DYI Harness

[Frederic Breitwieser]

>The local vehicular recycling facilities (PC for junkyards) don't really
want to sell harnesses. Brain boxes and hubcaps OK but not harnesses. What
type wire is good for an engine harness? Is THHN or TFFN OK? Both are oil
resistant but how about temperature? What do the auto manufacturers use?


That kind of wire is fine, used both before depending on availability.  The
best choice is to find a junkyard that allows you to pull your own stuff...
and grab everything.

When I pulled the engine, power everything, transmission, door hinges, ECM,
wiring harness (bumper to bumper, and labeled it), I bought the ENTIRE CAR
and had it flatbedded to my garage... then, after I sawzalled the unibody
up, they came back and picked it up.  Was significantly cheaper than buying
individual parts, and it only took me a week to strip the car down to the
empty unibody.  I took everything that was not welded.  Even have a box of
unsorted nuts, bolts, and strange clips.

When you remove the harness, take a perminant marker and write a number on
the connector, and log the number and its function on paper... this way you
don't have to worry about masking tape or labels falling off when you snake
the wires through the old/new vehicles.


Frederic Breitwieser
Bridgeport, CT 06606

Homebrew Automotive Website:
http://www.xephic.dynip.com/

1993 Supercharged Lincoln Continental
1989 HMMWV
2000 Buick-Powered Mid-Engined Sports Car

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