Rebel wiring harness questions thread

[karu]

Does anyone know where I can find the wire gauges for wires in the rebel wire kit? I have the vw bug universal harness and it is for a buggy. This is to make sure I have correct type of connectors.

[Hank22]

Thanks Joe!

[joescoolcustoms]

The Green Horn wire is power to the horn from the horn relay. Needs to be run out and under the fuel tank to the horn, or where ever you choose to mount it. The horn will also need a good ground run to it.

The Black wire with horn switch runs to a ground to trigger the horn relay. The VW designed horn is a normally open ground and closes to make ground when the horn button is pushed on the steering wheel.
_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[Hank22]

Another question if you don't mind. I was expecting to wire the horn as typical by switching the ground. I have Two horn wires, one labeled "Horn" the other labeled "Horn Switch" any Idea which one should go to the Horn?
I am assuming "Horn" but not sure and I hate poking and hoping when it come to wiring.

I sent an e mail to the Rebel folks a week ago but no response. very disappointed.

[Lo Cash John]

I'll post some in a few days. It's 90% done and owner has been driving it. I still need to wire hazards, interior light and rear window defrost grid and it'll be 100%
_________________
www.LoCashRacing.org
More brains than bucks...Believe it or not!!

If you actually drive your VW, you need www.AirMapp.com

My boss told me I need to work on my mutli-tasking. So now when I use the bathroom at work I surf The Samba on my iPhone.

[VTghia73]

LoCash John, keep those wire up pictures coming!
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1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible Autostick Stock

[Dale M.]

As a guess.... I would say fuse-able link is to be inserted between terminal on starter solenoid (same place as battery cable as Locash John suggests) and the "main hot lead" going forward to power fuse block and ignition switch... Personally I do not use them... Yes they may be a good idea but I do not see need (maybe short sighted on my part) ... My feeling is if you have a failure of fuseable link some where on the road the only solution is to find what has caused it to blow, and bypass link with solid wire till link can be replaced.... Many cars and VW 's have had solid wire for main supply for many years and never had a problem....

For me it would be a matter of your preference If you feel better with it in line, use it, if you are not worried about having it, forget it...

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[Hank22]

Thanks Lo Cash the picture below shows what I am talking about it was in a separate bag marked Fuse Link.

6 inches of wire with connector crimped on
a Connector
and a piece of shrink tube

[Lo Cash John]

If you mean the very heavy gauge red wire (8awg or 10awg I think) then yes it goes on the 8mm stud with the 4awg (typical size) battery cable.

Not sure what you're asking about "fusible link".
_________________
www.LoCashRacing.org
More brains than bucks...Believe it or not!!

If you actually drive your VW, you need www.AirMapp.com

My boss told me I need to work on my mutli-tasking. So now when I use the bathroom at work I surf The Samba on my iPhone.

[Hank22]

I've been away from my buggy for quite some time. Finally back into it. I have the Rebel VW deluxe harness and Im sitting here staring at wire. Does the Red Solenoid power wire go to the same lug on the starter as the battery cable? Thanks for your help

Edit Also where does the fusible Link go

Thanks Again

[Lo Cash John]

Just keeping this thread fresh.

It's not a buggy but I am installing a Rebel Deluxe Harness in a friend's Squareback. He started the job himself but I had to pull it out and take over...

Before I started...

First thing I did was make a mounting bracket for the harness. I like the idea of spacing it up and off the body some.

Then I attached the fuse panel to the bracket with stainless machine screws. From there I dressed the wires out in 2 groups. One group is all the stuff going to the rear of the car and the dash stuff that's to the left of the steering column. The other group is the dash stuff going to the right of the steering column.

_________________
www.LoCashRacing.org
More brains than bucks...Believe it or not!!

If you actually drive your VW, you need www.AirMapp.com

My boss told me I need to work on my mutli-tasking. So now when I use the bathroom at work I surf The Samba on my iPhone.

