Muscle Car Rewiring

Muscle cars' popularity never wanes. But as the Sixties become more distant, the high-horsepower cars produced in that era continue to deteriorate. Hot rodders are forever updating and upgrading mechanical components, but they shouldn't overlook the electrical system. In fact, totally rewiring a muscle car with an aftermarket kit can improve both performance and safety: Old, brittle wires can crack or fray and produce sparks, which can ignite an electrical fire. Also, electrical components such as headlights perform best when the wires allow more voltage to flow to them.

Wiring Kits
Several automotive aftermarket companies offer complete wiring kits that are assembled with the shade-tree mechanic in mind. Specific kits for popular cars include the proper amount of circuits for all OE accessories, original-style connectors and plugs, and even cut-to-length wire. For those who want to add additional circuits and update their cars with features such as fuel injection, universal extra-circuit kits are available.

Rewiring a muscle car with an aftermarket kit can improve both performance and safety.
Armed with simple hand tools, a wire stripper/crimper and a spool-full of patience, the accompanying Steps show how anyone with average auto-repair ability can gut and replace a muscle car's wiring. A 1966 Chevelle serves as our model here.


For this job, we chose a basic 18-circuit aftermarket wiring kit. In addition to an OE-style fuse panel and wires, the kit came complete with headlight plugs, tie wraps, an ample supply of crimp connectors, and perhaps most important, an excellent instruction booklet. Individual wires are labeled every few inches over their entire length. Moreover, the instruction booklet clearly identifies, per color (using standard GM wiring color coding), per section, a wire's destination and origin. In addition, complete wiring diagrams are included, making it nearly impossible to lose your way.

Installation Overview
When we evaluated the wiring in this nicely street-machined 1966 Malibu, we found an electric Chernobyl in waiting. When the stoplights would go on, everything else would go dim. Repeated trailer wirings had tangled the trunk wiring harness. And wires and connectors had become as brittle as a Pringle. A total re-wire was in order.