonder...?
You would think someone like myself who is an avid lover of heat shrink and label making would know about heat shrink for label makers. I slapped my spacebar so hard and immediately bought some. This is a game-changer haha. Keep up the super informative content!
Helpful tip with the Costco size bags of Zip-Ties is to rip the hole you pull them out of in the center of the bag instead of just ripping off the corner. That way they stay in during transport, and are still easy to pull out of the bag. Stupid little things that make a huge difference in your sanity.
Been a master auto technician, for most of my adult life. Found this very informative. Learned the most at the Chrysler factory schools. Loved the way they drew out their wiring diagrams. I straddle the fence between modern fleet vehicles and antique/classics. This info will come in handy, for both.
Hey man, congrats on the Porsche! I found your channel when I was looking at Datsun trucks and ran across the Fatsun. I'm very happy you brought it back.
You sir have won the internet for me today. Randomly found you when looking for wiring harness in a car and I must say kudos to you for sharing these golden nuggets of wisdom in such a comprehensible way. Your subtle humor is through the roof and that makes learning much more enjoyable. Thank you so so much for making such quality videos! Immediately earned my subscription.
So much good information here: before this video I did not know that heat shrink tubing label maker cartridges and SXL wire were a thing, and those aftermarket fuse boxes are great! Now have to go buy some stuff!
This. This is the video I've been looking for - I can diagnose car wiring, I've done most jobs on a car, and I've rewired entire buildings but there was something about rewiring a car that just seemed overwhelming and everytime I come close to going for it I get cold feet. Great video, I'm feeling much more confident and prepared - and it's great to have a list of well reviewed components
Quick tips: If you would like to use aluminum wire just go two sizes up and make sure you don't have your wires too tight if your in a cold climate. Remember that trying to measure resistance or continuity on a live circuit can damage your meter
Eh, resistance would be fine. Itll just max out and not give you a value. But the continuity will most definitely blow it up, yes. Never test continuity on a live circuit over 10a unless you got one of those extensions that can take the brunt of the amperage
@@daniellau5859 Continuity and resistance are the same measurement (that's why they're usually on the same dial setting of a multimeter); continuity just beeps if resistance is below a certain value. Don't use either (or the diode check setting) on a live circuit. And not only can trying to measure resistance/continuity/diode on a live circuit damage your meter, but may also cause strange things to happen in the circuit, since it's injecting electricity to measure the resistance/etc. Or sometimes even damage the circuit, depending on what it is and at what points you're measuring it.
Its past midnight, I'm not a car guy, I know almost nothing about electronics, and yet I was captivated with the entire video. Congratulations good sir.
Idk what I expected but this is a really great video. I’ve already wired my car using the same methods you highlighted after learning the hard way through making tons of mistakes. Through my wiring journey, I’ve made every mistake you can make from using cheap CCA wire, not using a diagram and having major circuit issues, and other major errors I wish I had known about wire types (SXL, GXL, TXL) and quality fuse/relay blocks beforehand. Having this video beforehand would have probably saved me 100 hours of labor and several hundred dollars in supplies. For anyone watching, take it from someone who has done this repeatedly. This is a really amazing video. Subscribed!!!
Watching Matt, i get this weird feeling i now know alot of stuff that i could of learned the hard way. The feeling is an absence of the pain and suffering, I normal experience when self-learning. Thanks Matt.
I just loved your work! As an engineer, it's pretty harder to find people who know how to do their work in a simple and effective way, congratulations! Best regards from Brazil 🇧🇷
The little Crème brûlée gas torches are great for heat shrink, don't get too close though. Great video, I'm an auto electrician by trade and the way you do stuff is how it should be done on custom harnesses, nice work. You need decent crimpers though, if you're going to splash out get a set of ratchet crimpers and a jaw kit that'll cover everything from cheap plastic crap to the little tiny specialised ones in the weatherproof connectors.
