Posted by Keith in Washington [108.162.246.30] on Thursday, June 02, 2016 at 19:38:34 :
In Reply to: Opinions on DIY Wiring posted by Greg Coffin [108.162.221.69] on Thursday, June 02, 2016 at 15:33:11 :
I have wired 2 trucks myself. I start with many rolls of wire of different colors a bunch of connectors and a Painless fuse block. The first truck was done with a few basic circuits and a fuse block. When I did the carryall, it became quite complex but not difficult. It has multiple circuits and fuse blocks. It has one main fuse block for the basic systems. I added a couple of smaller fuse blocks for specific systems as I added on as I ran out of circuits on the main fuse block. I just did one circuit at a time and was able keep things straight. The carryall had a complex sound system, alarm system that integrated into a built in cell system. Then there was all the dash and lighting and ignition system with relays in high draw systems. I added an electronic ignition system and ARB locker and pump later on. There were a few other systems added.
Most of the added systems like the alarm and sound system, for example, came with wiring diagrams, all I had to figure out was what circuit I tied them into. The dash, lights and ignition are simple and straight forward.
Don't use crimp connectors. They can cause heat build up and a fire. Solder the connections and use shrink tubing and not electrical tape. The first truck I did someone had used crimp and butt connectors. Many of the connections you could seen burned insulation on the wires leaving bear wire exposed on each each side of the connectors.
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