Time to rewire a 1964 IIa 88 - Land Rovers Only

creativefilmcars · 06-22-2007, 02:48 PM

The story that follows is, I am sure, terribly familiar but please bear with me.

My wiring loom looks as if a blind, epileptic monkey with two thumbs tried to make a hammock for a snake. In the mess are fittings for six different cars, trucks and possible a Iowa class battleship.

The truck has 2.25 with an alternator, the battery is negative grounded, and it has three ignition switches (to which I have no keys).

Now I want to tear out this copper abomination as start anew. I'd rather not return it to positive ground. Any words of advice?

I redid a 1966 IIa while living in England. It had a Ford V6 in it and I had to have a custom loom made.

A photo of a unmolested 2a dashboard would be of immense help as mine is a carnival of unmarked switches an lights.

Cheers,
John

TerryS · 06-22-2007, 05:52 PM

John,
In the back part of the Series specific Rovers North catalog is a schematic for each of the variations. The wires are color coded and it couldn't be easier to follow. Despite that I feel the wire guage supplied in the new harness could be slightly heavier, they are a faithful copy of the original. You can get them in tradition cotton covered (PVC) or Plain PVC and tape wrapped. Even though the rear harness can be a major pain to snake through the chassis rail, it's cheap enough so do the whole truck, not half(assed) of it.

creativefilmcars · 06-24-2007, 07:52 AM

Thanks Terry.

Any advice on going to negative ground?

I have had suggestions of using looms from AutoSparks in the UK, Painless wiring and British Wiring in PA. I will check out Rovers North's loom.

Definitely going to do the rear as well. Even thought the truck now has 8 tail lights and two clear lamps. Obviously the previous owner had issues about being seen from the rear.

Cheers,
JF

roverandom · 06-24-2007, 04:51 PM

I have used the Painless wiring looms before, and in my opinion they are very good. If you just want it to work and don't care about the factory "correct" restoration of your Rover its a good option. Easy to install and reliable. (BTW cool Tucker in your avatar)

CanuckIIA · 06-28-2007, 07:39 AM

Wow, for a while there I thought I had created a post I had forgotten about. I'm in the same boat with my 64 88" but can' afford to do the harness this year. I should probably start getting familiar with it tho.

Good luck and keep us posted!

jimfoo · 06-28-2007, 10:26 AM

Having just done mine, I have a few thoughts. I got the British Wiring harness. The connectors are EXTREMELY tight. once plugged in, the wires will pull out of the bullets before the bullets unplug. It came with some, but not all of the gromets. I have no idea why. I easily got it through the frame by using a long piece of MIG wire which I snaked through first, taped the harness to, then pulled it through. Or maybe even tape it to the old harness and pull it through as you pull the old one out. Spray all the nuts/bolts for the hold downs with oil way in advance, and have some extra fasteners on hand. If the fuse box is somewhat oxidized, or whatever it is that brass gets, it can be cleaned up fairly well with muriatic acid. Just be careful and wear gloves & goggles. Have baking soda handy for any spills.

06-22-2007, 02:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
creativefilmcars Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 10 Gallery: 0	Time to rewire a 1964 IIa 88 The story that follows is, I am sure, terribly familiar but please bear with me. My wiring loom looks as if a blind, epileptic monkey with two thumbs tried to make a hammock for a snake. In the mess are fittings for six different cars, trucks and possible a Iowa class battleship. The truck has 2.25 with an alternator, the battery is negative grounded, and it has three ignition switches (to which I have no keys). Now I want to tear out this copper abomination as start anew. I'd rather not return it to positive ground. Any words of advice? I redid a 1966 IIa while living in England. It had a Ford V6 in it and I had to have a custom loom made. A photo of a unmolested 2a dashboard would be of immense help as mine is a carnival of unmarked switches an lights. Cheers, John __________________ 1964 Series 2a 88 Station Wagon Petrol RHD

06-24-2007, 07:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
creativefilmcars Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 10 Gallery: 0	Thanks Terry. Any advice on going to negative ground? I have had suggestions of using looms from AutoSparks in the UK, Painless wiring and British Wiring in PA. I will check out Rovers North's loom. Definitely going to do the rear as well. Even thought the truck now has 8 tail lights and two clear lamps. Obviously the previous owner had issues about being seen from the rear. Cheers, JF __________________ 1964 Series 2a 88 Station Wagon Petrol RHD

06-24-2007, 04:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
roverandom Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada. Posts: 407 Gallery: 0	I have used the Painless wiring looms before, and in my opinion they are very good. If you just want it to work and don't care about the factory "correct" restoration of your Rover its a good option. Easy to install and reliable. (BTW cool Tucker in your avatar) __________________ "Your only supposed to blow the BLOODY DOORS OFF" The Italian job 1969.

06-28-2007, 07:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
CanuckIIA Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Owen Sound, Ontario Posts: 41 Gallery: 0	Wow, for a while there I thought I had created a post I had forgotten about. I'm in the same boat with my 64 88" but can' afford to do the harness this year. I should probably start getting familiar with it tho. Good luck and keep us posted! __________________ 1964 Series IIA 88" 2.25 L Petrol some rust, not one straight panel

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06-22-2007, 05:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
TerryS Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bloomfield, CT If I died today, I lived there all my life. Posts: 2,234 Gallery: 0	John, In the back part of the Series specific Rovers North catalog is a schematic for each of the variations. The wires are color coded and it couldn't be easier to follow. Despite that I feel the wire guage supplied in the new harness could be slightly heavier, they are a faithful copy of the original. You can get them in tradition cotton covered (PVC) or Plain PVC and tape wrapped. Even though the rear harness can be a major pain to snake through the chassis rail, it's cheap enough so do the whole truck, not half(assed) of it.

06-28-2007, 10:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
jimfoo jimfoo Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 464 Gallery: 9	Having just done mine, I have a few thoughts. I got the British Wiring harness. The connectors are EXTREMELY tight. once plugged in, the wires will pull out of the bullets before the bullets unplug. It came with some, but not all of the gromets. I have no idea why. I easily got it through the frame by using a long piece of MIG wire which I snaked through first, taped the harness to, then pulled it through. Or maybe even tape it to the old harness and pull it through as you pull the old one out. Spray all the nuts/bolts for the hold downs with oil way in advance, and have some extra fasteners on hand. If the fuse box is somewhat oxidized, or whatever it is that brass gets, it can be cleaned up fairly well with muriatic acid. Just be careful and wear gloves & goggles. Have baking soda handy for any spills.

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