electrical crossroads

[69gmachine 15]

I haven't had much time to play with my car this year, just too many things have out-prioritized it. I hope to resume working on it in October. But here's my conundrum: since converting the Cougar XR7 harness to work in a Mustang (and adding several non factory Mustang circuits), I have had nothing but problems. The latest issue is all the interior lights just stopped working. Maybe just a breaker, but it seems to always be something.

 

It seemed to be the easiest solution at the time because i got it for relatively cheap. My goal was to get it back on the road as quickly as possible, but I also need it to be reliable. So now I have to decide between a correct reproduction at approx $750 for just the under dash tach harness that will need to be modified since I had my tach converted plus all the new circuits that will need to be added, or a completely new modern AAW harness that includes both the under dash and headlight harness for just under $700.

 

I have always been a proponent of the factory harness, but at this point reliability trumps everything else, and either way will require custom modifications.

 

So, I know Lil Mike is in the process of installing the AAW kit, but how about someone who has a running car? How did the installation go? Have you had any issues since driving it, and how many miles have you driven since installing it?

[69gmachine 15]

I haven't had much time to play with my car this year, just too many things have out-prioritized it. I hope to resume working on it in October. But here's my conundrum: since converting the Cougar XR7 harness to work in a Mustang (and adding several non factory Mustang circuits), I have had nothing but problems. The latest issue is all the interior lights just stopped working. Maybe just a breaker, but it seems to always be something.

 

It seemed to be the easiest solution at the time because i got it for relatively cheap. My goal was to get it back on the road as quickly as possible, but I also need it to be reliable. So now I have to decide between a correct reproduction at approx $750 for just the under dash tach harness that will need to be modified since I had my tach converted plus all the new circuits that will need to be added, or a completely new modern AAW harness that includes both the under dash and headlight harness for just under $700.

 

I have always been a proponent of the factory harness, but at this point reliability trumps everything else, and either way will require custom modifications.

 

So, I know Lil Mike is in the process of installing the AAW kit, but how about someone who has a running car? How did the installation go? Have you had any issues since driving it, and how many miles have you driven since installing it?

[jmlay 80]

I have given this allot of thought after collecting several under dash harnesses. and have decided to buy new. The car is worth allot more to me than skimping on wiring & having the possibility of it burning up or not enjoying it because I am fighting wiring issues.

[Mike65 475]

69gmachine, sorry I cant be of much help but I am going to use the AAW harness on my 69 Coupe since the wiring was so messed up I am replacing it all when I get to that point in my build. Good luck.

[manley 13]

You should talk to Midlife if you want a nice factory harness.

[Midlife 814]

You should talk to Midlife if you want a nice factory harness.

Thanks for the reference. Usually when a customer starts talking modifications (other than a radio), I usually advise them to look towards aftermarket wiring kits. While I refurbish (and sell) stock harnesses, I can't add modifications because I don't know the length of wires needed for many of them. Since the original poster talked about using an XR7 harness if the first place, I can state with experience that modifying that to fit a Mustang is not trivial. If the OP wants something to run reliably, I would recommend a good refurbished stock harness that is compatible with the Ford tach dash for a lot less money than aftermarket.

 

In addition, I provide a 2 year no questions asked warranty. Aftermarket kits don't have any warranties. Food for thought...

[danno 128]

I know a refurbished factory harness can be just as good as new. I agree with midlife as well, I can imagine the headaches of trying to get some universal harness adapted to a Mustang. I also know that the Cougar and Mustang harnesses are quite different, I am not sure why. Could be because the instrument panel is so different and Cougars had more options. I tried to adapt a Cougar tach and harness in my Mustang and had a lot of trouble with it. I gave up on that and went with modifying my own factory Mustang harness.

 

I know a factory underdash harness can be purchased, some require no rework, some a lot. It all depends on the condition of the fuse box, that is the critical piece.

 

Stick with your gut feeling of the factory harness, and do not look for a bad breaker on the interior lights. Circuit breakers on most cars did not exist then.

[stangme428 33]

I have given this allot of thought after collecting several under dash harnesses. and have decided to buy new. The car is worth allot more to me than skimping on wiring & having the possibility of it burning up or not enjoying it because I am fighting wiring issues.

 

this is the same reason i replaced my factory harness... too much invested to leave a electrical problem to chance... im not driving mine as of yet, but so far the installation has been as expected... no odd problems.. just takes time to route and read through the schematics of the AAW system. i will say that it does look like having the AAW crimp tool makes things go faster (other posts).. i did promise a write up a while back, but havent been back on the harness to add anything to the document.

[69gmachine 15]

Well I agree that new is the way to go, I just haven't decided if I go with a new reproduction or a whole new design and look. One major advantage of the reproduction is ease of installation. Most everything will simply plug and play.

 

The downside is cost. At $750 for just the underdash harness, it's a tough pill to swallow, especially since I'm going to end up cutting into it to add at least 3 additional circuits.

 

When I did a search I found several members have decided on the AAW kit, but I couldn't find any mention of someone who's actually driving their car with it.

 

Too bad someone doesn't make a more original appearing harness with a few extra circuits. I also like the small extension with a disconnect at the gauge cluster that the AAW kit has.

[69gmachine 15]

Somehow I ended up with 2 threads on this same topic. Is it possible one of the moderators can consolidate the replies into a single thread?

 

Thanks!

[69gmachine 15]

While I refurbish (and sell) stock harnesses, I can't add modifications because I don't know the length of wires needed for many of them. Since the original poster talked about using an XR7 harness if the first place, I can state with experience that modifying that to fit a Mustang is not trivial. If the OP wants something to run reliably, I would recommend a good refurbished stock harness that is compatible with the Ford tach dash for a lot less money than aftermarket.

 

In addition, I provide a 2 year no questions asked warranty. Aftermarket kits don't have any warranties. Food for thought...

 

Converting the XR7 harness took several months, and it still doesn't fit well. I'll never try that again!

 

Would you be willing to make modifications if I supplied the wiring diagram including the lengths? I would like to use the OEM type flat connctors to make it appear period correct at least under the hood. I've already converted my tach, so there's no way getting around making modificaitons.

[Pakrat 1,043]

Have you tried discussing the issue with Midlife?

 

Edit: Merged the threads for you after seeing my above reply to the opposing thread was already mentioned in this one.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Pakrat