'85-'87 L-body wiring

[iTurbo]

Turns out I am in need of a couple of sub-harnesses for my '86 GLH Turbo project. I need the starter sub-harness, which includes the positive battery terminal, and the 'front' sub-harness, which includes the wiring for the alternator and negative battery terminal. These will need to be of '85-'87 vintage and for an L-body turbo car (GLH Turbo/Shelby Charger Turbo).

If you have these, I would most definitely appreciate seeing some pictures of the connectors so that I can ensure it will plug into the main underhood wiring without modification.

If I can't find these soon I guess I'll just have to give up and use the modified '89 Caravan turbo SMEC harness that I made for the car. I have already built an '85 Turbo I engine for the car, and I was really hoping just to run it bone stock. Running the SMEC harness means I'll have basically do a TII conversion which I wasn't really planning on...I just want stock L-body Turbo I goodness at this point.

[iTurbo]

Looks like I've found a tattered front sub-harness (alternator/distributor wiring etc) that I can rebuild and make work. Now if I can just find a suitable starter sub-harness..

[85boostbox]

Find a 88 89 l body harness and go over to a nippondenso alternator.

[iTurbo]

Woohoo I found my L-body starter sub-harness today while digging out my logic modules!

85boostbox, I will definitely be remaking my front sub-harness with the newer style alternator connector. I'm set on using the 90-amp Nippondenso unit for this build.

[4 l-bodies]

Jeremy,
If you can find an auto starter harness from l-body of same approx. vintage, not much is different. Just the reverse light switch socket. I also was looking for l-body manual starter harness a few years ago. I believe one of the vintage auto rip-off companies had some available at the time. IIRC, guy wanted like $600-800 for it! I told him no I don't want a hemi dart engine bay harness, I'm looking for a 2.2 omni manual tranny starter harness. Guy just laughed at me. Then I laughed at him and told him he must be delusional.
I ended up finding a NOS auto harness for around $65 plus shipping. Part # was 4331928. Might do a search for that part # before you give up. All the manual tranny ones I have are pretty beat up and would need serious rebuilding as they are rough. I do have a restored L-body alt. harness that came out of my 40K mile GLHT. I took it out when I went to ND alt. Really only holding onto it for a reference. I could let it go, if you find yours is not salvageable.
The positive manual tranny starter harness part # is 4331489 to 2/1585 and 4331927 after 2/15/85.
Todd

[4 l-bodies]

Oh I see you found your harness. Great! well, nevermind... Sorry bout the previous post.

[iTurbo]

Good info as always. Thanks much.

Just need to retrofit these sub-harnesses with new battery cables and I'm good to go!

[4 l-bodies]

Since you can't get OEM, marine style lug terminals FTW. No clamp on terminals allowed! That is a instant fail for me and my buddies at all participant voting car shows (lol).

[135sohc]

Since you can't get OEM, marine style lug terminals FTW. No clamp on terminals allowed! That is a instant fail for me and my buddies at all participant voting car shows (lol).

Tinned copper FTW:http://www.delcity.net/store/Straight-Copper-Battery-Terminals/p_14265.h_792479.t_1

I have been using marine terminals for awhile though. The modular-ness of them is nice.

[iTurbo]

Since you can't get OEM, marine style lug terminals FTW. No clamp on terminals allowed! That is a instant fail for me and my buddies at all participant voting car shows (lol).

No worries, and trust me those clamp on battery terminals are instant fail in my eyes too.

I have found replacement battery cables available at NAPA that have the lead terminals with the wiring molded in and look almost dead stock. The NAPA positive cable even has the black tube connector for the (+) accessory connection that plugs in just like stock. To splice the larger cabling (like starter cable, main ground splice etc), I use a piece of 3/8" copper tube, about 2" in length. I strip back the cables about 1" inch, clean them to bare copper, coat the 3/8" copper tube inside with rosin core solder and insert the ends into the copper tube, sweat the two together with solder using a MAPP gas torch. Finish it off with the thick heavy duty heat shrink tubing available from electrical supply outlets and cover that with the black split loom. Very long lasting and stock appearing fix.

[minigts]

Tinned copper FTW:http://www.delcity.net/store/Straight-Copper-Battery-Terminals/p_14265.h_792479.t_1

I have been using marine terminals for awhile though. The modular-ness of them is nice.

Does that thread onto the cable or something? I haven't had to go with aftermarket yet, probably won't for a bit, but just for reference?

[4 l-bodies]

No worries, and trust me those clamp on battery terminals are instant fail in my eyes too.

I have found replacement battery cables available at NAPA that have the lead terminals with the wiring molded in and look almost dead stock. The NAPA positive cable even has the black tube connector for the (+) accessory connection that plugs in just like stock. To splice the larger cabling (like starter cable, main ground splice etc), I use a piece of 3/8" copper tube, about 2" in length. I strip back the cables about 1" inch, clean them to bare copper, coat the 3/8" copper tube inside with rosin core solder and insert the ends into the copper tube, sweat the two together with solder using a MAPP gas torch. Finish it off with the thick heavy duty heat shrink tubing available from electrical supply outlets and cover that with the black split loom. Very long lasting and stock appearing fix.
Sounds nice Jeremy,
I bought a positive cable from Napa once (it was their exact fit application) and I was disappointed that it came with late model terminal and not the lead terminal like you received. You sound like you put together cables very similar to me. I now wear heavy gloves whenever I tin copper lug terminals. I only make that mistake once! Nice big batch of molten lead doesn't feel good on the fingers and hand (lol).
Todd

[135sohc]

Does that thread onto the cable or something? I haven't had to go with aftermarket yet, probably won't for a bit, but just for reference?

Crimp or more likely for the DIY they sell solder slugs to use also.