Wiring harnesses for Barndoor

[bubba]

I seems like alot of money. BTW~ wire works doesn't make a wiring harness for a early 50 or late 50-51 nor 52-53 bus. He doesn't have a old harness to go by. If someone wants to cough up a harness he will copy it!

[BeaterBarndoor]

i just dont understand this, i sent him my 53 harness years ago. ive heard he had 54s .
i was under the impression that he would get an original and that way either make a pattern or have a file or something to go back to to replicate over and over...however they would do it.
i dont understand why he wouldnt do this to make life easier on him and anyone else who needs one.
also, not that i have seen all that many earlier buses than 53, i dont recall ever noticing buses using the cloth wrapped wires. are yours cloth wrapped bubba?
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www.thebustransfer.com

Whaaaaat?

[bubba]

[52panelvan]

I think there were at least 2 sorts of early loom, of the type that ran inside the van in the roof line.

The type that went from very early 52 to somedate in 51 and then an earlier wrapped type.

On the oldest Rhd barndoor thread this picture clearly shows the internal type with the plastic wrap (Jan 52 from memory)

I also have a tiny part of a 51 loom on loan , from the section above the cab going down into the split window that has the plastic wrap on it and does not have any cloth covered wires.

I dont know about earlier buses but the loom my early 51 is cloth wrapped along its length in the roof and has a woven type look to it but i have not been up to check if it does contain any cloth wires.

Cheers

Mark

[52panelvan]

Oh just for reference as i have it handy these are from the later 51 wiring loom i have borrowed (inside van and plastic shielded type), main loom - european van.

i think this is the semaphores pair again in a plastic shield but i
have forgotten more than i remember so it may not be

Will take a pic of the early 51 woven type this weekend when im passing and its colours - may be of use to someone.

Mark

[johnny d]

did ever somebody bought a wiring harness from here?
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=615716

i need a complete wiring harness for my jan. 1951!
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GermanRestoKommando
&
Der Barndoor Führers - Slamm Society
&
VWKernzentrale since 2007

[Tonny_Larsen]

[52panelvan]

Thanks Tonny,

Sorry what i was trying to say in a roundabout way when i wrote that was there were 3 "types",

1. Early Cloth covered inside the van
2. Early Plastic covered inside the van
3. Plastic Covered under the van.

Cheers

Mark

[johnshenry]

Digging up an old thread for reference continuity.

I have been building and selling split window wiring harness kits for 17 years. I am now in the process of building one for a '50 BD. I have the original and it is remarkably good shape as a reference. I also have a library of photos of harness runs/installed from early BDs to refer to.

While I have been a Beetle guy for 40+ years now, I did enter Type 2 land a couple years ago when I bought a '56 singlecab.

Anyway, I am committed, minimally, to this one restorer to get him a harness made for the '50, but once it is confirmed installed and the correct design, I will probably make a few more. My harnesses are cloth machine loomed in a very durable design. But my business model has always been not to make something that is already made by someone else, as long as what they are making is correct and people are happy with it.

So some questions for the BD crowd:

Does any make CLOTH MACHINE LOOMED BD bus harness kits today?? If so, who? Early? Late BD? Based on this thread, looks like someone at least used to.

When did the main harness switch from running along the right roof line, to running in the frame rail?

Can anyone measure for the height of the BD engine bay please? That is from the horizontal engine tin (cylinder, breast plate) level, to the "roof" of the engine bay.

Thanks for any help....
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[chthemonkey]

I think vwlooms here in the uk does http://www.vwlooms.com/

[johnshenry]

[DSweinhagen]

Ed Hughes made one for his '50 a few years ago. He made a couple extras and I put one in the Sudfunk '50 and another '50 I was working on. I think he may have sold another one or two, but I don't think he ever advertised them and I'm pretty sure he has no interest in making more.

My '51 Standard (June build) has a vinyl wrapped harness running through the frame. It seems I've seen them running both ways and both materials used alternately around mid '51?

The measurement from breastplate to engine roof is approximately 28".
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David S

[johnshenry]

Thanks for that Dave. I finished making the harness board for the main today, and ordered the materials also. This one is cloth loomed with lacquered cloth covered individual wires. Very complete.

Who can guess what the longest wire in this harness is?? 24 feet and 6 inches long!

In the Beetle's, they transitioned to PVC covered wires, but still in cloth loom in '51 sometime. Cloth looming continued well into '52 before they went to a PVC sleeving.
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[johnshenry]

Moving ahead with this now, main goes off for looming tomorrow.

Questions:

When did VW switch from the roofline run main harness to the one run through the box section in the belly? I have pics of a '54 and it looks to be run in the box section.

I have no interest in making harnesses that already being made correctly by someone else. I have used the Wiring works harnesses in my later VWs and they are great. Wolfsburg West sells kits for March '55 and later. March '55 was the end of the "Barndoor" right? So the question is, what is the difference between the post barndoor harnesses and the first ones run through the box section in the belly? Was it just up front with the speedo/pod area perhaps?

Does anyone have a complete, original pod to headlights/horn/etc harness that I could borrow as a pattern? I will pay for it, or even pay you to borrow it.

It appears that some time ago, someone was selling that brown horn wire with the aluminum sheathed lower section. Are these still available? I ask because I buy that aluminum wrapped wire in bulk from Germany to make Split Beetle kits. It comes in something like 5m lengths and by time I cut them down to what is needed for the Beetle kits, I have these short pieces left.... which are just slight longer than the setion on the bus horn wire. I made a correct "repro" for my '56 SC. I have a whole box of these alum sheathed wire scraps and could easily make these things if there is a demand for them. Could even use cloth covered wire for the brown part for early barndoors.

Any insight helpful. I have a 40 year history wrenching on Beetles, and about a 2 year one on Buses.....
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[djfordmanjack]

Barndoor.dk has some detailed info in the details and changes section. look for main wiring harness and wiring diagram.
says the roof to belly change came with 20-021554.

Obviously other changes after that include relocating the fuse panel(s) from 2 seperate 6 fuse units in dash to a single fuse panel below dash. Also there might be a difference in wire lengths for a standard/truck/panel/Kombi and the DLX or full width dash optioned buses. 2 fuse panel DLX and full width have the fuses to the side of the dash, while the cheaper models have them to the left and right of the dashpod. They might have different wire length.
If I read bardoor dk correctly, the single under dash fuse box cam with
20-069409 (1954).
Another thing that comes to my mind is the interior lamp on trucks. it's over the rear cab window and obviously wiring length would be different from other models that have the bakelite lamp in the c post roof truss or a DLX or sunroof optioned vehicle. to the best of my knowledge, that courtesy lamp wiring is completly independent from the main loom. (At least on my old 53). I feel there is a ton of details. obviously a DLX would have power to the radio and clock backlighting as well. mabye even foglamp harness (toggle switch on dash).

I don't need one right now, but the correct sheethed horn wire sounds like a desirable part, especially since it is a part prone to damage low on the bus.
If you decide to offer those, I'd think about offering the little clamp (which is held by 2 of the lower steering gearbox bolts). later Barndoors definitely had a black plastic covered horn wire.
Good luck!
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Hotrods, Fords, Veedubs and Triumph Twins !

52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior

[vwcooker]

Looking to get a '54 kombi harness. Anyone hit me with a wiring works link? Google is showing me a lot of companies named Wiring Works, lol.

[j.pickens]

[Al Capulco]

Wiring Works 310-519-8147

[johnshenry]

Main harness is done and back from the looming shop.

Making the semaphore and headlight harnesses now.

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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[Lazaa]

Very nice. I'd be in for a mid-52 harness if you have the template for it. (runs through the chassis)