Great Content! When working with connectors, avoid orienting them vertically, as this can allow more opportunities for moisture to eventually seep in. On this note, keep the split in the "gutter" tubing on the bottom of your harness to allow gravity to help keep out moisture. Additionally, be mindful of wiring coming out and immediately bending out of the connector. Keeping an inch or two of slack before a bend will keep the torsion forces off of the connections. Source: 1 year automotive EE internship
The long talks our team had when planning our harness paid off when we dropped 7 pounds from the previous year. The judges at comp were quite impressed by our minimalist take while also having automated active aero and a ETC I love just how much working on each part of the car gave me even more knowledge on my own projects at home now
seriously incredible video. I've never subscribed to someone just based on the quality of one video, but here we are. I love that you included all the little things like which pins to use and the label maker. those are the quality of life tips that so many people just forget about or don't bother mentioning
Love the troubleshooting tips, because it’s rare it all works the first time. Also, as an engineer, we used to always check ground to positive before applying power. Reduces fireworks.
Matt I started watching your Jag videos in the middle of the night and I CAN'T STOP WATCHING. I need to get work done!!!! HELP!!!!! Matt you are a FANTASTIC teacher... Extreme Gratitude....
Great video Matt, laughed out loud many times during it. Was unsure whether I wanted the hassle of building my own loom for our 205 track car, but after watching this I'm definitely going to give it a go.
Matt - Just started rewiring a 1968 MG B with my 15 year old son. I look forward to working with my son on this project with and your video is greatly appreciated. Thanks for helping me teach him on how to do things right.!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Very helpful. I wired a motorcycle from scratch and learned a lot. There’s about 9 hours of me wiring connectors somewhere on the internet. Also used a Motogadget PDM to run the bike which was slick. Next up is my car resto-mod. I’ve definitely picked up some more tips from this video. Thanks again!
I completely rewired my 88' Bronco II, installed a 1955 Packard Clipper dash, got all the Packard gauges to work, hid all the factory wiring under the hood, relocated the computer to a safer location (than the kick panel), and passed emissions in California. lol This is my third complete wiring harness build. Oh... and I removed about 30 lbs of wiring.
If the humor that really ratcheted up at the 12-15-minute mark was there from the beginning, I think I might have died watching this video. This is such awesome content.
I have been an electronics tecnician since 1969 and you have done a good job here. The grounding section is the one so many people just don't know. This will help many out more than they know. I would suggest using a heat gun on shrink tubing. I have seen people catch the shrink on fire with a lighter. Of course as soon as they get comfortable with the way it shrinks and when to remove the heat there's can do a great job. I have even used my soldering iron before. Keep up the good work. Everything I have heard you say is very helpful for most people. I use the sealing shrink on cars because of the environment. It really works great. 👍👍👍👍👍😁👍👍👍👍😁😁💥💥
I have recently acquired a TVR Chimaera and 3 months ago didn't know what a coil was let alone get stuck into the massive cleanup required to get the beast from a neglected run down state into a running machine. Thanks to channels like yours I got stuck into it and am proud to be able to drive the car every day now. Still tons of work to be done but to think I could get a V8 up and running smoothly on a very tight budget is insane. The rewiring and cleaning up of rat nest wiring is up next and this video helps a lot. Thank you.
For easily testing continuity with even a cheap multimeter you can use the "diode" option. I have a 10€ multimeter and it has the "diode" function. Simple turn the function on, stick the probes between whatever you are checking continuity on, and the meter should make a BEEP or flash some lights. No need to read the screen.
Even my old cheapo Harbor Freight one has it. In it's defense, I've used it side by side with a friend's fancy Fluke multimeter and it reads close enough that I'm just gonna keep using this one. I'm not an electrical specialist and it's good enough for the occasional electrical troubleshooting. It handles diagnostic work on the high voltage circuits of the hybrids I sometimes work on fine enough.
I just bought a small airplane, the wiring is a mess. Your comment about just ripping it all out and starting over, assured me I was watching the correct video. Thanks!
The holy trifecta is pure gold. Watching annoying enough to know who to listen to and how to look up information is a super skill. I didn't know what a formulary was until I was being charged way too much at the pharmacy. They had the wrong brand and wrong quantity. I never wanted to know how to be a pharmacy tech but after 10 minutes googling I showed them what they had to do. I keep most opinions to myself but that was a very satisfying moment.
Excellent information. Where were you when I was rewiring my 1967 Series IIa SWB Land Rover? And the delivery of your pearls of wisdom? Dry and superbly articulated with just a pinch of humour. More please.
Great video. Have reharnessed analog (non computer) race cars and bikes. It’s really the best method instead of modifying original harnesses. Great tips here, Matt. Love your channel and very much appreciate your snarky, self-deprecating style.
