EZwiring harness

[derek]

So I will be redoing my wiring harness in the next couple of weeks with an EZwiring harness (12 Standard model) and was wondering where people have been mounting their fuse block and relays.

I would love to hear any issues / ideas you may have had during your installation.


I have a 1973 Series III 88 LHD

[thixon]

Here's where I decided on mounting mine. The trucks not on the road yet, so I can't give feedback on performace yet. The bundle of wires will be covered with PET, and I plan on mounting relays and a grounding block inside the center dash section covered by the gauges. I do have the ignition circuit wired so I can start the motor, and so far I'm pleased with the ez harness.

Don't forget to install the fusable link, or you'll void the warranty.

[superstator]

I did a painless this winter and ended up putting it in the passenger footwell, so the wire bundle comes through the firewall just inside of the heater. If I had it to do over again, I'd get the remote mount version and put it under the driver seat, though. Only big issue I had was that for my diesel I'd planned on using the coil circuit for glow plugs, but they draw too much current for the fuseblock. I've got it jury rigged without a fuse for now, but I need to fix that more permanently.

The turn signals were a little funny too - I can't remember exactly what the issue was, but I ended up putting a couple diodes in strategic places to make it behave the way I wanted. Something to do with hazard lights, maybe...

100% worth the trouble though - I haven't had to jump start since

[Crash]

I have looked at this type of setup with interest and have observed a number of owners going to this wiring system. Where does such an alteration fit into the purists view on such matters.

Not sure if I am rebuilding or restoring at this point so I am interested in how you chose this over a "rover" harness. I understand that it is modern and provides more circuits etc but it is a shift from the original style. Is that simply not a concern or does function triumph over a "new" but old harness.


Crash

[Eric W S]

I have looked at this type of setup with interest and have observed a number of owners going to this wiring system. Where does such an alteration fit into the purists view on such matters.

Not sure if I am rebuilding or restoring at this point so I am interested in how you chose this over a "rover" harness. I understand that it is modern and provides more circuits etc but it is a shift from the original style. Is that simply not a concern or does function triumph over a "new" but old harness.


Crash

For purists, it doesn't fit at all. A restoration is putting everything back to the way LR did it at the factory.

If you are trying to be sympathetic in your restoration, you could take the cloth harness and update it to include modern fuses. I have seen this done very well by David Cooper at Cooper Technica. You get the look and the modernity. But you are paying a premium as you will have to buy all the modern parts...

Its a personal choice. I like the bladed fuses, but ended up ordering the original cloth braided harness for my truck. Just the direction I chose.

[superstator]

I'm not purist, and from my perspective my truck already had so many things "off" about it it was an easy call.

That said, even if I were starting over to do a very "correct" restoration, a modern wiring harness (including an alternator and neg ground conversion if applicable) would be the first compromise I'd consider - it's probably the weakest link in any car from that period, and upgrading it gives you a lot of reliability and peace of mind for very little cosmetic difference.

[greenmeanie]

Not sure if I am rebuilding or restoring at this point so I am interested in how you chose this over a "rover" harness. I understand that it is modern and provides more circuits etc but it is a shift from the original style. Is that simply not a concern or does function triumph over a "new" but old harness.


Crash

You get more fuse protection for less money with the aftermarket harness is my simple consideration. Unless you are looking for originality in a restoration, or at least an original look as Eric says, the OEM harness doesn't really compete. If you plan on upgrading your truck with accessories such as halogen lights, driving lights, winch etc. you'll be hacking the original harness about anyway.

You have ask yourself what you want out of your truck and go from there.

I put mine in the old tool/battery box under the driver's seat on my 109. I then had to add a bolt in gearbox cross member to allow gearbox access without pulling the seat box. That's a lot of hassle for a rewiring job but in my case it makes sense given the other modifications I am making.

Here's a piccie.

[thixon]

I'm not purist, and from my perspective my truck already had so many things "off" about it it was an easy call.

That said, even if I were starting over to do a very "correct" restoration, a modern wiring harness (including an alternator and neg ground conversion if applicable) would be the first compromise I'd consider - it's probably the weakest link in any car from that period, and upgrading it gives you a lot of reliability and peace of mind for very little cosmetic difference.

X2.

As stated above, a common weak link in many brit cars from the 50's/60's70's is the electrical system. Most blame it on Lucas, and they're welcome to. In my experience, its best to replace the electricals on any old brit car you plan on driving. I've had success with many, replacing with the original set up. Once you run through it, even a lucas system can be pretty dependable.

If its a car of decent value, and I know a replacement with non-original will negativly effect the value, then I'll go original. For example, the AH 100-4 in the garage next to the rover will be getting an original harness and other electrical bits. If I were to ez wire that one, it would drive the price down thousands of dollars.
When it comes to rovers, my motivation is different. I see a rover as a tool to use, and I don't mind making upgrades that make sense. In this case, having a blade style box, with seperated circuits makes great sense. If I add lighting, a winch, or other items, I won't be adding stress to the original system that I'll have to find a way to overcome. In addition, there are a lot of rover enthusiasts who feel the same way, so I don't feel I'm devaluing the vehicle signifigantly. Many actually see it for the upgrade that it is.

my 2 cents.

