Re: ‘49 Rewire

Posted by HH56 On 2022/9/6 16:14:08

New factory style harnesses have gone up quite a bit in the last few years and it also depends on the complexity, model, and how many options the car has. 49s usually have a few more options and lights so are a bit more involved than a typical 40.

Some vendors harnesses are sold in pieces and you can buy only the needed section but with others it is all or nothing. I would suggest visiting a few sites -- Rhode Island Wiring, Narraganset Reproductions, YnZ Yesterdays Parts, and Harnesses Unlimited are the main harness vendors with websites -- and download a catalog or check their listings. Potomac Packards is another that many have used but I don't believe they have a website so you would need to call them.. I expect with all of them you still will need to remove and reuse some of your light sockets or special connectors from the old loom. Also some of the old terminals are obsolete and something modern will need to be substituted which might mean a trip to the parts store if a mating side is not included and you need to connect to some other remaining wire.

The loom most in need would be the main loom which covers the dash and engine compt. You would need to either get an aux loom for the OD, turn signals and other accessories or make sure those wires are included in the main loom. To include them usually involves an add on fee.

The body loom from the dash to the trunk may not be needed as it is above the headliner, fairly well protected and not subject to movement. Unless you plan on removing the headliner it will not be accessible anyway. Some not wanting to touch a good headliner have tried to run a new body loom under the car and into the trunk. The courtesy lights are still above the headliner so if run under you need to figure out how to handle those or keep part of the old loom in use.

If you plan on doing the work yourself I would guess around $1500 for the loom portion and some extra purchase things you will probably need to get. If you plan on having someone else do the work then first you would need to find someone interested in doing it and then their hourly rate to add to the loom cost. How many hours would depend on how good the person is and whether he has done something like a loom replacement before.

If you are handy, good with electric, and can figure out from the diagram what needs to go where others who have not worried much about authenticity have used a modern street rod loom. 6v wiring is a bit problematic with modern looms because of the heavier current and larger wire size needed but some vendors do offer what they call a heavy duty loom which increases the wire size by a gauge. Prices for a modern loom is probably a third of what the factory style would cost.