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I have seen multiple sources for new wiring harnesses (e.g. HarnessesUnlimited.com)
Are there sources that emphasize authenticity and others that emphasize best technology (old or new) for a long lasting harness? Comments or source recommendations appreciated)

The car is a 1947 Super Clipper Touring Sedan

Harnesses Unlimited, for me, would be the last resort after talking with them recently. They said they were too busy to answer so if their pre-sale support is so bad, I can’t imagine what their post-sale support would be like! You pay more but get fantastic support and excellent authentic products through YnZ’s Yesterdays Parts than anywhere else.

Cannot help with a vendor suggestion as I have had no harnesses made but believe all are comparably priced and use similar quality components. Harnesses usually come in several segments depending on models and options. One vendor might advertise a cheaper price on one segment of a harness but if you are buying a complete multi segment replacement he will often make up for it on another portion.

When you get a vendor suggestion I would also ask the recommended vendor or the one you decide to use if they sell individual sockets and terminals separately as utility items and how quick is shipping if you should run across a need during the installation. Also ask if there are any connectors or sockets or portions of your old harness that are absolutely not replaceable and will need to be removed and reused. Some of the sockets, holders and terminals are obsolete and there is no choice but to reuse the old or use something modern but on others as I learned in a recent post, there are some obsolete items where a vendor has had them repro'd but availability is not well advertised.

47 uses Wade connectors to splice segments of harnesses together and while Wade terminals and single circuit inline connectors are available, the dual circuit in the same housing and the 4 wire single circuit connectors used both in the trunk and under the dash are hard to come by. Those you will probably need to reuse and if the terminals have never been out of the connectors before may be hard to remove. Take care not to break anything in the connectors when removing them from the old harness. If the car has factory turn signals, there are two resistors in the indicator light circuits that are mounted in what looks like two metal fuse holders that are covered by a cardboard tube. Those are positioned along the wiring under the dash. The specific size holders and the fuse like cartridge resistors may also not be readily found and may need to be reused.

As Howard pointed out and as YnZ's Yesterdays Parts makes clear on their site, some original connectors, fuse holders and other components that are not being reproduced must be sent in with the order. Harnesses Unlimited makes no such statement so it can be presumed that they are using some sort of non-authentic or generic replacement. Of course, as I said, I could not get these questions answered as they were "too busy" to take the time to do so.

Wire quality should be of no concern. The reproduced cloth wire has normal insulation under the cloth and will last a century or more without risk of electrical issues.

I don’t know anything about what they may have now, but my dad bought a new wiring harness from Kanter for my 1937 138CD.

I have installed it and everything was really good, including the documentation.

I do have the receipt from Dad, and it showed it was originally backordered. I have no idea how long it took for Dad to get it.

It does seem to be very good quality. All of the color codes matched the Packard wiring diagrams perfectly, and everything seemed to fit well.

Potomac Packard will make you a very nice harness. 706 746 2318 potomacpackard@windstream.net

been years, but used Naragansett for my 1940 super.

AA115C for including your '47 Custom Super Clipper Eight Touring Sedan in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.