Firewall Insulation

[Bob2]

Does anyone know where I might be able to get the firewall insulation that goes on inside under the dash from? Mine has seen better days, has fallen apart when I tried to remove it to make a template. has any one used the dynamat on the inside of the firewall?

Also I am also in need of a wireing harness, VPW has quoted me a price of $1,100.00, and Vintage Wiring of Maine has quoted $1,150.00 seems a bit pricy.

How difficult is it to adapt a harness from Northwest Autowire or Haywire to my truck?

[njjim]

Harness

Bob2, I replaced the wiring harness in my 48 B1. After doing all the pricing I chose to order the correct wire and connectors from vintage wiring. I researched the correct gauge and color combo for each run/circut and ordered the amount needed for each plus 10-20% extra. I soldered all the ends onto the wire. However, I did use some shrink wrap to insulate. The job was not difficult. The material was about $300.00. Rhode Island Wiring, Great people to deal with.

[MoparFreak69]

The answer relies on another question that must be asked. How proficient with wiring are you? I personally would not pay that kind of money for a harness, I would opt to go njjim's route and build it myself. I am also very experienced in wiring and electrical matters. If you have trouble crimping a butt connector onto a wiring you may consider going the pre-fabbed route to save a ton of time, headaches and frustration. If you can easily wire an aftermarket stereo without the use of an installation manual then you may want to look into building your own, if not for the sheer gratitude of knowing you did it yourself.

[Bob2]

Wiring harness & Firewall Insulation

I bought an aftermarket (Ron Francis) wiring harness and getting ready to install in the truck. Prior to installing I need a firewall pad/insulation for this truck 1966 WM-300 does any body know where I can get one? or what material do I need to make one.

Also the wiring harness I bought does not recommend using an ampmeter to monitor charging rate, they suggest using a volt meter if possiable. What are your thoughts on this.

Bob

1966-WM-300
2004 Dodge 3500 1-ton
2004 PT Cruiser

[Desoto61]

I've been told the volt meter is a better monitoring method anyway but I can understand their warning.

For most vehicles the main vehicle power wire (the wire that runs everything but the starter). That's a decent amount of amperage, and creates a master "fuse". So you have a large wire behind the dash carrying lots of current that if it goes bad will kill the vehicle. Had this happen on the Desoto once. You can fix it by bypassing the guage, but that's not always the easiest thing to do in your driveway let alone on the side of the road in the dark somewhere.

I think Ford and maybe some others had a shunted system that mitigated this issue, but it requires tuning to make it work right.

[2many]

NJJim,
Would you have saved your materials list or maybe the invoice from RI Wiring? I'm in need of a harness for my '55 and would be very interested in building my own such as you did. Would greatly appreciate your research! I've installed several "universal" harnesses in various vehicles so am confident of my abilities there. Thanks! -Scott