Wiring

A new wiring harness may seem like a drastic step because of one short circuit and some smoke. How hard could it be? The wiring from the factory had just two fused circuits. And, as readers of my Factory Five 818 blog have seen, I have experience with electrical systems. The picture on the right is the wiring harness for my Factory Five 818 component car ready to be lifted into the 818’s chassis. That harness had connections for three computers (engine, air bags, and body control), not to mention electric windows, power mirrors, and air conditioning. The Sunbeam engineers could only dream of such features.

The new wiring harness from a Sunbeam enthusiast in South Dakota turned out to be a generic kit intended for hot rod builders but with specific instructions for Sunbeam Alpines. One set of wires runs from the new fuse panel to switches on the dash. A second set connects the switches to the lights and instruments.On the right, you can see the new fuse panel, mounted inside the engine compartment on the left fender. You can see the fuel filter in the upper left corner.

The larger wire bundle on the right takes power from the panel inside the car. The smaller bundle on the left takes power from the relay switches, the three black cubes on the left, to the headlights and horns. So far, a neat installation.

Inside the car is another story. I had to remove the dashboard, carpet, and a trim panel to route the wires. On the right, I have pulled the main power wires from the engine into the passenger compartment. Some of the wires, for example for the fuel pump, are ready for placement under the seat carpet for routing to the rear of the car. Others are test fitted into the dashboard, where they will be connected to the appropriate switches. The large bundle of wires on the floor will connect dash switches to the turn signals and other lights, the heater fan, and a few instruments.

After some rearranging of the many wires into place, I began to make connections. I started with the ignition switch on the assumption that I would need this in place to test the other switches. On the right is the ignition switch hanging under the dash with wires attached. The connectors are crimped to the wires, and then these are slid onto the spades on the back of the switch. You may notice a combination of yellow and blue connectors. The yellow ones are for thicker wires, e.g. the red main power wire. The blue connectors carry less current, and I used these for the coil and alternator test light. 

After a few hours, I had connected the heater fan, headlight, and turn signal switches. My pace improved, I think because (1) I was getting more comfortable with the crimping tool and (2) the number of wires to be addressed was diminishing. No more coil of wires under the dash in the picture to the right. You can see a few switches hanging under the dash and many fewer wires poking through holes.