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American Autowire 510634

rmchrgr

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My '68 Coronet needs to be completely rewired, I'm tired of fighting with it. Just about to pull the trigger on this kit below;

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aww-510634

Read a lot of good stuff about these kits though they do utilize a lot of generic pieces. If there is anyone reading who has installed one of these, can you tell me if there are any real negatives? Do any components need to be 're-engineered' to make them work in a Chrysler product? I'm thinking I might want to de-pin their steering column connector to make it work with the OE end that comes out of the column. Good quality wire, terminals etc?

Thanks for any input.

Greg
 
Just finished installing one in my Charger. Well thought out kit and Quality components.. Ign and T/S get modified to GM connectors and front T/S lamps. You also have to drill 2 holes for the Bulk head connector.
 
I got one also, still installing engine bay wiring, nice set, lots of grounds, plenty of hook ups for anything you want to add, and like Derwud said very well thought out, buy the crimpers!
 
Thanks fellas, good to hear that it's a quality kit. I ordered it, will be here in a few days. I got crimpers up the wazoo.


Wait, that didn't sound right...
 
Got my wiring the other day and finally got around to checking it out today. It's a quality kit, the connectors and wiring look to be good quality. Wire looks like the TXL "Tuff Wire" type which is good, durable stuff. So far so good.

Unfortunately, when I opened the bag to inspect the main dash harness, I found that one of the mounting tabs on the replacement 'bulkhead' connector was broken off. I hate returning stuff but no doubt it would be warranted here. See the pics below.

Broken tab.
IMG_2200.JPG


Good tab.
IMG_2201.JPG


Now, I know it's not a huge deal but this is the main connection point for the entire harness. It looks like it will 'probably work' but I won't know for sure until I actually mount the thing. My concern is that it won't be able to sit flush against the firewall even though there are pretty big screws provided to hold it in place. There's still some of the locator cylinder left, maybe it'll be enough to keep it from rocking.

I could ignore the broken tab and move forward but I'm not in a rush so maybe the wise thing to do would be to return it. Have not opened anything else yet.

Bummer, crummy way to start out this project, I was all excited to get started.
 
That sucks... I wonder if it was a return?
 
That sucks... I wonder if it was a return?

Pretty sure it was since there was a piece of red tape across the box that said "secured" and "opened". Doh!
Perhaps the highly-trained individual that inspected the return didn't see the broken tab and figured it was good to go.

Going to give AAW a call and see what they advise. I still think it's probably OK but better safe than sorry.
 
Pretty sure it was since there was a piece of red tape across the box that said "secured" and "opened". Doh!
Perhaps the highly-trained individual that inspected the return didn't see the broken tab and figured it was good to go.

Going to give AAW a call and see what they advise. I still think it's probably OK but better safe than sorry.
I agree.. No one will ever see it, but for the price, I want it right..
 
I used American Autowire too, mine was a 21 circuit universal one. I switch everything except the wiper switch over to a more readily available one then swapped the column over to the plug in that they supplied. My 2 speed wiper wiring was about the only thing I to figure out since it uses a unique switch.

When you say crimpers out the wazoo make sure that includes a W style crimper since they use the nice open barrel terminals.
 
I agree.. No one will ever see it, but for the price, I want it right..

Spoke to their tech line, won’t e a problem to use it as-is. It’s pretty much up to me whether I want to pursue a return with Summit. AAW said they would send me a new connector but that involves me re-pinning the entire thing. I’ve done stuff like that but I’m not interested in getting involved with it here.

Still on the fence but if I know myself at all I will hem and haw about sending it back for a couple weeks then will wind up using it anyway.
 
Last edited:
Decided to keep the harness and use it as-is. As I expected, I hemmed and hawed but in the end it wasn't worth the hassle of boxing it back up.

