Redline Update: Wiring up our 1950 Chevy Truck - Hagerty Media
The Redline Update series has been tracking Davin as he tackles multiple projects, but the one that’s come the furthest is the 1950 Chevrolet 3600. Progress is continuing on the crusty pickup, and the latest project is running the wiring for all the essential systems.
Davin didn’t elect to build his own harness, mainly because an American Autowire pre-made harness was readily available for ordering from LMC Truck. The harness saves time and makes sure everything that needs power will get it. No reason to over-complicate things.
“It makes the time in the shop a lot more productive when I am laying the harness into the car rather than pulling lengths of wire and putting on all the proper connections,” Davin says, explaining why he elected for a pre-built harness. It also helps me get the routing correct sometimes, because based on the length of wire supplied and where the connections are, I can use a bit of common sense looking around to find where the proper placing is.”
His technique of using the two-post lift to hold the truck in such a way that he can stand through the transmission tunnel to work under the dashboard will be an envy of anyone who has had to do their best contortionist routine to accomplish just about anything under there. Soon the engine and transmission will return to their home between the frame rails and Davin won’t have the convenience of a massive hole in the floor. Perfect time to utilize it.
Over the years the wiring has been mangled and modified to where what is left cannot be trusted. That means looking at things a few times to figure out exactly how the wiring should be laid out. If there is one tip to take away from this quick video, it is to resist the urge to cut wires to solve whatever issue you have. Try re-routing first. That short delay might save you hours of wire splicing.
As Davin notes in the video, this pickup is getting a lot of work—but this is not a restoration. He is bringing the pickup back to working order, but not over-doing it. Even with that in mind, there is plenty of work left to do on this truck. Be sure to subscribe to Hagerty’s YouTube channel to receive updates when each video goes live and never miss a minute of the progress.
