again this is on my 85 pick-up.

The truck came to me with what has to be THE most butchered OE wiring harness, I have ever seen due to what I will call "previous owner interference".
to begin with the "HOT" off the alternator changes color and gauge size 3 times in the length of the valve cover, just crudely twisted and taped at each spot... fusible links butchered, extra wiring crudely done for aftermarket cruise (since been removed), blower motor direct wired via an added 12/2 extension cord to an inadequate rocker switch drilled into the dash, and more.... but the under truck wiring to the fuel gauge, tail lights etc seems to have escaped the butchery. plus this truck IS getting de-Lean Burn converted. When I do one, I usually unwrap the original harness and pull out the "fluff" no longer needed anyways.... so it looks like the 4 pin ECU wasn't an "afterthought".

I went junking, there are less of these trucks in the yards than there used to be. The best harness available came off of an 84 D350 with "heavy duty emissions". still has 2 fusible links that need attn, and several spots of cracked insulation to repair/ seal up.

I have never been a fan of the fusible link system in the 1st place, I'd rather have a dedicated fuse holder that I can just replace the fuse without cutting and splicing..... most come off of that 2nd side line off of the + batt terminal... that click together with (usually a big white) snap together connector.

I haven't had alot of issue with fusible links over a lifetime of owning Chrysler products, but have had a few go bad over the years.
whether I do up the original harness or this junkyard refugee, I will have to tend to some screwed up fusible links. It seems woefully crazy to drop down 2-3 wire sizes and use a softer alloy, so that less current can pass thru than can pass thru the "parent" circuit. I have cut them out before, on an as needed basis, and replaced with an inline fuse holder, but has always been an off the cuff guess on my part, as to what fuse to put into that fuse holder. I haven't had anything burn up due to guessing too high on amp fuse to use, and once I have done such a repair, I don't ever remember the fuse ever blowing on the affected circuit ever again once repaired this way, during my continued ownership.

IDK if I'll ever find a "good" plug n play 80s truck wiring harness in the salvage yards, that doesn't need "some" TLC. I mean, I know my truck is 35 years old/ I doubt the factory thought many would still be on the road, this many years later (I, for one, am super happy there are some still around--- I love that series of trucks, and don't like the new current day vehicles for reasons I won't go into here) so that means building/ rebuilding a suitable harness.

When we did the one for my son's Ramcharger we went junking and found a small underhood fuse block off of a car in the yard and ran anything that Dodge ran thru a fusible link to that fuse block, and as said above, wild azz guessed at what fuse to put in each needed hole..... with a couple of extra fuse spots for future expansion.

I don't care about the "chalk-mark correct" restored look.... I want functionality, and if I should have to blow a fuse, I want it to be easier than cutting out and replacing a fusible link, itrs definitely easier to just replace a fuse.

would you.... just add the Buss inline fuse holders to replace the fusible links, or do the fuse box thing? and does anyone have info on what gauge/color fusible link equates to what amp fuse? In my base I have no power seats, no power windows, no AC, but may add a bit better of a stereo than the stock AM radio.... but no subs, etc either/ and maybe a few extra aux lights, etc later on down the road--- but not at present.

Thread is here.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

thanks for that. I just tripped on that last nite, after I started this post. sometimes the "search" here seems futile for me, I usually do try that before posting, but somehow I do better just looking thru page by page of old posts, and clicking that way on something that sounds relevant. takes a while though... Rainy day today, I'm working on patching that junkyard harness as we speak, spots where insulation is cracking and such.... not yet to that point of dealing with the fusible link side of the harness, getting there.

ok... got all the chipped/peeled insulation fixed that doesn't go to a fusible link. Brand new ECU connector pigtail, brand new VR pigtail, a few new Packard 56 terminals, and other than 2 fusible links that were chopped out before I got this harness, it's ready to go on this truck. If it ever quits raining, next step is to go junking and see what I can find for an underhood fuse box, to run all of the circuits that originally were run thru fusible links thru.... when we did my son's Ramcharger, we wound up using one from a 98-ish ZX2. We wanted a small one with heavier fuses and a few empty open spots for "just in case" to add on accessories etc in the future. I think that will look better than my other idea and I need some sort of "bus bar" to hook them to anyways.... or have 5-6 extra ring terminals straight to the battery terminal thru bolt, among other things, I don't think that will look very good

to finish my wiring loom, I will have to install it onto the truck and see what I wind up with for a fusebox and extend remaining wiring according to where I wind up mounting this 2nd fuse box (the "1st" fuse box, being the one that came original to the truck under the dash)

what have you other guys on the forum done in similar situations? got any better ideas?