I really appreciate the production value you put into your videos. I found your channel yesterday and have been binge watching as I find more and more applicable videos you have made.
I used to professionally wire race grade harnesses for Motorsports. I came into this video with arms crossed but after watching it I see this is actually useful and well done for the budget minded home gamer. Good job!
Great video, will add that for the insulated crimp on terminals you were using the wrong crimper, hence why your crimps wouldn't hold and the plastic sheath would slide off. Heat shrinking non insulated terminals are great too, little less bulky with fine wiring like that, slightly slower though. Overall, awesome job.
You know, when I was starting my cars wiring, I watched this video first to kind of prime myself. Here i am now, a stripped EG Hatch, and no wires in it at all. 90% of this I found today all over again (Delphi/Aptiv Metri-Pack 280 Series, The Bussman/Littelfuse boxes, etc) and I am surprised my brain didn't keep this stuff. Thank you for organizing all the information and stuff, I have a lot more confidence (and resources) to make this happen now. Thanks Matt.
I spent 2 years being the main electrical tech for a company that built custom Land Rovers. The best upgrade on all of them was getting all of the Land Rover wiring out.
@@deciplesteve only if you wish to loose the nostalgia of fumbling in the dark on the side of the road trying to get the bloody headlights working. Modern wiring all the way.
Thanks for the awesome video Matt! I'm finally getting around to wiring an old Datsun Pickup and really got a lot of inspiration from this video. I did want to put out there though that if you use the larger Bussman box with 40 fuses and 10 relays it takes tanged terminals not the ones listed in the spreadsheet. The tangless terminals just slip out of the holes. Just wanted to put this out there for anyone in same position.
He meant: If you only need 6 fuses, but you can only find a 10 fuse box---- then just go with the box with "too many fuses"... and just have some extra. (same thing with the big connector). Using the correct size fuse the wire requires is a given.
I'm sure that what he meant was if you don't know exactly how much current you need, err on the high side ("use too much fuse"). Later, when you choose wire size, you will (if you're following his guide) choose wire with at least enough capacity for the current rating of that fuse, and everything will work safely.
I don't know how this video showed up in my feed but I'm so glad it did. I need to rewire my old Chevelle and I've been terrified of it. This helps. Thank you for doing this video.
Pretty solid how to. If you need non insulated connectors and can't find the ones you need for what ever reason, you can just heat up the plastic ferrule with a lighter and pull it off.
I had a 1971 Land Rover and all the lights started playing up. It was corroded connectors, corroded wires and bad earthing to the chassis. Dead easy. I bought the correct wire size, all black and used idents for identification as we did in electrical engineering, no multiple wire colours, and bought ring and bullet connectors and a proper spring loaded crimping tool. I already had the proper wire strippers and cutters from when I worked in electrical engineering. Interesting you say about the wire type, I used an ordinary 100m reel of wire. No problems. Tie down the wires and use cable ties (zip ties) to loom them together so no abrasion. Troubleshooting should not be needed if you wire it correctly.
I really love your sense of humor, especially at 14:45. Very helpful video that I played in the background, but I'm sure I'll be back to truly study it when I'm rewiring a whole car.
Good timing...just came across this. I have a restored 1965 Mercedes 230SL...everything except the wiring. It uses the old style German torpedo fuses, which I really hate. Been thinking of selling the car...but if I decide to hang onto it, the plan is to upgrade to modern fuses and new wiring. Luckily, its a small car without any computers or other modern-day inconveniences. I absolutely agree with using quality components...if you're going to this much trouble, no need to scrimp with knockoffs from you know where.
Dude... 🤣🤣🤣 30 seconds in I realized this video wasn't the type of video I was looking for but I couldn't not watch this! Your sense of humor is hilarious and I actually learned a lot from this video! You earned a new subscriber today sir
Uninsulated connectors are the best way to go. Sometimes I will add in a bit of solder depending on the connection and if I need to ensure the connection won't come apart when pulled on. Of course sometimes I just do soldering directly. As for heat shrink it's really good practice to get the type with the waterproof adhesive on the inside. It's just all around better.