Anyway, couple questions now that I've looked at it a little;
  • Did you use the existing hole in the firewall to mount the main connector? If you didn't use the existing spot, where'd you put it?
  • Did you remove the interior? I might since I'm changing to bucket seats anyway. Fishing the tail light harness through to the trunk with the rear seat installed is probably not happening.
  • Did you remove the dash? I don't think it's necessary. Going to swap to a floor shift column and a 4 speed pedal so that should provide enough room to finagle stuff around.
  • What ignition system did you use? Planning on stepping up to a Sniper EFI system in the near future (using the Holley ign.) but I may have to buy a CD box type for now.
  • What alternator did you use? I currently have a Denso 60A. Not really a "1 wire" but it is internally regulated unlike the OE type. Just more curious than anything.
Any other input to share is appreciated.
 
1) Stock Location with the bolts.
2) Yes, but the dash was back in when I did the instrument harness.. (Second harness I put in this car, Only removed rear seat bottom and sill plates to fish the wire through.)
3) See #2..
4) Running a MSD dist and GM HEI module, but the system is HUGELY adaptable to what ever you are running.
5) The ign feed wire goes to the Alt field before going to the ign module.
 
Awesome, thanks. Sill plates are out already though I can't exactly remember why. Staring at that giant bench seat has me thinking that it's probably (definitely) somewhat (way) heavier than the one that I wrestled (near death experience) out of my Duster.

Not sure when I will start on this in earnest, hopefully sooner than later. Yanking stuff out is never a problem (except for bench seats) but having stuff ready to put back in when the wiring is done is another story.
 
For people considering American Auto Wiring we are one their dealers. So with that in mind you can take advantage of our member discount.

Thanks
James From
PST
 
Heck yeah! Get this! Well worth it!

Got it already dude.

As far as it being well worth it, $900 bones for a box of wire and a couple generic connectors? I'll have to mull that one over. IMO, the engineering is minimal. Unfortunately it's pretty much the same with most aftermarket harness out there that apply generic/GM circuitry to fit any make or model.

I would be more impressed if they based their "Mopar" product on the original Chrysler circuitry and layouts. No, the electrons don't care either way but when you know something generic is 'made to work' it can be a bit of a bummer knowing that you probably paid too much for a box of wire and some generic connectors.

Deep-set, internalized opinions and broken main connector aside, I agree that it seems like a decent enough product at first glance. We'll see how it all turns out.

For people considering American Auto Wiring we are one their dealers. So with that in mind you can take advantage of our member discount.

Where were you before I went and bought the thing from Summit? Since I'm not too keen on having my thread co-opted as a sales pitch without my consent, how 'bout sending me that discount I missed out on as payment?
 
We have been on this forum as a paying sponsor since 2011 our ad is on the right hand side of each page. Which allows us to post. We have also offered the members of this forum a discount since that time on any order over $200 with free shipping (48 states).

Unfortunately I can't offer a discount or refund on a product that was not purchased from us.

Thanks
James
 
Got it already dude.

As far as it being well worth it, $900 bones for a box of wire and a couple generic connectors? I'll have to mull that one over. IMO, the engineering is minimal. Unfortunately it's pretty much the same with most aftermarket harness out there that apply generic/GM circuitry to fit any make or model.

I would be more impressed if they based their "Mopar" product on the original Chrysler circuitry and layouts. No, the electrons don't care either way but when you know something generic is 'made to work' it can be a bit of a bummer knowing that you probably paid too much for a box of wire and some generic connectors.

Deep-set, internalized opinions and broken main connector aside, I agree that it seems like a decent enough product at first glance. We'll see how it all turns out.

Where were you before I went and bought the thing from Summit? Since I'm not too keen on having my thread co-opted as a sales pitch without my consent, how 'bout sending me that discount I missed out on as payment?

There's a lot of major improvements over the stock wiring system. It's as close to the old school system as it can be to function yet providing many modern upgraded features. It's not prefect, but it's better functioning than stock repos and should work well for you.

I'm not looking to rewire my entire car, but this thread did get me looking at their website. Their Severe Duty Relay Panel looks like just the thing I need to finish my EFI upgrade. I will need to convert the headlight switch to a ground trigger and completely change the high beam warning light to a LED with 1k ohm resistor tapped into either side of the high-beam switch. That should be easy enough to do.

Here's the item I'm getting:
https://www.americanautowire.com/view-product/510599-severe-duty-relay-panel/
 
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