The Ford Barn

mikhett · 09-08-2013, 07:45 PM

my 56 ford fairlane has all the dash wiring but there is no wiring in the engine compartment,should i go for a new harness from painless wiring or do they sell the eng compartment wiring harness.

zoegrant · 09-08-2013, 09:33 PM

Some suppliers carry the engine harness only but you would have to splice into the dash harness.....in my opinion I would buy a new main harness which is the dash and the engine compartment....you would still use the auxillary harneses such as for the heater,radio,turn signals,clock and of course the headlight and crossover harness...and tail lights and etc:Just my two cents......john in CT

Gerry · 09-08-2013, 10:18 PM

Rhode Island wiring, See if they can help.Gerry

miker98038 · 09-08-2013, 11:21 PM

Last year I rewired an OT 56, which had "failed to ground" either in the harness, or the ignition sw. It was in the owners garage, with the hood up, and he got to the battery disconnect before any more damage occurred. Every wire I removed, dash, engine compartment, even tail lights, had cracked insulation or it cracked when I removed it. This was a nice, well maintained car, from the PNW, so no 100 degree days to speak of. We also found most of the grounds had fairly high resistance, due to surface rust (Seattle? Wet?) even though the floors are good.

If its a restoration, you'll need the correct harnesses. But check all of them, and check the grounds from the tail lights, dash, everything.

My 55 bird has a centec fuse panel, new wiring, and has been no problem for 10 years. The OT car got an American Autowire kit, which was as good as I can imagine. But the 'bird I did custom, from the harness kits. I don't think anyone builds a kit for ford cars of this era.

Yes, I'm a bit paranoid, but I spent 40 years as an electrician, and I haven't burned a building or a ship down, yet.

JeffB2 · 09-09-2013, 01:39 AM

Go with www.rebelwire.com like you they are a H.A.M.B. member and when you call in you will be eligible for a 10% discount,Rebel which is 100% USA made also you can take advantage of their service after the sale Tech advice.Quite a few members of the 52-59 Ford group have used their product.

Blue Futura · 09-09-2013, 07:12 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I think you can find most if not all at , www.tee-bird.com , T-bird products . I used some of their harnesses in my 56 about 12 years ago, just like original. They have a long list of electrical items and you just have to sort it out for the year and car you want. Or you can just call them , that's the way i did, and tell them what you need . It was faster that way for me and gave me a chance to make sure i was getting what i wanted. They are not cheap but the product was the same and just as good as FOMOCO used.

Daves55Sedan · 09-09-2013, 08:59 PM

Concours Parts sells the complete duplicate of original wire harness that runs from dash to engine compartment. It costs over $300.
Look into other resto parts suppliers to see if they carry it too, like Joblot Automotive. They are cheaper on a lot of stuff that Concours sells.

09-08-2013, 07:45 PM	#1
mikhett Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Jackson N.J Posts: 206	56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded my 56 ford fairlane has all the dash wiring but there is no wiring in the engine compartment,should i go for a new harness from painless wiring or do they sell the eng compartment wiring harness.

09-08-2013, 09:33 PM	#2
zoegrant Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: tolland CT Posts: 773	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Some suppliers carry the engine harness only but you would have to splice into the dash harness.....in my opinion I would buy a new main harness which is the dash and the engine compartment....you would still use the auxillary harneses such as for the heater,radio,turn signals,clock and of course the headlight and crossover harness...and tail lights and etc:Just my two cents......john in CT

09-08-2013, 10:18 PM	#3
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lake Forest, Southern California. Posts: 148	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Rhode Island wiring, See if they can help.Gerry

09-08-2013, 11:21 PM	#4
miker98038 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Kent, WA. Tucson, AZ Posts: 1,402	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Last year I rewired an OT 56, which had "failed to ground" either in the harness, or the ignition sw. It was in the owners garage, with the hood up, and he got to the battery disconnect before any more damage occurred. Every wire I removed, dash, engine compartment, even tail lights, had cracked insulation or it cracked when I removed it. This was a nice, well maintained car, from the PNW, so no 100 degree days to speak of. We also found most of the grounds had fairly high resistance, due to surface rust (Seattle? Wet?) even though the floors are good. If its a restoration, you'll need the correct harnesses. But check all of them, and check the grounds from the tail lights, dash, everything. My 55 bird has a centec fuse panel, new wiring, and has been no problem for 10 years. The OT car got an American Autowire kit, which was as good as I can imagine. But the 'bird I did custom, from the harness kits. I don't think anyone builds a kit for ford cars of this era. Yes, I'm a bit paranoid, but I spent 40 years as an electrician, and I haven't burned a building or a ship down, yet.

09-09-2013, 01:39 AM	#5
JeffB2 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Phoenix,AZ Posts: 1,417	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Go with www.rebelwire.com like you they are a H.A.M.B. member and when you call in you will be eligible for a 10% discount,Rebel which is 100% USA made also you can take advantage of their service after the sale Tech advice.Quite a few members of the 52-59 Ford group have used their product.

09-09-2013, 07:12 AM	#6
Blue Futura Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: South west Idaho Posts: 45	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I think you can find most if not all at , www.tee-bird.com , T-bird products . I used some of their harnesses in my 56 about 12 years ago, just like original. They have a long list of electrical items and you just have to sort it out for the year and car you want. Or you can just call them , that's the way i did, and tell them what you need . It was faster that way for me and gave me a chance to make sure i was getting what i wanted. They are not cheap but the product was the same and just as good as FOMOCO used. __________________ 64 Futura , bought new. 56 ford fairlane , bought about 30 years ago. 35 chevy street rod , started building in 2000.

09-09-2013, 08:59 PM	#7
Daves55Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Granite City, Illinois Posts: 3,008	Re: 56 fairlane engine compartment wiring harness neeeded Concours Parts sells the complete duplicate of original wire harness that runs from dash to engine compartment. It costs over $300. Look into other resto parts suppliers to see if they carry it too, like Joblot Automotive. They are cheaper on a lot of stuff that Concours sells.