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My wiring is ugly. I have a 1950 8 touring Sedan with an overdrive and electromatic clutch. I see there are a number of reputable firms that sell harnesses. My headliner, which appears to be original, would have to come out if I ran a new harness to the rear of the car.

I have no idea what a headliner would cost. Are there any good ideas on running a harness to the rear of the car that would easily work and minimize costs?

If your headliner is in good shape it would be a shame to destroy it and there are a couple of options for running the new loom if you are not concerned about absolute authenticity. A question would be exactly in how bad a condition the body loom might be in because being run in a protected channel over the doors and headliner it usually stays undisturbed and in fairly good shape. The portion in the trunk could be where deterioration might have taken place though.

The OverDrive and Electromatic are part of the main loom so not involved in anything going over the headliner. That overhead route is strictly body loom to the trunk for tail lights etc and the courtesy lights.

While I cannot say for certain the looms are the same on a 23rd series since there were different courtesy light options, on a 21st series which is the basis for the 23rd series body the courtesy light and door switches are in a separate loom. If yours is the same that loom could be kept in use and in the original location while the half dozen wires in the body loom going to the trunk could be disconnected, abandoned, and just left in place. The new body loom could go down in the space behind the kickpanel then run near the left edge of floor under the carpet just as Packard did with later models. After providing a method to get under the rear seat then go up behind the rear seat back to the package shelf area and enter the trunk almost in the same place as the original loom. At that point everything would start looking original again. There might possibly be connections needed to the body loom for the cigar lighter though.

If the courtesy light wires are in the same body loom on a 23rd series then it would be a bit more work and maybe some splicing but there is an opening at the base of the B pillars where you could bring some extra wires up to the door switches. You would probably need to make a small interconnection loom for the switches to get to the other side. That could also be run under the carpet. The difficulty might be the wires and connections to the courtesy light as those wires are all under the headliner above the rear window. Conceivably you could remove the courtesy light assy and fish wires the two or three feet over toward the side and pick up any needed wires in the body loom.

Second option would be similar except the new loom would go under the car and be clamped next to the brake line on the left frame rail. A grommeted hole would be made in the trunk floor near the left tail light where the loom would enter. This is the method Packard had mechanics use when adding a reverse light. You would probably need to supply some kind of weather protection for the loom if you chose that route though. Getting wires to the door switches and courtesy light would again be the issue.

Thank you.

Yeah like Howard said I would run it under the carpet. Should work just fine.

Yes, under the carpet and over the rear wheel arch from inside rather than under the car

I agree, under the carpet and splice if/where necessary. (Maybe splice all the wires that run overhead at the front and back of the cabin and don't run under the carpet at all??) Pretty safe to say the wires running overhead are okay and will last for another 75 years, or more.

Whichever way you go, I wouldn't sacrifice an original headliner. It's only original once!

'51-54 convertibles and hardtops run the loom inside under the carpet. It come down from the dash on the firewall next to the accelerator pedal, then lays next to the transmission tunnel, through the footrest, and through the support for the lower rear seat. Then goes to the driver's side of the body, over the rear wheel well and into the trunk. I would assume the same could be done with the '48-50 sedans.

You can see the harness in this picture

This is the headliner I have now.

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This is an example of the wiring.

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I would say definitely look into getting a main dash and engine harness. Whether you need the separate body harness is a question you should check out carefully as generally except in the trunk area those are not subject to flexing and being damaged..

If like the 47 the body loom wires are individual and not wrapped in loom wrap or braiding, They go thru an opening below the drivers side windshield, up the A pillar into a channel running above the doors. A splice near the middle brings the body feed wire down the B pillar to a hole at floor level where it joins via inline connector a wire coming from the front seat for the cigar lighter. If the car has courtesy lights on the seat back, wires for those are present in the B pillar and at floor level too. The half dozen or so wires in the body loom going to the trunk are connected to the main harness via inline connectors located under the dash. If the wires under the dash and in the trunk are serviceable you probably do not need a new body loom.

Here is a catalog listing of two of the selections Rhode Island Wiring offers and there is another for the Custom 8 model. Whichever company you go with should have something comparable both in price and selection. When you order be sure to have the chassis and body numbers handy as there are could be some subtle differences in looms between the various body and chassis designations. Also check the list for various options that might need wires should you want to order any of the other individual harnesses.