well, not much going on here in the thread, just for reference sake, so I can remember what I did down the road, I walked the local yard in search of a suitable fuse box... most were too big and unwieldy for what I want to do.... most had lots of mini blade type fuses, a ton of relays, and if it had anything capable of handling >30A per fuse slot, it was those roughly 3/4" square short profile ones that are hard to see whether they are intact or not...
I wound up with an underhood harness from a 90-92 Ranger, 12 MAXI fuse slots and anywhere from 7-10 that can take a fuse, (contacts on both sides of fuse slot) and 2 ATO fuse slots/ all with 1 "live" slot, some with both of those "live"....the box is narrow, won't take up much space, and won't cover up the original loom... I drew up a diagram of colors coming from beneath the lower fuse box cover/ and which slot they went to/ along with amperage of original fuse that was used in that slot... so I will know which wire I grab goes to which slot without constantly having to uninstall/reinstall while I wire it up.... not that I will necessarily use that heavy of fuse in a given slot, but I also know not to use anything heavier than what was originally in a given slot.

Thoughts? Better ideas? see any "oh $#!T" issues by doing this?

127 views and no comments? (well other than the link that Dan put up-thanks for that) I need equivalent fuse to Fusible link info, and I need wiring schematic help for those 4 wires that join into 1 lead that plugs into battery....

I have the info on the 4 wires.Have to leave for a few minutes, but can post it later this evening

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Black #10- Main alternator feed
Black #12- Headlight Switch and fuse box
Blue #12- Ignition Switch
Pink#12 (changes to #14) Ignition Switch

Hope that helps.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

yeah it does, thanks.

ok, lets see if I get lucky, admitted computer idiot at work.... (trying to post a link to something I found) https://www.littelfuse.com/data/en/tech ... pdf#page=1 ok looks like it might have worked..... a miracle in itself. looks like what I am looking to put in, was developed exactly for the purpose I want to use them for, huh? or no?
I do plan to do the alternator "HOT" cable fix that I saw on here a while ago, use the original wiring off this replacement harness that I have, plus add in a 2nd, redundant alt. output wire straight to the battery....
question about doing that.... (thinking of an AC 220V layout, I know, that's AC and this is DC) but if I do the double line to the alt output... not sure if I have the 60A or the 78A version, definitely not the 100A version.... assuming I have the 78 amp unit, would I use 40A or 80A fuses in each branch? Both wires would go to the ALT output terminal, so I can see it going either way.... fuse each branch for the full output or for 1/2 each....

EDIT... ok cool.. link actually worked.... had to check on that.

and nother Q.... would the terminals on an '84 Bulkhead match the same as the original '85 bulkhead? this, related to position of respective terminals within the bulkhead, engine compartment side? If that would be the same then I can "ass-ume" that the under dash side would then have to likewise match, terminal for terminal. I ask because the "much better" junkyard sourced engine side harness came from an 84, my truck is an 85.
I do know the wiper plug is slightly different between them, can just pop the Packard terminals out of the plastic holder and put the original wire terminal holder onto the replacement harness.... the wiring plug between the rest of the underhood harness and the engine portion "itself" are also different between the 2 years/ but I have the engine portion "itself" from the 84 too, that matches the rest of the 84 harness.... that's why Im wondering if they played "musical terminals" at the bulkhead as well.....

I checked the wiring diagrams in my Haynes and Chilton books and they both have separate diagrams for the ‘84 & ‘85 pickups.
Haynes shows diagrams for ‘78 & ealier, ‘79 & ‘80, ‘81 - ‘84, ‘85 -‘88 and ‘89 & later.
Didn’t check to see what’s different, but it looks as if something is.
I hope this is helpful.

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1975 Dodge D100 225 c.i., HEI, Parallel Offenhauser, Motorcraft 2150, 904 auto, 9.25" 3.55:1

Yup it is. I am looking for a 85 factory service manual at the moment, may pick up an 84 while I am at it. I have an 83 (currently MIA) and an 87 version here.
A couple of differences I do see while comparing the harnesses themselves are the plug going to the wiper motor, both 4 wire but one is 4 straight and the other is an L shape, and the plastic connector where the engine itself (alt, coil, dist pickup etc) harness joins the main harness is a slightly different configuration between them, if I swap the plastic plug itself for the wiper motor and use the whole 84 harness including the engine portion, I'm hoping it will interchange "whole thing" to "whole thing".
I still have the original harness, I could use and go thru it like I did the 84 one to fix the cracked insulation and such
On the original one most of the butchery seems to be in a "engine itself" portion, and I (had) another one of those that only has to be extended since it came from a 318 truck

