50s Newsreel

Come enjoy family, friends and your Austin Healey at Encounter 2010! Encounter is the AHSTC’s largest event of the year. Our annual car meet is open to all enthusiasts of the Healey Marque. This event is usually held on the third weekend of August each year, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or New York, depending on the region hosting the event. Encounter has become a multi-day, “family” event, with attendees coming from all over the country to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and fun activities. Activities are always planned for the young and for those who prefer some non-Healey variety. Encounter is one of the three Austin-Healey events held each year with a National Concours Committee-sanctioned Concours d’Elegance, judged by authorized NCC officials.
When: Aug 11, 2010
Where: Normandy Farm
1431 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA

Installing a New Wiring Harness

by Richard Ippoliti
AHSTC North Jersey Region
June 2008

I own a 1959 100-6 BN4 that was in need of a wiring upgrade.  I knew that I had a short somewhere in the harness as one of my signal lamps was not working properly (flasher flashing too rapidly) and the entire harness was pretty ratty.  However, when I experienced a short in the plate lamp and the short burned off almost 3 feet of insulation I knew it was time to take action.  I was somewhat hesitant to undertake the task myself but felt that there is no better way to understand what you have than to jump into a project and see it to completion.  Besides, I felt that there are enough members in the AHSTC that I am sure would be more than willing to give me a hand should I need it.  So let me take you on a journey that took about 40 hours on and off over a period of 2 weeks.

Shopping Around
My first step was to shop around for a replacement harness.  I checked out the catalogues from the usual suspects like Moss, Healey Surgeons, Victoria British and British Wiring (BW).  Before contacting anyone I pulled some information off of the internet to understand exactly what needed to be ordered.  The Victoria British and British Wiring web sites provided good information on the harnesses but I found the BW site was more detailed in that it was specific to each model Healey.  I also spoke to some colleagues and found that British Wiring had a good reputation for a quality product.  So I chose BW and I found them to be very cooperative and patient despite all of my phone calls.

Preparation

1. Before the new harness arrived, my first step was to create an enlargement of the wiring schematic that would be used as a reference as I began installing the harness.  I redrew the wiring schematic into a 20 by 30 inch diagram insuring that each wire carried the correct color code number assignment.
2. Once I received the harness, I unpacked each component of the harness and laid them out on the floor to get a sense of how it went together; main harness to rear, rear to tail brake lights, main to front, etc.
3. This next step took a lot of time, but I feel it was the most productive step in the entire process; with wiring diagram in hand and my trusty volt-ohmmeter I proceeded to verify and label the connection points of every wire in the harness.  When compete I knew where every wire originated and terminated and where harnesses connected to each other. (I know some of you will say just follow the color codes and you should be ok).  This process picked up a wiring modification for one connection such that I had BW go back to the engineers in England for verification.  So my diligence paid off.  I also found that the BW harness color coding was right on target.
4. To be complete the harness requires single and double electrical connectors not provided (about 10), new wiring clips and new grommets.  To determine how many connectors I needed, I laid the harness out on the floor again and with all wires labeled, I could establish where a connector was required.  I also ordered the new grommets and wiring clips.

Where to Begin
I guess you can start anywhere, but I decided to work from the back to the front since the wiring here is pretty basic. Before starting any work, disconnect the battery.   By the way, I should state that because of other work being done, the engine in my car was pulled out (this is another story).  This made the work up front a lot easier.

As I replaced each wire, I put a red dot at both ends of the wire on the enlarged schematic.  So when I was done, I knew everything was connected and accounted for.

