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Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:08 pm

I have a 68 ghia in need of a new wiring harness. I was thinking of having a professional install it. Any insight into how many hours of work it should take?

Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:16 pm

wademurphy wrote: I have a 68 ghia in need of a new wiring harness. I was thinking of having a professional install it. Any insight into how many hours of work it should take?

Get a quote for the complete job. :) Don't let Ennus :wink: quote you the job by the hour. :shock:

Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:55 pm

Thats a good idea. Which brings me to my next questions. Whats a reasonable price for the whole job? Think buying the harness online would be less expensive than letting the shop handle parts?

Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:16 pm

Hmmmm. hard to say...Haven't had anyone install one before. I am... or claim to be a do it yourselfer... :lol: Buy your parts (harness) outside of the shop. Go to a shop that knows what they are doing. Take a look at harness' available from KGPR or House of Ghia...What year car?

Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:07 pm

I have a 68. I was thinking of doing it myself but I'm unsure how much time it might take. Replacing the starter is my only experience to speak of.

Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:45 pm

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C17%2DWK%2D143%2D68%2D69&CartID=1

http://www.karmannghia.com/viewDetail.asp?idproduct=3093

These are the only two places I've found with the harness in stock. I'm not sure which is better quality or if they're about the same. The end cost is about the same at either place. Anyone with experience or opinion regarding the matter?

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:45 am

i bought the complete wiring harness at House of Ghia! The harness got a realy good quality and colors are same as the originial. it takes only 1-2 hours to lay the cables in the car at the exact positions. you only need a good couloured wiring diagram. I can`t say how long it takes to connect them with the lights, engine and so on...

regards
Bjoern

Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:16 am

Two hours to lay it out? I may just do this myself. I can spare a weekend to put in the harness. Anyone else out there with time estimates?

Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:35 am

If you do it yourself, be sure to attach (tie and tape) a small (thin but strong) sized rope to the end the main harness when you pull it through the body. You will then reverse the procedure when installing the new one. Tie and tape (just in case) up the new one and pull it back through the body with the rope. Otherwise, you will be flipping your lid trying run it through the body of the car. Nightmare... :shock: Also, take as many pictures as you can of the harness that is currently in the car. I would also label as many of the old wires (where they go and what they go to) as possible (just as a backup)... :D You can do it...

Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:46 am

Do it yourself...the quality loom is readily available as "van b" says...the expertise is "on tap" here when you need it and the search button will find you lots of good links to those who've done it before.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=314838
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=402389

Simply search this forum for "harness" will give you over 300 links.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

Looked at house of ghia for the wiring harness. Doesn't appear to be in stock. I mentioned the other two places, KGPR and cip1, already. Does anyone have experience with these companies? I'd like to ensure I get the best quality harness I can. I have heard that they are nearly all made by the same company. Wiring werks I believe. Is this the case?

Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:35 pm

A beer sez they're all Wiring Works harnesses.

Wiring Works - Bob Nodvik
2805 Kerckhooff Ave.
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 519-8147

Thu Mar 04, 2010 6:36 pm

thom wrote: A beer sez they're all Wiring Works harnesses.

Wiring Works - Bob Nodvik
2805 Kerckhooff Ave.
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 519-8147

Thom, did you replace yours in the 56' Ghia? If so, did you buy it from Bob?

Fri Mar 05, 2010 4:01 am

i agree with John...follow the links and download the diagram for your car here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiringghia.php
for example.
realy...it`s no big thing! i installed my new harness three weeks ago.
I would suggest the harness from house of ghia, talk to mike!! maybe these are same as harness from wiring works!

Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:20 am

If yours is like my '69, the harness does not run through the rockers like earlier models, it runs (easily accessed) under the door trim moulding. Look for a "bump" in the molding, that's where the harness is. The only place it's semi-hidden is in the rear quarter area where you have two choices- remove the inside panel for access, or use a rope taped to the old harness to feed the new harness in place. I used the rope method, it was quicker. The instructions you get with the new harness are 97% correct and relatively clear. If you have "decent" mechanical/electrical skills, you can do the harness yourself. If you're completely paralyzed by electrical problems, perhaps you should seek help. The big change many people make is to eliminate the hazard light setup and run the turn signals directly through a standard flasher. Remove the fusebox, turn signal and taillight housings and have them bead blasted at your local shop to clean them up.

I REALLY took my time, shot a hundred digital pics while I was taking it apart to make sure I could get it back together properly. I had about 30 hours in it, but could have done it in half the time, easily. Knowing what I know now, it could be done in a day if you don't run into rot problems in light housings and etc. In the long run, the pictures were probably not needed due to the clarity of the new instructions. The factory schematic is difficult to read even if you're versed at electrical and not 100% correct depending on what year your car is. I did add a couple of "safety" fuses that the mfr left out- a 40a on the power feed at the back of the car and a 15a in the ignition switch output. Neither of these are fused from the factory and you know about the "smoke" that you shouldn't let out of wiring.....

Good Luck!

Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:40 am

Be happy you don't have a 1972-74 fattie with
the more involved fuse panel/relay board. \:D/
1971 and earlier are easier in comparison.

Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:35 am

I have a '68. So I do avoid the rocker when rewiring. I sent a message to house of ghia asking about the wiring harness. It doesn't show up in the online store.

I feel confident in my wiring skills. I sometimes build computers and I've neatly wired a computer before. It's a slight stretch but I think I can cleanly wire my ghia. But maybe someone has a few shots of a really tidy wiring job? I could use a reference as to what it should look like in the trunk(behind dash) and in the engine compartment. The wiring harness currently in the ghia is a real mess. As such I've never seen a ghia with good wiring in place. I'll snap some horror shots before I replace it. Before and after photos are nice thread material.

Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:00 pm

here is one thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378216&highlight=rats+nest

Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:13 pm

Yes, I replaced mine with a Wiring Works harness, which luckily came with the car.

Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:00 am

I'd concentrate first on getting everything working, and then clean it up with tie wraps and loom upon completion if you like. The dash wiring on Dubs didn't look great from the factory and I left mine in a (mostly) factory appearance upon completion. Adding a couple of fuses was done for safety and I also shrink wrapped the headlight switch wires because they are live hot feeds to the dash. I have one of those big "Ghia" plastic covers that goes hinge-to-hinge to hide the whole dash. Another big driving force is whether you have aftermarket accessories like gauges and big stereo, etc, in which case there will obviously be more circuits to deal with. My dash is stock with the addition of an aftermarket radio. I didn't shoot a full shot of mine when done but I did do a zoom of the HLS with shrinkwrap:

If you've wired PC's your skill level is fine. In the long run, I think the skill level needed to replace a harness is a bit lower than I first anticipated. I think I'd feel comfortable at this time starting with an empty car (gutted harness?) and wiring it with ease. 90% of it is a piece of cake, with the turn signals/4 way being a slight challenge, depending on how exact you want to stay to OE. The original TS/4w relay (IIRC) is a big black monstrosity that is a high failure rate unit, difficult/impossible to buy new, and best updated to a newer system. I do have a lot of automotive electrical experience in my pocket over the last 35 years.....

Good Luck!