I wound up buying the CDs from Bishko for both '84 and '85.... paid less for both than a paper copy of either seems to be bringing, these days.
Bulkhead was identical, pin for pin EXCEPT for #29/ '84 says its for "fuel pacer"(?) 85 says its a 5th terminal for the wiper system... something to do with intermittents... though both have terminals #30-34 for the wipers... this truck don't have intermittents so no worry...
I have tons of pages of Google-sourced info and have been Emailing back n forth with people at Littelfuse….. Im at a slight standstill right now, due to my home computer "ineptness" I guess you'd call it.... IDK if its a difference between Win 7 (my old computer) and Win 10 (this POS) or someone thought it might be "permissions" related to the CD or what... I tried to send them pages from said service manual and somehow couldn't.... I wont get into what it tried to do/wouldn't do, now.... but they found some of the same stuff I did online, and linked what they found and their suggestions for what size fuse for what circuit... the fuse box I used had 10 (not 12 as I mentioned earlier), 9 of which are able to be used. and 2 ATO fuse holders, of which 1 being "live" (depends on the options of the particular Ranger the fuse box came from, about how many fuse slots are "HOT" on both sides of each fuse holder.... I have 3 such fuse boxes, all have different numbers of the slots "spoken for". If I were to want to use the "dead" spots I could, if I knew what type terminals Ford used in their fuse boxes, or rob one of the other boxes I got and pop the terminals needed into the "dead" slots. but as it is, even splitting up the wiring circuits a bit further than factory, and adding Dan's 2nd 10ga line direct to the alternator.... I still have room for later expansion.
The 84 harness was in overall better shape than either 85 harness I have--- one, the original/ and the other, a junkyard refugee that my son picked up from a Ramcharger…. the 84 harness and the Ramcharger harness were already set up for ECU....a bonus/ slight, but still a bonus.
I dismantled the original one from the truck, and ripped out any wiring related to Lean Burn, but as bad as it was torn up (remember/ past owner interference and "handiwork" at play, plus age deterioration) it became a "parts" harness...… plastic plugs, a few terminals, that sort of thing.
I modified the original bracket from the Ranger/ so I could mount it to my truck as I wanted to mount it yesterday, and today I laid the harness out on the truck, and plugged in everything I could/ then started connecting the wires I wanted to the new fuse box, cutting out the links and figuring out where within the fuse box that I wanted each truck circuit to tie in, to which fuse slot...and filling in a new fuse box diagram that I drew up, as I went along.

I think I will split this one up....

I used 6 of the 9 Maxi fuse slots available, and the ATO fuse slot. may use the others later. unsure right now. Left fuses out of those slots.....
I put the original 10ga alternator feed and 1 "shunted ammeter" leads, on 1 of the original 60A spots, then I added a 2nd 10 ga lead right to the alt "HOT" lead, with nothing spliced in, between factory splice a foot behind battery and the alternator which was how the factory set up the alternator lead. except I tied the 2nd ammeter lead into this line/circuit. That blade style Packard connector at the firewall near the regulator seems to me, to be a weak link, to send all of the alternator power thru, if alternator would have ever needed to go full tilt. as did "only" being 10 gauge to boot.
so now I have 2 HOT leads to/from the alternator, (for now) both have 60A fuses on them, mainly since that's what I had.
there was a purple lead that went straight to the battery, it feeds straight to the fuse box inside, with no fusible links under the hood. I fused that one to the small blade (ATO style) slot. I also ran the 12ga that went straight from the battery to the starter relay thru a maxi fuse.
and then the 5 original circuits that were fusible linked went thru the fuse box (4 of which thru that 1 big black plug) and extended the wiring that needed to be, due to the harness having come from a 360 truck vs mine being a slanted truck. both battery cables also replaced, went with a STANDARD brand factory style replacement for the + battery cable that had the 2nd, 6ga lead and the factory white "bullet" plug ~6" from the battery lug..... cant say its my favorite/ "best" way to do it but it was the only cable I could find, with twin 6ga leads coming out of the lug, definitely looks "cleaner" than alternative ways I was considering terminating the "HOT" leads, if nothing else. wish I could have found one like that in a 4 ga. as an upgrade,but stock was only 6 ga.
I ran that 2nd 6 ga lead with that big "bullet," to feed the new fuse box.
all that's left wiring-wise, is to hook up/plug in the front end lighting...…
and yes I had to grind the "Ford" logo off the fuse box cover, of course.

we'll see how this works out, hopefully it helps somebody somehow to know what I did if they ever get to the wiring crossroad I was at....