1970 Convertible Restoration

[Vicfreg 771]

Continued my wiring work.  Ran my starter wire (fed from trunk mounted battery solenoid) to a 250amp bulkhead connector into the passenger side fenderwell.  Then ran it through the passenger side behind the shock tower down to where the starter will be in the engine compartment.  Required hole drilling and some heavy duty rubber grommets.   

Also mounted my front power distribution terminal block.  Will be fed from main power block located at the top of the passenger side foot well.  This front power block will feed my 2-12" electric radiator fans (through a MIDI fuse), my transmission cooler fan, and my other misc items that will need power up there.

Thanksgiving meant grandkids showed up to help, but all they wanted to do was take the car for a ride....   

 

[latoracing 256]

Vic, you're not old enough to have a grandkid, much less three lol. I'm sure they were a lot of fun, and they will hold Grandpa up to taking them on cruses in the convertible once it is completed. 

I hope that you are taking notes and writing down all these electrical components, cause you can come wire mine if I ever get to that point. It's looking very nice.

[Vicfreg 771]

HI Mike....I actually have 4 grandkids...the 4th one was at home, couldn't make it.

As an over detailed oriented engineer, of course I have built a spreadsheet to track all of my wiring terminations, as I will be using a lot of extra "boxes" in my build...   EFI computer, Dash computer, PWM fan controller, digital ignition box, power amp, etc, etc.

I have attempted to paste one page of it here, I would be willing to share it in about a week or so when I get it to the point where it is a working copy.    Pre-planning this really helps minimize the rework and rewiring, the number of splices/connectors, and having last minute loose wires laying around.  It also is critical if you have to do troubleshooting during power up of the car.   

1. The first 3 columns are used to track the install.... R is routed, L is landed, T is tested
2. The 4th column is the load/device which is to be wired up
3. The 5th  column will list the fuse that feeds it (AAW does not provide this)
4. The 6th column is the AAW circuit branch that the load is fed from
5. The 7th column is the origin point of the wire that feeds the load
6. The 8th column is the AAW wire number, or a simple wire number that I have assigned 
7. The 9th column is the wire color
8. The 10th and 11th columns are functional descriptions about what the wire does, like Gnd (Ground), BAT (battery hot all the time), KOH (Key on Hot), Switched (on/off)
9. The 12th column is the type of connector used
10. The 13th and 14th columns are key items, they show the "from" and "to" for the wire
11. The 15th column is for any special interface with one of the boxes (VHX, PWM, EFI, etc)
12. The 16th through the last column are how the wire is routed.  It shows the originating location, the route it takes, and the destination location.  I use this so I can consolidate the wires when I bundle and route them.  The abbreviations are for areas of the car that the wires go from-through-to
    1. UD - Under Dash
    2. FW Pen - Firewall Penetration Number
    3. PC - Passenger Compartment
    4. DFW - Drivers Firewall
    5. DRC - Drivers rocker channel
    6. PRC - Passenger rocker channel
    7. TK - Trunk
    8. etc, etc, etc.    

[Vicfreg 771]

Here is an example of where I am tabulating the wire interface between the AAW harness and the Vintage Air wiring.  Also some power distribution wiring here, which includes my trunk mounted battery and power points on the firewall and radiator support.

[Vicfreg 771]

I currently have about 200 wires in my spreadsheet.    

[bryonbush 85]

just curios as to where you're at. im planning on a cross country drive this summer and looks like you got the wiring thing down and im needing to get mine done. figured since they are both convertibles, have similar accessories and now your previous experience that it shouldnt be that hard for ya!

[RPM 1,190]

55 minutes ago, Vicfreg said:

I currently have about 200 wires in my spreadsheet.    

Man, you engineer types are way out there :)

[Ash 145]

Now that is what I'm doing wrong. Instead of putting all the details down on paper like yourself, I instead think I can remember it all. No wonder I lose sleep thinking it all over and over.

I wish I had that ability, it's impressive the effort you have done.

[bigmal 225]

14 hours ago, Ash said:

Now that is what I'm doing wrong. Instead of putting all the details down on paper like yourself, I instead think I can remember it all. No wonder I lose sleep thinking it all over and over.

I wish I had that ability, it's impressive the effort you have done.

I do solve lots of problems during those sleepless nights.

