Reinstalling wiring harness removed by PO

[Eminence Gris]

I bought a car (69E) as apart as a Porsche can get.

The shell is being painted and I will soon need to tackle the job of reinstalling the wiring harness. I did a search and didn't find any "tips and tricks" for snaking the harness back through the tunnel and up through the dash.

The obvious thing is wrapping tightly in duct tape, connecting to a 'snake' of some sort, using some appropriate lube, etc. But any further advice would be greatly appreciated. On the off chance that someone local to So Cal knows/likes this type of work, I will offer a labor exchange or other valuable consideration.

EG

[Mr9146]

Duct tape will ruin the harness.

We'll do it for a fee...

[MTemp]

Hello there,

More of a fiddly job than complicated, and definitely a job for two people. The photo is my 72E loom ready to refit in the centre tunnel. After they started fitting those 14 pin plugs in the engine bay then you have to reinstall from the rear to the front (my 66 swb went in from the front to the rear) as you have probably deduced. I used some single (red in the pic) 2.5mm standard electrical cable as my lead wire. I wrapped the side wires in standard bodyshop masking tape as you can see and sprayed it lightly with silicon lubricant. It is important that the loom goes into the small box section in the top RH corner of the centre tunnel as you look towards the front. Feed it down from the engine bay and over the top of the torsion bar tube before you start with the tunnel. Feed the lead wire through the correct hole in the bulkhead, and into the inner box section that starts just after the hole to access the shifter linkage. Then while your assistant pulls from the front, you feed it in from the rear. Patience and a bit of back and forth with rotation and it goes in without too much hassle in my experience.

Good luck!

Mick

[Eminence Gris]

Mick, that's excellent. Silicone spray? I was wondering what kind of lubricant to plan on. This looks like a 3-beer job!

Marco, flat bedding has gotten kinda pricey or I'd definitely think about having you guys do it.

[Fishcop]

I completely removed mine as part of my resto.

A 69 has the removable plug ends (pull the centre pin out and the individual wires can be released). I reinstalled from the front footwell and pulled them back through the tunnel using a piece of braided blind cord (which was placed up the tunnel using a fishing rod blank). Mick has identified where the loom must run in the tunnel.

As suggested, bind the ends up in tape and taper the shape to remove resistance - the silicone spray sounds like a good idea.

From where the loom exits, it must then go up and over the torsion tube and then between the suspension cross member and the right passenger seat bucket. There will be metal tabs that the loom sits in. You can replace any missing PVC sheaths on these tabs with shrink tube.

Hope that helps.

[Mr9146]

Marco, flat bedding has gotten kinda pricey or I'd definitely think about having you guys do it.

Everybody's gotta eat...

[mbruen]

Thanks for the good info! I am just about to remove mine (67)and there are some good ideas for wrapping/lubricating I had not thought about.

To remove, should I pull it out toward the front or toward the rear? Do you have to take off plugs and/or wire clips to get it through?

Sorry for hijacking, but it seemed you all are in the know!

[edmayo]

On 69 and up I pull out from the rear because the front of the harness just has the ends that go to the fuse boxes, but you may need to rethink a SWB car since the harness goes up to the gauges and has those three big bulkhead plugs that go to the front of the dash. I think the rear end of the harness has wire ends that are more easily pulled from the front. I haven't yet DONE a SWB but have considered the differences. You should unplug everything from both ends then see what you have to work with.

[gled49]

Ed, correct. SWB pull from the front. LWB pull from the rear. Gled

[mike curnow]

John
What are you referring to when you say the 69 has removeable plug ends?

I completely removed mine as part of my resto.

A 69 has the removable plug ends (pull the centre pin out and the individual wires can be released). I reinstalled from the front footwell and pulled them back through the tunnel using a piece of braided blind cord (which was placed up the tunnel using a fishing rod blank). Mick has identified where the loom must run in the tunnel.






As suggested, bind the ends up in tape and taper the shape to remove resistance - the silicone spray sounds like a good idea.

From where the loom exits, it must then go up and over the torsion tube and then between the suspension cross member and the right passenger seat bucket. There will be metal tabs that the loom sits in. You can replace any missing PVC sheaths on these tabs with shrink tube.

Hope that helps.