1. I started with the rear light harness by clipping the leads to each lamp leaving a pigtail to verify color codes.  Replacement required removing the lamps to gain access to the connections.  Each wire was removed and the new one soldered to the bullet connector and re-installed.  As each lamp was completed, it was reassembled.  When complete, I had replaced wires to each brake/tail lamps, battery master switch, fuel pump and fuel gauge sending unit.
2. The brake/tail lamp harness connects to a harness that runs through the left side of the rear fire wall, underneath the car along the left side rail and connects to the main harness in the engine compartment.  Reminder:  don’t forget to install the new grommets where the harness goes through a firewall before making connections.
3. Once in the engine compartment I worked the right and left sides of the main harness clipping pigtails and replacing wires and clips. It is somewhat awkward getting to the headlamp harness and pigtails, but just take your time.  With the engine out it saved me a lot of work of having to remove the grill assembly to get to the harness and clips that run across the front of the engine compartment.
4. This next step was the point of no return; cutting the main harness going into the dash.  Same processes as before; cut and leave pigtails off each gauge and switch and with each wire labeled to where it connects the job went smoothly.  All the gauges, switches and lamps were accounted for (no wires left over), in addition to the wiper motor, high beam switch and heater motor.

Save the old harness for spare parts.  The picture below shows what you end up with when the job is done.

Checking Your Work
I reinstalled the battery with the intention of finding out how I did.  I knew that once I turned the key on, I would start pumping fuel so I had a container ready to catch the fuel.  I turned the key on and the fuel pump worked, the fuel gauge worked, I had lights and high beams.  That is where I stopped as the container was filling up with fuel and I did not want to waste it.  (I have since learned that by plugging the fuel line it will stop pumping once it meets some resistance).  Well I continued verifying my work and as it turned out, I had one error.  The last thing I wired up was the wiper motor.  It was here that I found I had reversed two wires of very similar color; Black with Green and Green with Black.  It was getting late and I was at the end of my day.  Anyhow, I fixed this error with little trouble right at the firewall.  Job completed.

This does not constitute a complete list of sources but is intended to be a starting point for people new to Healeys / British Cars.

A. USE THE INTERNET!!! (See The LINKS page)

• Probably the most powerful tool for finding a car. Many Healey and British car web sites have want ads and club listings.
• Classified ad sites are a good resource for finding cars.
• Most Car Magazines have sites as well. Not only can you find cars for sale, but many allow you to place “want” ads.
• You can join a Healey “mailing list” (see SOL on the “LINKS” page) that allows you to send and receive email to other members of the mailing list. Using the mailing list You can broadcast your “Want ad” to all members as well as ask technical questions.

B. GO TO HEALEY AND BRITISH CAR EVENTS – - You will almost always find cars for sale.

C. JOIN THE CLUBS – - Newsletters and club meetings/events are a great resource.

D. BUY COMMERCIAL PERIODICALS - British Car Magazine, Hemmings Motor News, Road and Track, etc. all have classified ads and event listings.

E. Familiarize yourself with Healeys. Buy a book that tells you about the marque and allows you to determine the condition of the car and originality. (“Resources” button on the home page)

F. Once you’ve found a potential car, evaluate it carefully. If you are not familiar with Healeys, and don’t know what constitutes a “good” car, use the above resources to find out. In general, consider the following:

• All Healeys RUST. Body/frame condition is all important, and can cost a bundle to fix. Unfortunately, it is very easy to hide these problems from a potential buyer. Be careful to distinguish between mere cosmetics and real structural problems. Look for rust problems in these areas:
  • Rear of front wheel wells, front of rear wheel wells. (Big Healey)
  • Rocker panels (Big Healey and Sprite)
  • Bottoms of front and rear fenders (Big Healey and Sprite)
  • Frame extensions (outriggers) perpendicular to main frame rails located beneath cockpit. (Big Healey)
  • Forward attaching point of leaf springs (Sprite)
  • Narrow panel between front edge of door opening and rear edge of front fender. (Sprite)
  • If undercoating has been applied to the underside and/or wheel wells, be suspicious. Undercoating was not applied to these cars at the factory, and is now used to hide problems.
• Mechanical condition is secondary. Healeys will run great until they rust in half. Mechanicals are the easiest thing to fix.
• Remember, restorations can be expensive. If a Big Healey is really
  rusty – and that’s often the case – the restoration cost can easily get to
  2x or 3x the value of the car..
• If you are still uncertain about the cars condition, have a reputable restorer or mechanic evaluate the car