[Vicfreg 771]

thanks for the comments.....this comes from my wiring experience about 7 years ago on my 1968, where I spent days chasing gremlins in my wiring harness. One resulted in a AAA flatbed tow back home....that was the last straw.....

Byron...I out here near Charlotte, NC, so always a cold beer and some wire ties here for you when you come by.  

My goal is to get the finished car to the Carlisle Ford Show in June, so we will see how that goes.

 

[Mike65 475]

Vic,

  Nice work. I am getting ready to start installing my AAW wiring harness & would be interested in a "working copy" of the spreadsheet for my install.

Mike.

[Vicfreg 771]

Hi Mike.  Will do.  I have been using it for about a week or so, and need to make some tweaks in it.   But it is a great tool for organizing the wiring to avoid double routing stuff from and to the same place.

 

[Vicfreg 771]

Started wiring out some of the optional connectors that AAW has in their harness.  In this case, I am going to wire my existing power top wiring to a spot on the AAW harness.   The original install has a crazy installation with a 30 amp circuit breaker that is added on to the starter solenoid.  As I am hiding all my engine compartment wiring, I intend to feed my power top motor from a 30a feed on the new AAW fusebox.   I will try and add notes to the sequence of pictures below.   Used a simple sketch and then started wiring...

Firs Pic is my existing harness.  I intend to cut off the black plug (power feed) and power it from the AAW accessory connector.   Second pic is my sketch of the AAW accessory connector.  I am going to use the pink wire (#116) that comes of circuit branch #4.  This connector is "empty", designed to be used for aftermarket accessories.   The wiring kit comes with some connectors, but I picked up the AAW connector kit so I would have extra connectors.  3rd Pic is my sketch of the overall idea of how I will wire it.  4th pics is the AAW wire connector kit.   5th pic is the female connector that inserts into the AAW accessory connector on the harness.   This will be installed on a new wire I will use to connect the pink wire on the harness side of the connector to the black wire on the convertible top switch assembly.   6th pic is finished crimp.  7th pic is the 56 connector installed into the mating accessory connector.   8th pic shows how the accessory connector is put together.   

Next, want to add a plug on the other end of the red wire, and use that to connect to the black wire on the top switch wiring.  I don't want to use a splice, as I want to be able to install this later on in a "plug and play" way, as I will be under the dash, and doing crimps there is a pain.  So, I picked out a single connector assembly, and will be crimping and installing that in the next few pictures.  Last picture is the completed assembly.   

 

[Vicfreg 771]

So, after fussing with this for a day or so, my conclusion is that to start with, it is advantageous to have the lower dash out.   In my case, my car was stripped so it was a no brainer to start the wiring.   This allows easy access to the firewall holes that you need to route the wiring through.  

However, at some point you need to put the lower dash in, as that is where the wiring harness needs to go eventually.   

So, I put my pedal support bracket in, and laid the AAW harness on it, keeping all of the circuit branches up to, and including the headlight switch to the left of the pedal support bracket.    The rest of the harness is now laying to the right.   

What I will do next is to get my wiring organized so that I can route the forward wiring items (engine bay, horns, headlights, etc) through the firewall and in my case, the fenderwell.  Then, install my Vintage Air vent ducts, my VHX interface box & wiring, seal the remaining firewall holes and install my lower dash. Then hook up what I can and secure the wiring to the dash.   

The "Osborne" orange book has several really good drawings of what the factory wiring looks like. I chatted with AAW about this, and they tell me that for the 1969/1970s, they have tried to follow the original factory wiring layout as best they can.  

First pic is the orange book drawing, second pic is the harness laying on the pedal support bracket.  Last pic is a reminder that the 1969 and 1970 lower dash/steering column brackets are not the same, although at first glance they appear the same.   I had both in my parts stash, and quickly found out that I had grabbed the wrong one.   The one on the right is the 1970 bracket.

[Vicfreg 771]

Continued on with my wiring stuff, this weekend concentrating on the interface with my Dakota Digital VHX box.

I had tabulated all of the wiring that needed to go to the box, so now I was searching for the source from my AAW harness.  To avoid lots of extra wiring, I am trying to maximize use of the existing harness and connectors that AAW supplies.  

