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Rewiring Your Alpine

B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Just ran across this site:

keepitcleanwiring.com

They have a lot of stuff, prices appear to be very competitive, $150 for a 20 circuit kit. They also have an *ss kicking help feature: pdf downloadable instrucions and schematics for about all aspects of wiring your car. This is available on line to all.

I recently bought an EZ Wiring kit. The quality appears to be good and they offer unlimited phone help, but not much information on the nuts and bolts of how a car should be wired. It's more of "hook this wire here". Not much help when you need to understand the wiring in order to do something different. Doing things differently seems to be the story of my life.

Bill
 
Jim E

Jim E

Donation Time
Bill,
I am putting a new harness in an Alpine right now, only it is a French A110 built in Mexico, the replacment harness is an after market that the colors do not match and the schmatic is in German....
 
S

SDuncan

Donation Time
I bought the EZ minifuse kit as well. It is well-labelled but I haven't yet begun to actually hook anything up. There seems to be a lot more there than I'll make use of. Other than the engine and the dash, there isn't a whole lot left on these cars that requires power.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that my car might actually be ready to start up by month end.
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Scott, which engine will you be starting?

I thought there would be a lot of wires that would not be used. I did take out the power antenna wire, radio, power windows and locks, but I think I will keep most of the rest. Will have air conditioning, electric fuel pump, windshield washers and interior lights. Am keeping the electric fan wire "just in case".
Bill
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Thought I would post an update on the rewiring. Things are not going peachy-keen. The problem is the kit is geared toward the American hot rod icon, the Chevrolet.

The problems are due to the different layout of the Alpine and Chevy. The Chevy (and I suppose all older Ameridfan iron) has the fuse box under the dash. The Alpines, of course, have no accessable place under the dash for the fuses. As a result, a lot of the wires are too short and wires with relays attached have to go through the firewall. In addition, I decided to use relays to power accessories in order to take some load off the ignition switch.

So, all in all, its been fun. Figuring out how the fusebox is wired, rebundling of wires, stretching wires, putting large objects through small holes. If you rewire, try to find a kit that is more universal or designed for underhood fusebox.

Bill
 
Wombat

Wombat

Donation Time
I did mine the hard(?) way with rolls of wire, connectors, terminals and a soldering iron.
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
I considered that approach, but the lure of a prewired fuse block, labelled, proper gauge wire for a price less than the components was to strong. There is nothing wrong with the kit, just designed too closely for the wrong type of application. If a few wires were just a couple of feet longer.....
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Wrong? Probably nothing. It looks like a replacement for the stock harness.

Electically, as well as mechanically, there is nothing stock about my car, other than the switches and wipers. Has air conditioning, Mitsubishi alternator, electric fuel pump, GM ignition, afermarket gauges and a Ford engine, which is wired on the opposite side of the car than the Rootes engine. In addition, the factory heater fan is gone, I will have to mount the windshield washer bottle in a strange location and I might have to go with an electric radiator fan.

So I find little reason to use the stock harness, especially as it has only two (2) fuses and sends all the accessory electrical load through the ignition switch.

Bob, when are you going to retire again so you can go to another Invasion? Barb is wanting to visit with Judy.

Bill
 
S

SDuncan

Donation Time
Bill Blue said:
Scott, which engine will you be starting?
Bill
Click to expand...

I am going to stick with the 2.3. I like the simplicity of the NA 2.0 but the extra power of the turbo will be nice. I am waiting for a friend to wire it for me. What will take him hours would take me months!:confused:

I mounted my EZ fuse box near the firewall inside the driver's side and brought the wires into the engine bay from there. Everything seems to be okay so far, but nothing has been hooked up yet. I bought the Ford-style harness. Does it make a difference?
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
SDuncan said:
I bought the Ford-style harness. Does it make a difference?
Click to expand...


Beats me. I did not know they offered a Ford harness. What I got is the mini 20, has GM connectors and some instructions for use on Fords and Mopars. If I had mounted mine under the dash it would have worked better. The problem is same as real estate, Location, Location, Location! As I get older, vision is taking a real tumble. I could not find a place that I thought would let me see the damn things, either to install or check, say in 5 years when I'll probably be driving by Braille.

Bill
 
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