[w_rios]

Hey guys, just had a few questions about wiring my truck. I was working on replacing my ignition cylinder lock (keys are at the bottom of a lake in georgia), and well anyways i was looking at the pathetic job the was done to the truck in the first place. So i have recently decided to rewire my truck using a fuse block from my parts truck and running new wire from it. first off i wanted to know any tips for undertaking this kind of project? second, how do you determine what gauge wire to use or can you use one basic gauge? third, i also want to upgrade my factory gauges to some aftermarket but i also want to keep the wires that go from the new gauges to the engine compartment hidden or are those wire loom kits any good? so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[docvette]

Doc here,

Not really sure what your asking..Do you want a full (from scratch kit) or a partial for gauges or want to wire it yourself?? or what??

First off what's important, is what kind of vehicle is this? What power buss system?

Alternator or generator equipped?, need more info there.

To determine the gauge of the wire needed for a circuit , you must first find the total current draw for that circuit, and gauge the wire well above that..

To do that add up all the current draws on the line and get an American Wire Gauge chart..look at the table and match the draw Vs Length of the wire, and run that..of course properly fusing it to protect the WIRE not the device..

The Main Buss wire (from the battery or solenoid to the power bar on the fuse panel) must be gauged for the TOTAL system draw, AND FUSE LINKED for slightly less..

If the plan was to wire a scratch from ground zero..It's really not a cost effective measure..Your costs can far exceed the cost of a kit just in a few rolls of bulk wire..

say you need some 10 gauge wire..in 5 colors..of undetermined legnth..you must buy 5 rolls, of 10 gauge bulk 500 foot bulk, and the same applies for all the other wire sizes and colors..

And this does not include plugs, terminals, harness hardware and protective coatings and anti~Chafe, and sockets that may be needed..not to mention any specialty tools that may be needed..which can be very expensive

Unless your doing 2 or 3 a year..I strongly advocate a kit..

What determines a good kit:

• Cost
• What is included, plugs, sockets, terminals..
• How user friendly the instructions are
• What kind of phone support they provide.

To explore more, there is a "Read Me" on the top of this forum, titled wire harness...And the type and comments from actual users..and a few harness business owners are there too (Ron Francis, and EZ2Wire) Read that before making a choice..

Doc