First pic shows the AAW "F" and "G" connectors wired out directly to my VHX box.  If you are using the stock dash, these connectors go to a special dash connector supplied with the AAW dash package that connects to the original circuit board.   Or, if you have a custom dash (like Mustangs to Fear), then you can wire that out directly, following the AAW instructions.  The small connector with the 2 blue wires is one I made, it is use for the "Switch 1" and "Switch 2" functions in the VHX system.  These are used for toggling through the dash display and calibration functions. I think I am going to put these in my console, but for now, have a new connector ready to hook them up.

Second pic is apparently the proper way to route my convertible top motor wiring from the passenger side rear window factory hole/grommet, to the motor in the trunk.

 

 

[Vicfreg 771]

Oh, some of the wires coming from the F and G connectors in this picture have been modified from the stock AAW configuration.  I will explain that in the next post.  For instance, there are purple and yellow wires used for a speed sensor, that are wired out in the AAW harness.  As I am using the VHX speed sensor, which has it's own harness, I have repurposed the yellow and purple wires for other stuff that the VHX box needs.  

[Mike65 475]

Vic, keep plugging away at it. I will be spending this afternoon in the garage with my 69 Coupe & the wiring.

[Vicfreg 771]

 Got my VHX wiring set, made a block diagram so I can  remember what I did, and update my spreadsheet later.  Working on my laying out my Pertronix digital ignition box wiring today

 

[Vicfreg 771]

Had a busy day wiring and watching football. 

1st pic - First, some re-work...which was to move my emergency brake assembly slightly to the right, so I could get my air vent speaker assembly in.  I used some spacers between the brake assembly and the drivers side vent/footwell.  I also had to rotate my fuse box to get it out of the way.  

Next few pics  - Drilled the hole above the fusebox to go into the fenderwell. This will be used to run all of my front wiring through.  I am planning on using non-metallic conduit and fittings (used for outdoor wiring).  Installed the bulkhead fitting to run the wires through.  I also experimented with 5/8" heater hose, which is pretty much the same diameter, but thought that would degrade over time.   I may use some black flex braid to cover the flex, not sure yet.  I ran 11 AAW wires through this connector, and also 8 extra wires I need for other stuff and to have some spare wires.

Next pics - installed  my steering column/dash support brackets, ran the wiring behind/over that, and mounted the relay pack there as well.  Secured my harness coming from the fuse box, and kept the circuit branches up to the wiper switch to the left, and the wiper switch onward, on the right.   

Installed my VHX box in front of the Vintage Air system.  Ran the CAT 5 Ethernet cables over to the dash area, and also to where the clock will be.  Added the small red wire to the VHX box, which is the "battery" feed to the clock.

Last picture is my "Cat 5 Condom".   I cover these connectors by cutting off the fingers on my Nitrile work gloves, and putting them over the connector to keep dirt, etc out of them.  I am sure I will get some comments on this.....

 

 

 

[Mike65 475]

Vic, looking good. What did you use to cover the square factory harness opening?.

[stangnet33 88]

On 12/17/2017 at 4:22 PM, Vicfreg said:

Last picture is my "Cat 5 Condom".   I cover these connectors by cutting off the fingers on my Nitrile work gloves, and putting them over the connector to keep dirt, etc out of them.  I am sure I will get some comments on this.....

Looks like you're exaggerating on the size that you really need to use ;)  Things are coming along very nicely Vic ! 

[Vicfreg 771]

Mike, I used a large rubber grommet from my chassis grommet kit.  I will post some pics of my firewall....

 

[Vicfreg 771]

Continued with getting my main harness situated.  With the dash out, I am holding it up with wire ties for now.  I need to keep the dash out for now as I still need access to some firewall holes that are hard to get at, and still also need to install the remaining A/C ducts.   First 2 pics are of the firewall.  I have plugged all of the typical areas where there were previously cables/wires/speedo cable.   The blue arrows show the holes I will use to pull through only the wires that will go to from engine to somewhere else.  All the other wires will either be under the dash, in the fenderwells,  or in the trunk.    

The 3rd pic shows the harness stretched across the dash.  The way you know it is located properly is to align the connectors so that they are on the correct side of the steering column.  So, for instance, the headlight switch connector stays to the left, the wiper switch connector, radio, glovebox stuff stays to the right.  If the harness reaches the right hand door jamb switch (blue and orange wires), then you are good to go.

