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Words and Photos by Chris Hamilton
SOURCES
Painless Performance 800-423-9696 www.painlessperformance.com
Overpower Customs 561-844-3777
WITH THE suspension installed and the body back together, it’s time to give our 1965 Chevy C10 a new set of veins. The original electrical system in Project Raven has been cut and taped so many times we can’t tell where anything goes. New wiring and fuel injection will make the truck usable on a daily basis and as reliable as a new modern vehicle.
How often have you seen advertisements for wiring harnesses promising a 21-circuit kit for ridiculously low prices? Guess what you get for that great deal? Twenty-one circuits and a few yards of colored wire. Is that really all we needed to rewire our 1965 Chevy C10? And what exactly makes up a proper wiring harness anyway? Just circuits and wires? Absolutely not!
A true modern wiring harness is, first and foremost, meticulously engineered. At Painless Performance, all harnesses are designed by real engineers using the latest in diagnostic equipment. Along with using AUTOCAD to ensure consistency in manufacturing, the experts there have perfected the art of accurate and easy installations. Half the work is done for you right out of the box.
When you open that box, you will instantly appreciate the time it took to properly group each wire in sections so that instead of routing 80 or 100 individual wires, you route entire sections of the vehicle at one time. This drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to install a harness and virtually eliminates routing errors.
02 We had the honor of receiving VIP treatment from Andrew at Painless Wiring with a behind-the-scenes tour during our Shakedown to SEMA cruise last year. Andrew pointed out all the details that make this company so special. A perfect process engineered through trial and error has brought this brand to a level that’s unstoppable. It’s truly impressive to say the least!
01 Painless has remained the leader in automotive wiring and electrical products for 30 years through engineering and innovation, not corner-cutting and imitation. What started out as a single idea about a simplified way to wire a street rod has evolved into what is today a multi-faceted company with 66 employees in a modern 45,000-square-foot facility manufacturing over 500 products for show cars, dragsters, rock crawlers and everything in between.
03 The employees who work here are the backbone to Painless’ success. Precision and practice guide the crew, and pre-engineered templates make it easy to maintain quality control. Templates for each harness make the job Painless!
04 An in-house R&D department keeps Painless Wiring ahead of the curve, and a nearly perfect inventory management system ensures you get the right harness for your important project. We can’t wait to get the tech install going on our Project Raven 1965 Chevy C10.
06 RIGHT.
The interior of our C10 is all original and extremely worn out. We will be replacing the dash components, audio system, door hardware, all the wiring and interior fabric. It’s going to be a fun project!
08 RIGHT. This harness is designed with a bulkhead connector so a hole will need to be drilled into the firewall for clearance. A robber bushing will protect the wiring from getting cut on the sharp metal.
05 LEFT. With the trailer loaded and the gas tank full, we were off to Overpower Customs in Lake Park, Florida, for the install.
07 LEFT. The first project on the list is to remove all the existing wiring. Everything is getting replaced, so there’s no need to be gentle here.
14 Next Trey decided to mount the Dakota Digital connector block and the Fitech brain behind the gauges for a super clean install.
13 Mounting the new fuse panel is priority number one. This is the center of the hourglass and an important piece of the puzzle, so follow the instructions.
10 With all the wiring removed and out of the way, we see a few other problem areas that need to be addressed— particularly that rusted-out battery rack. We will remove and replace that for sure.
09 What a mess! Even though we just had the Fitech fuel injection installed, it has to come out to get rerouted. Trey is going to mount the brain and wiring under the dash for a cleaner look.
12 RIGHT. Now it’s time to tackle the tough task. Sorting out the wires and stringing them throughout the truck is tedious and time consuming. If you are truly focused and free of distractions, we promise you can handle this job. We ordered the Painless Performance ProSeries kit, which fits custom trucks a little better, but they also offer C10-specific wiring harness.
11 LEFT. With the wiring removed and gauge cluster set aside, it’s easy to see that this old equipment had to go.
17 No one likes crawling on the ground, but before the truck can go in the air, they check for clearance with all the weight on the suspension.
15 With the electronic brains installed, it was time to use the human brain: sorting the wires into groups according to where they will be going throughout the truck. At the same time, Ryan Batista was wrapping the wires that go out of the cab with Painless Wireloom.
16 Remember that hole we drilled? Now is the time to add the rubber trim and pass the wire bundle through it.
22 RIGHT. Painless offers multiple battery cable kits in different lengths that include new terminals, which is awesome because this truck really needs them!
20 With the truck back on the ground, it was time to tackle the engine bay.
18 The bulkhead connector is designed for an easy install and a clean look. Once its properly wrapped and organized, the truck can go in the air and the connector can be installed.
21 LEFT. Sending wires to the Fitech fuel injection unit and the sensors took some time, but we got it complete. And don’t worry:
Trey is removing those ugly yellow spark plug wires and that hackedtogether throttle linkage.
19 Wrapping up the wiring under the truck includes running and connecting to the oxygen sensors on the exhaust pipe, fuel pumps and fuel pressure regulator.