I am toying with the idea of replacing the wiring loom in my Series V.
It will be my project this winter(nothing like getting organised).The loom is the original,so do these things have a finite life?after all,my car was built in 1965,so the electrics are over 40 years old.
When I originally prepared the car for classic rallying,(9 years ago now) I laid in new looms and relays for the driving lamps and horns,and wired in the tripmeter and map-reading lights.
I have been through the Alpine Guide,but not a lot there for my task,but noticed that in a recent article in the Horn about changing the dash,this part of the job could be a bit of a bitch.
I have not had any problems with the electrics,certainly not after binning the standard alternator and related controls and fitted a Lucas 17ACR instead-a lot easier to deal with.Certainly the lights are all bright enough,but I do take all the side and tail-lamp bulbs out each spring and clean them up.It is surprising how dusty they and the inside of the lenses get. I also clean all the earths as well,it sounds tedious,but when you see the state the car gets into after some of the rallies we have been on! She is definitly no concours queen.
Autosparks have quoted me £168 for a new loom,which does not sound too bad.
So folks I need some feedback,has anyone out there done it? Is there any real grief or pitfalls? Do I do it or do I leave well alone? I know the old adage "if it aint broke dont touch it" but what do you say. All contributions gratefully accepted.

Regards,Bob.

The problems with old harnesses is that sometimes insulation hardens and cracks, especially where it has been subjected to heat. Another problem is that with connectors that have been disconnected many times, such as those Lucar connectors in the engine bay, they wires start to hearden and break, and do not have much strength left. Look out for previous damage, and bodges too. I have seen wires joined by twisting together without any additional support or insulation!

You can repair harnesses by stripping back wires, and crimping on new terminals, but soldering can be difficult as the wires get oxidised. Use a good quality crimp tool and terminals.

New harnesses are OK if they are good quality, but I think cheap ones can be worse than old ones if they have poor quality connectors. also check that all the connectors are correct and compatible with you car.

I am in the process of re-wiring my series 3 alpine.

At first it looks a massive job, however it's actually not that bad when you get stuck into it.

I'm not buying a new loom (simply because I don't have the money until ive sold my mini van) So I am making my own (It does help to be a marine electrician sometimes)

All I would say is either way you do it weather it be a home made loom like myself or a new loom. Make sure you have the correct guage wire for the job and all the correct crimps.

Never solder wires on a car, they vibrate, then crack, providing a useless joint no matter how well they appear to be supported.

If making your own loom, devise a plan and stick to it (eg 1st I will wire the engine bay electrics, then the dashboard before the lights etc...)

make sure the loom is well suported - and use heat shrink in places where it touches at fixing points along the body - this way it is less likely to wear through and short out, causing all sorts of problems.

When moisture gets into wires, they go black and brittle. This will spead like an infection in the loom. When I removed my old loom it had done this, chances are yours maybe the same.
Although the blackness in the wires will not affect its conductivity that much, it makes applying new crimps a nightmare, as there is no clean wire for the crimp to attach too. As you will be rallying, I would suggest when using a crimp, also heat shrink over it to help keep the moisture out.


Finally, if I was going to be using a car for rallying, It would make sense to upgrade certain items (like the fuse holders to accept modern blade fuses etc...)

Hope this is of some use.

Alex