[Bertha]

If I was looking to buy a Rover and saw a non-original harness in it, I would close the hood and run away fast. Unless you are trying to be cheap and save a buck, I really dont see the sense of a non oem harness. They have served me well in the many british cars I have owned, over the years, for 200k+ miles. When you keep things original, you know what you have, and that reduces a lot of guess work when troubleshooting a problem IMO.

[Bertha]

If you plan on upgrading your truck with accessories such as halogen lights, driving lights, winch etc. you'll be hacking the original harness about anyway.

Not really true. I have an original style harness in my truck, non hacked, with seperate relays(to handle the extra load) that run into the original fuse box for lights(6 of them), winch and a heated windscreen and have never had a problem with it.

[navydevildoc]

I went way overboard on my IIA. I designed and built a custom harness from the ground up. I placed the fuses and relays inside waterproof boxes from Hella that are on a plate that then mounts to the left hand side footwell, but in the engine comartment (where the pedals would have been if it wasn't right hand drive).

That way I could fuse everything, add some relays where it made sense, as well as add circuits for modern things like GPS.

[greenmeanie]

Not really true. I have an original style harness in my truck, non hacked, with seperate relays(to handle the extra load) that run into the original fuse box for lights(6 of them), winch and a heated windscreen and have never had a problem with it.

Simple question - what fuse rating are you running to handle that load across the two original fuses and what is the maximum current rating of the minimum sized wire in that fused circuit. I'll bet you'll find the margin is suprisingly narrow.

As a rule here's what your OEM wire can take
14 strand = 18Ga = 8 Amps
28 strand = 14Ga = 17.5 Amps
44 strand = 12Ga = 25.5 Amps
65 strand = 10Ga = 35 Amps.

If your fuses are rated higher than the wire in the harness you'll find your running a very expensive fusible link. I'd rather have 12, 18 or 20 seperate circuits all fused over two big fuses.

[greenmeanie]

If I was looking to buy a Rover and saw a non-original harness in it, I would close the hood and run away fast. Unless you are trying to be cheap and save a buck, I really dont see the sense of a non oem harness. They have served me well in the many british cars I have owned, over the years, for 200k+ miles. When you keep things original, you know what you have, and that reduces a lot of guess work when troubleshooting a problem IMO.

A well designed and installed harness should be documented. I have a wiring diagram for the entire truck and a pin out diagram for each connector. On the other hand, I build my trucks for me and not as an investment for the next owner.

There are many badly installed aftermarket systems out there but equally, almost every LR I have ever looked at has had the original system modified in some fashion. I assess the work that has been done and the state of the system over knee jerking about original components. In the grand scheme of things that can be wrong with a truck $400 for a harness and a weekend or two of installation work is not the driving factor I use to assess a vehicle. It may affect price but that's about it.

Ah I'll do it for giggles. Crimp vs solder?

[Bertha]

A well designed and installed harness should be documented. I have a wiring diagram for the entire truck and a pin out diagram for each connector. On the other hand, I build my trucks for me and not as an investment for the next owner.

There are many badly installed aftermarket systems out there but equally, almost every LR I have ever looked at has had the original system modified in some fashion. I assess the work that has been done and the state of the system over knee jerking about original components. In the grand scheme of things that can be wrong with a truck $400 for a harness and a weekend or two of installation work is not the driving factor I use to assess a vehicle. It may affect price but that's about it.

Ah I'll do it for giggles. Crimp vs solder?

I have not seen your work, however judging by your posts on the board, I am sure your harness looks and functions quite well, which is not typical of those installing aftermarket systems. My post was more for the benefit of those who are not as knowledgeable and think that an aftermarket harness is going to be an easier and better solution-which it is not in most cases.

[Bertha]

Simple question - what fuse rating are you running to handle that load across the two original fuses and what is the maximum current rating of the minimum sized wire in that fused circuit. I'll bet you'll find the margin is suprisingly narrow.

As a rule here's what your OEM wire can take
14 strand = 18Ga = 8 Amps
28 strand = 14Ga = 17.5 Amps
44 strand = 12Ga = 25.5 Amps
65 strand = 10Ga = 35 Amps.

If your fuses are rated higher than the wire in the harness you'll find your running a very expensive fusible link. I'd rather have 12, 18 or 20 seperate circuits all fused over two big fuses.

Fully aware of the above and am not running off the original fuse box. I have a seperate hidden box to handle the extra juice, however to my point, no cutting of my original harness was necessary and there are no stray wires running around my engine bay. When you open the hood it essentially looks stock, except for a couple extra relays.