4th pic shows my "accessory" connector wired out.  AAW provides this to feed aftermarket accessories.  I decided to wire this out and add plugs, so I can finish my harness install, but still be able to add items later to he accessory connector.   In this case, I have used 2 of the 5 connections, and 3 are "spare".   The 2 I have used are for the power top (wire 116) and on of my ignition box power feeds ( wire 103).   You can see another connector marked "I" that the orange wire goes to.  That is a new connector I added to consolidate the wires going to my EFI and Ignition Box, as some of these are shared (like the tach signal).   You will probably note the orange wire says "electric fan"...I just used an extra piece of wire I saved from trimming off the excess on that already installed wire.  I advise this, as the extra wires come in handy later.

One other thing I will mention is that many of the aftermarket accessories require both power and ground connections directly to the battery.   This is done to minimize electrical noise impact.   I have installed power and ground distribution terminal blocks under the dash to make this easy, and run dedicated cables back to my trunk mounted battery.   Much of the new boxes are actually computers... the VHX system has 2 Cat 5 Ethernet cables that is supplied it, and the Vintage air system also uses digital communication cables.   Both of those systems need dedicated power and grounds.   

Last picture is my discovery of a beverage holder in the center of the dash, which I use during my evening clean up of my shop.....

 

[Vicfreg 771]

Have a few days off from work this week, so kept moving on working on the car.

The weather here in NC was awesome today ~70 degrees, so I pushed my engine test stand outside and did my last run.  This time wanted to check the set up on my Pertronix Digital HP ignition box, and tune my PWM fan controller.   I moved to the Pertronix box due to my desire to run fuel injection, and the lack of compatibility between my Pertronix III plug and play distributor, and the FiTech system I wanted to use.  The P III distributor is a compact MSD unit with no separate ignition box, and is very small, similar to a factory distributor.  But, I needed a clean square wave signal to the EFI system. I called both Pertronix and FiTech, and the cheapest and simplest solution was to add the Pertronix DHP box, which has a separate, clean, square wave output.  So, I programmed that today ( it has a ton of features, and does not need a laptop or remote gadget to program it).   The car ran great, and my old Sun II Supertach worked fine off of the signal out of the Pertronix box.   

I also experimented with my "Cool Guy" PWM fan controller.  The owner builds these for commercial vehicles and the military, and the electronics design/construction is first class.  I opted for the in-line temperature sensor due to my radiator configuration.  I am using 2-12" Maradyne NASCAR cooling fans with a DeWitt Aluminum radiator. I was able to control the temperature in about 5 degree increments with the Cool Guy box.   I left it at 190 degrees for now.

I broke down the engine test stand to wire up my fan and ignition boxes so I can install them.   For the PWM box, I decided to use one of the AAW steering column connectors for the box to wire harness interface. This way, if I need to remove the PWM box, I can just unplug it.   

I also removed some extra wires from the Pertronix Box that I will not be using.  It has a lot of features (shift light, burn out, launch control, 3 step rev limiter) that I won't use, and I don't want the extra wires hanging around.  The Pertronix box also has a small footprint.   So, I decided to heat shrink/cap the unused wires.   

If you've never done this, I included a few pics of how I do it.  It involves using 2 heat shrink tubes that are very close in diameter.   You put the small one on first, fold it over, then put the larger one over it.  Then hit it with a heat gun, and it looks clean and neat, with no chance of a ground or short circuit.

1st pic is my PWM wiring and plug assembly

2nd pic is the in-line temperature sensor on my engine test stand

3rd pic is the DHP box with the extra wires trimmed

4th pic is the small and large heat shrink

5th pic is a bad picture of folding over the inner, small heat shrink

6th pic is the larger heat shrink placed over the small, folded heat shrink, prior to heat

7th pic is the first wire with the finished heat shrink "cap"

8th and 9th pic is all of the extra wires capped

10th pic is the DHP box and wiring

 

 

 

[Mike65 475]

WOW!!, nice work. Did you run the wires to the starter solenoid yet?. I am trying to figure do I want to run the red & purple wires under the hood along the firewall then under the fender to the solenoid, or run them in the interior & out by where the antenna lead would come in then out to the solenoid. Ideas?.