Wiring Orangey Electrical

[jeff_b]

Hi everybody, I respectfully request some feedback on Orangey the new-to-us 1970 CJ. With all due respect to the PO back in the day...the wiring looks like a deranged possum went on a bender in the 1980s and hacked an old-school glass fusebox in. Believe it or not, it supports a small block Chevy w/HEI, tilt power steering column, electric fan, and klaticky klack out back. The rig starts, runs and drives pretty good, but the electrical is hurtin' for certain. Does anyone recognize this fuse panel?

Additionally, any advice on rewire kits is appreciated. I've looked at the Painless kits, but I'm undecided on whether to rewire it like a CJ, or a Chevy pickup. Thanks, have a great day!

 

[TSB8C]

'75-'78 CJs used a fuse block with glass fuses. After '78, you got ATO fuses. Pre-'75, those early CJs didn't have fuse blocks in them. They used a few in-line fuses in certain places and a breaker on the headlight switch. So someone "hacked" in a fuse block from somewhere. You can get a generic harness with fuse block from Painless or EZ and wire it up. I do agree you should do something to improve what you have. Those blue crimp splices and various terminal ends are a recipe for issues and intermittent "gremlins" to trouble you. And what a pain for any future troubleshooting when you need to trace out a circuit.

 

[jeff_b]

'75-'78 CJs used a fuse block with glass fuses. After '78, you got ATO fuses. Pre-'75, those early CJs didn't have fuse blocks in them. They used a few in-line fuses in certain places and a breaker on the headlight switch. So someone "hacked" in a fuse block from somewhere. You can get a generic harness with fuse block from Painless or EZ and wire it up. I do agree you should do something to improve what you have. Those blue crimp splices and various terminal ends are a recipe for issues and intermittent "gremlins" to trouble you. And what a pain for any future troubleshooting when you need to trace out a circuit.

Your suggestion to rewire is duly noted. It's a hodge-podge under the hood too, and at some point, some PO added hood marker lights. I don't intend to add a bunch of high-current stuff, but would like to add capability for interior lighting, maybe USB ports and I'll definitely liven up that dashboard lighter.