T

SPAGHETTI INCIDENT

Tips for working with a fresh wiring harness

After   this    1960    Chrysler’s  body    was placed  on  the restored    chassis,

restorer    Jerry   Kopecky began   working on  the wiring  well    before

any other   components  were    reinstalled.

Story and photos by Angelo Van Bogart

o the first-timer, a car or truck’s wiring harness looks like a giant
plate of spaghetti without a beginning or an end. Determining where
to take the first bite can be an overwhelming decision, but following the
basic principles of wiring plus the following tips can make installing a
new wiring harness a little less of a mouthful.
For this story on wiring harness tips, we followed Jerry Kopecky of
Kopecky Klassics in Iola, Wis., through the rewiring of the 1960 Chrysler
300-F convertible featured in the previous issue of Old Cars Guide to Auto
Restoration. Although the subject car is pictured here ready for wiring
following the paint process, Kopecky started working on wiring well
before he picked up his spray gun, or the sandblaster, for that matter.
“Make sure everything works before disassembly,” Kopecky warned.
Even though Kopecky is installing an entirely new wiring harness,
making sure all of a car’s components work before disassembly will
isolate trouble areas upon reassembly. Finding bad switches, worn out