442 rewire

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Old Apr 12, 2026 | 11:09 AM
  #1  
MartinH's Avatar
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From: Vandenberg Village (Lompoc), CA
442 rewire

I知 looking for someone to do a full rewire job on my 69 442 convertible. I have an American AutoWire kit ready to go.

I知 in central coast California (Lompoc).
Does anyone have any suggestions? I知 willing to drive up to 150 miles.
Old Apr 12, 2026 | 12:54 PM
  #2  
fleming442's Avatar
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From: Mt.Ary, MD
The Hot Rod Ranch guys are in Lompoc, aren't they?
I'd do it, but I'm east coast.
Old Apr 12, 2026 | 11:20 PM
  #3  
MartinH's Avatar
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From: Vandenberg Village (Lompoc), CA
Originally Posted by fleming442
The Hot Rod Ranch guys are in Lompoc, aren't they?
I'd do it, but I'm east coast.
Yes they are and I talked to them about it. It would be very expensive there.
Old Apr 13, 2026 | 01:53 AM
  #4  
jensenracing77's Avatar
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From: Brazil Indiana
Originally Posted by MartinH
Yes they are and I talked to them about it. It would be very expensive there.
If you are talking the entire car it is a big job. The dash has to come out to do it right. I done a total rewire on a 70 convertible or a guy about 10 years ago. I think I charged him $2000 back then. A 68-69 would be more because the dash is much harder to take out and put back in.

Out of curiosity, why does it need a total rewire? Most cars don't need a total rewire unless the wiring was burnt up from a short. Many under dash harnesses that were "butchered" from previous people not knowing what they were doing can often be fixed properly for much less than replacing.
Old Apr 13, 2026 | 06:38 AM
  #5  
70sgeek's Avatar
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Are you adding aftermarket gauges and/or other equipment that necessitates the Painless kit install?

If not, going with repro OEM harnesses may be your best bet - you can probably install those yourself (i.e. essentially plug & play) if your car is otherwise still in original configurations. I did my '72 all throughout (front to rear) with M&H Electric brand repro harnesses and for the dash, I didn't have to remove it - just the peripherals - i.e. gauge pods, radio, underside a/c vent panel and kick panels.

It takes patience but not a horrible job overall - I finished my whole car over a long weekend when I did them all at the same time.
Old Apr 13, 2026 | 07:27 AM
  #6  
TOC's Avatar
TOC
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From: Rocklin, CA
I purchased a complete car set of harnesses from M&H for my 66-442. They made changes to accommodate my one wire internally regulated alternator, my MSD HEI distributor, and added a wire for the new a/c kit I added to the engine. I’ve only installed the harness for the rear of the car, but it was exactly like the old harness with the correct wire colors.
Tom
Old Apr 13, 2026 | 10:16 AM
  #7  
joe_padavano's Avatar
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The OP said he already has a wiring kit.
Old Apr 13, 2026 | 11:19 AM
  #8  
OLDSter Ralph's Avatar
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Originally Posted by fleming442
The Hot Rod Ranch guys are in Lompoc, aren't they?
I'd do it, but I'm east coast.
Originally Posted by MartinH
Yes they are and I talked to them about it. It would be very expensive there.
Thats when you decide you will do the work or hire it done.
Old Apr 14, 2026 | 03:03 AM
  #9  
fleming442's Avatar
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The AA kits are tedious if you have to make all the plugs. It's very time consuming.
Old Apr 14, 2026 | 05:56 AM
  #10  
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From: Seneca Falls, NY
This is what I did on my 68 442 and also on my 87 Mustang:

1) Set up a 4x8 sheet of plywood on saw horses
2) stretch out the existing harness on the plywood
3) install short (1") sheet rock screws around every wire intersection point and plug
4) label every plug and intersection on the plywood.
5)take a good picture of the plywood layout
6) completely disassemble the harness, fix whatever is hacked, tape it all back together

Make sure you check all your plugs to make sure they aren't melted.
Make sure you check all your wires to make sure they aren't mouse chewed or cracked.
Replace entire wire runs that are hacked up or cracked.

The same method works for building a new harness (assuming you still have the old one). It's not difficult at all. Having a good wiring diagram is also helpful
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