Battery/Electrical Problem

Kisner · 03-05-2004, 01:29 PM

Had the same problem with my 68 while I was restoring it. Spent 6 months trying to troubleshoot where the short was (suspected it was near the solenoid) but never could figure it out. Battery would be dead in 2 days whenever I left it hooked up. Harness must've been spliced or jimmy-rigged in about 30 places and looked like crap. Finally I said screw it and replaced all the wiring from the dash to the alternator with new reproduction ones and it solved all my problems. Expensive though - cost me $175 for the main harness, $25 for the headlight leads, and another $25 for the alternator harness ($225 total). Since I had already restored the engine compartment, it also finished it off looks-wise to near perfect original condition. I didn't have any experience with electrical work or any friends who could help, so this was simplest solution for me. If replacement isn't an option, I'd unplug from the dash, remove, unwrap the entire harness, carefully inspect for any breaks, repair, and re-wrap with new electrical tape. That's what I did with my underdash wiring. That one was too expensive for me to replace (about $650 for a new repro).

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03-05-2004, 01:29 PM	#2
Kisner Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 290	Had the same problem with my 68 while I was restoring it. Spent 6 months trying to troubleshoot where the short was (suspected it was near the solenoid) but never could figure it out. Battery would be dead in 2 days whenever I left it hooked up. Harness must've been spliced or jimmy-rigged in about 30 places and looked like crap. Finally I said screw it and replaced all the wiring from the dash to the alternator with new reproduction ones and it solved all my problems. Expensive though - cost me $175 for the main harness, $25 for the headlight leads, and another $25 for the alternator harness ($225 total). Since I had already restored the engine compartment, it also finished it off looks-wise to near perfect original condition. I didn't have any experience with electrical work or any friends who could help, so this was simplest solution for me. If replacement isn't an option, I'd unplug from the dash, remove, unwrap the entire harness, carefully inspect for any breaks, repair, and re-wrap with new electrical tape. That's what I did with my underdash wiring. That one was too expensive for me to replace (about $650 for a new repro).