I like the "gutter tube" wire loom, because I usually wire things on the fly and I can easily add or subtract wires in that loom as things change/progress. If some wires need to exit the loom before they get to the end of the loom it's real simple. That's where I like to use the fabric tape, at exit points and at the ends. I can just cut the tape with a razor blade and make changes then retape it. I generally run all my wires first being attentive to their trajectory so that they can all be easily tucked into the loom afterwards. I wouldn't use the braided stuff unless I was certain nothing was going to change which is almost always never on a custom project. Good tip on not over connectoring. Very good tip on those delphi connectors. I've been looking for some good generic automotive type connectors for decades.
@samhain9394 Back years ago, all auto wire looms in the engine compartment was done with fabric electrical tape. Actually, my 05 f350 has fabric tape wire looms. Tough stuff. Perhaps you're thinking about "fabric" as in the kind your mother would sew into a dress. This is fabric, like duct tape fabric, but made specifically for wiring.
Almost time to wire up my Hilux and wasn't sure where to find parts, first google search and of course a superfastmatt video pops up and explains the exact stuff with links to the exact components I wanted! Thanks Matt!
I like this. I have a 1937 Dodge I need to rewire. It's stock, fairly simple. I will be going 12 volt. All the lights need new sockets. But now I think I can do it on my own and just take my time without a pre made harness. Thanks
Dear Matt - I did it! Rewire the whole damn car. It helped that it's an '87 Subaru Brat, as easy as wiring gets, but without your video (this one) I would not have dared to dump the whole mess of a sketchy old harness forked up by previous amateurs and start over. Your tips have been incredibly valuable, tools, wires, step by step and circuit by circuit approach, all right on the mark for the wiring newbie. The other channel that was extremely helpful to grasp the basics is Wiring Rescue www.youtube.com/@WiringRescue So, I wanted to say thank you for the inspiration, encouragement and enlightening example. I now have a running, flashing and honking car that's bristling with flip switches and gauges, as well as the envious admiration of my buddies who break a cold sweat when the word electrical is even just mentioned. To all car enthusiasts fretting about the electrical stuff I say, watch this video and rewire your whole car. Or just watch Matt do it, whatever. Mahalo!
As someone who has spent much more time smoking dope than wiring automobiles, I can say two things for sure: 1. That was a dual purpose (crack/meth) torch. 2. I appreciate the humor you sprinkle in your videos. And the valuable information too. But the humor more. I now feel confident enough to say I have at least one skill necessary for wiring a car, since I know how to use a label maker.
I'm not saying I wasn't going to sub, because there is a wealth of information here, but that tongue twister mastery was the final straw to click subscribe without delay.
After watching this video I am going to up my game from twisted bubblegum connections, to wire nuts and insulated crimp connectors ! Thanks for an awesome video. 🤪
My Project: "Manx-style" dune buggy. There were no re-usable circuits from the donor VW and I was really dreading wiring the entire car. I considered buying a wiring harness and adapting it to my build, but this video has challenged me to go ahead and wire it from scratch. I know it'll be a huge learning curve (read- make mistakes and redo stuff) But I'm looking forward to this part of the project. Thanks Matt!!!
In the middle of restoring a beat up Land Rover Defender and I've been dreading what to do with wiring since it's a pain to find the right stuff stateside without ordering abroad...which sucks when you forget that one $0.50 part you now have to pay $20 in shipping to get. You just made my life better. Love your deadpan humor too. Don't do a ton of comments or likes, but hope my comment, like, and subscribe helped! Oh, I'm guessing this will be buried and never be seen, but if you do see it can you add an ECU to a car that wasn't built with one? And if so, wanna do a video on that?
I don't know about other cars, but the Porsche 928 had a lovely fuse and relay box, with about 75 separate fuses and relays, which was all WIRED IN THE SAME UNMARKED GRAY COLOR. Yep, all wires leading into the box were the same color, none of them numbered. So if you worried that your electrical gremlins might be the result of corrosion over time, taking the thing apart was going to be a nightmare. Yes,it used some stainless steel wires. BUT THE CONNECTIONS WERE BRASS. You'd have to label hundreds of wires as you went along. It was one of the primary reasons I decided to sell it.
An engineer that doesn't overcomplicate everything, but rather simplifies? Is this even possible? Gotta be more mythical than bigfoot rarer than hen's teeth. Bravo Sir!