[clonebug]

This is what my buggy wiring looked like when I first got it .

The first time I wired my buggy I used a 10 position fused box and all the lights and parts from a 1967 VW Bug. and a 8 position screw terminal.
The engine wires run along the tunnel on the passenger side to the engine compartment

It was the simplest diagram to follow and worked well.
I knew very little about wiring but just doing that job made me intimate with the workings of my buggy and I understood exactly what was happening when I was all done and could drive it.

I kept the engine and buggy lighting separate. All the lighting was attached to the body and never had to be disconnected to remove the body except for the two wires to the master cylinder and one wire to the horn that was mounted on the pan.

Almost every winter I would pull the buggy completely apart and do some sort of upgrade. Lucky for me the first wiring job allowed me to remove the body by unhooking just 8 wires from a screw terminal that ran all the engine wiring only.

Over the years I kept adding more and more stuff to it and as I came up with a better idea with wiring I would change it in the winter.

To say I have grown would be an understatement due to the fact my wiring has been changed so many times I can't count.
I love wiring now and keep messing with it every winter.
This is what it looks like now.

Engine compartment

Don't be afraid to wire it just to get it going. You can and probably will want to modify or add to it down the road.
After all a buggy is never done.........
You can make it as simple or complicated as you want.

Mine has creature comforts, reliability and power........
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[joescoolcustoms]

My first buggy, I bought the $ 50.00 EMPI Buggy wiring harness, good enough, simple basic buggy.

After buying additional wire because they were either too short, or not enough circuits, then buying more circuits because the basic kit did not have enough, then mixing it up do to too much the same color, crappy fuse block that kept coming loose, cheap wire insulation. No relays, no labeling.

My guess is I tripled my initial investment by the time I was done. Not to mention the time involved to figure it out, plan, re-route over and again.

Yes, the initial outlay appears a lot for a wired, labeled harness. But the time it now saves me is tremendous. Very little thought with all the wires labeled every 8 inches. Hardest part is figuring how I want to route the looms to look neat.
_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[Wyntand]

Hi everyone,
Is it cheaper to buy an already made wiring harness than trying to measure the total lengths of each colour wire I need to rewire my entire SWB buggy?
Has anyone ever calculated the amount of wiring needed?
Cheers
_________________
Wynand
1970 SC
1969 DC
1964 Beetle

[greggy]

Read you loud and clear Dale. Thank you. And thanks to everyone else too.

[Dale M.]

That is a GENERATOR.... Requires a external regulator (VW Specific- Not something adapted from off the shelf) ....

Wired as ....

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[greggy]

im at work at the moment, so i stole this picture from the web. behind that hose is another terminal..so i assume its the motorola 4-wire jobby.
which answers one of my questions--i think--i need to use an external
regulator. if so, i have a new ford style with the 4 plugs. labled I S A F.
anyone ever use one of those for your bugggys? just a thought since i already have it on hand

[/img]

[Dale M.]

If 2 wire alternator (Bosch AL82 style and some "white box" regulated Motorola's).....

IF Motorola AL 78 style (4 wire) external regulated...

These are ultimately how its works.... You will have to translate "Rebel" into "VW" speak... Notice the terminals on both types of alternators are labeled D+ and goes to Idiot Lamp whose other side is connected to key switched 12 volts...

Another issue may be "run on", but you should not worry about that unless you experience it...

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[joescoolcustoms]

[greggy]

Great thread everyone. I am installing a basic 8 circut rebel kit. The generic hot-rod kit. i have all switches and lights ready to roll. in my wiring the alternator wires are not labled -save 2- one BIG red one marked "alternator"-it goes to the starter solenoid-but does it run off D+F or the D+M on the alternator? I have a white "alternator excitor" wire, no clue where it goes. I assume opposite of the big red one? What goes on the far back single terminal on the alternator?? and I do not have a resistor at the moment. Is that a must have as well?? Thanks