Topic: Wiring harness manufacturers

[midlife]

OK, guys (and gals)...anyone out there know who manufactured wiring looms for Ford?  As best as I can tell, there was probably only one manufacturer during any one year, as there are no substantial differences in connector moldings, wire colors, etc. to the trained eye.  I'm just curious who the vendor was.

As an aside, I recently ran across a manufacturer repair before the harness was delivered to Ford.  The ACC line running from the fuse box to the ignition was clipped as it exited the tape near each end, leaving a small exposed piece of wire.  Another complete line was then installed.  How do I know this was a vendor repair?  There was a harness sticker on both the inner and outer wraps of tape.  Surely Ford did not put the stickers on each harness as it was delivered to the plant.

[ruppstang]

I have seen differences in the 67-68 harness used at the SJ plants the plastic anchors are differant than the Dearborn and NJ plants. Leading me to believe that there may have been a California supplier. Marty

[J_Speegle]

Not sure if there was one source. We see the different ways the ends were wrapped and this may indicate different suppliers or even multiple sub contractors for these.

One story I would also offer. In the mid 70's the family took one of those family vacations which took us across the AZ desert. Dad recalled (and reminded me 20 years ago) that at one of the gas stations we stopped at way out in no where and a jig set up in the service area where they were assembling wire looms for power seats on that years T birds and Lincolns. Doubt they were doing all of them for Ford - more likely a sub for another contractor

[CharlesTurner]

Seen 'CCC' markings on some original looms.  Also have seen 'Made in Canada' on some original alternator wiring looms.

Most of them I have seen just have a FoMoCo wrap label with an engineering number and sometimes 'SX' on the label.

[J_Speegle]

IMHO we will likely find many different markings which may relate to different suppliers and or subs if we look across all the classic years and the three plants

Looking through one group of pictures I have with wiring labels I found the following in addition to the typical dates, FoMoCo and engineering numbers


SX-(small) w
SX-(small) R
SX-(small) A
SX-(small) L
(small) P (then large) SX
PAP
WCC
CCC in an oval
RMTE shaped into a right facing arrow (? on spelling)

[Bob Gaines]

IMHO we will likely find many different markings which may relate to different suppliers and or subs if we look across all the classic years and the three plants

Looking through one group of pictures I have with wiring labels I found the following in addition to the typical dates, FoMoCo and engineering numbers


SX-(small) w
SX-(small) R
SX-(small) A
SX-(small) L
(small) P (then large) SX
PAP
WCC
CCC in an oval
RMTE shaped into a right facing arrow (? on spelling)

Out of all of those WCC (Whitaker Cable Corporation) now defunct was the only one I recognized. They were a Ford OEM based in Kansas City. Bob

[Murf]

A few years ago I was talking to Ken Rubin, the owner of Alloy Metal in New York.  His company makes reproduction wire products  and while we talked he told me that he had a print for the odd harness I needed because when his father owned the company they were a contractor for Ford Motor Company and had supplied Ford with the very harness I needed.  He did construct the harness and it was an exact duplicate of the needed part.  I have no idea what ID Alloy Metal Co. used on their production but I am certain that a company as large as Ford would have redundant suppliers of many  products they used.  Production of autos could not be stopped because some small company had a fire, an untimely death of the owner, or labor trouble, etc.  Ken has passed on so he cannot help with this but his company still makes some of the best reproduction wire products available.  The person running the business now may have some insight into how the Alloy Metal Products were tagged before sending to Ford to be used in production or service parts. 

[CharlesTurner]

Ken was an asset to the hobby, it's sad he is no longer with us.  He had a pretty good sense of humor too!

James Thayer was Ken's business partner and from what I understand, runs Alloy Metal Co. now.

[midlife]

Very Interesting.  I've now run across well over 400 harnesses and most don't have stickers left on them.  I've seen some variation in the color molex plastic connectors, and some discrepancies in the blue/red lamp wire colors (bright blue vs. light blue), but that's about it.  I don't pay attention to details of tape wrap directions, though.

Thanks for the info, folks. 

[Andrew@MagMustangs]

I have also found the Name Riverside molded into some Plug connectors and also Xmii on Connectors and on Tags.

[RadBOSS]

I tried one of the Alloy Metal harness's for my 69 BOSS.  Advertised as and exact reproduction.  I ended up sending it back.  The quality was nice enough,  but 'EXACT details',  no way.  Some connectors in no way duplicated physical attributes of the original connectors (e.g. headlight connectors were much lighter duty on the reproduction loom),  though functionally interchangeable.  Other connectors looked like perfect clones.  Where there was a branch in the loom,  the original loom has a special molded plastic fitting to emphasize the branch,  the reproduction loom had nothing,  other than the tape wrapping to make the branch demarcation.  A functional replacement loom,  yes it is,  an exact reproduction,  no way.

The after market manufacturers will make and get away with what ever the buyer is willing to accept or not want to know.  Not enough complaints filled IMHO.

[NEFaurora]

Alloy Metal products make the best stuff I've ever seen for Mustangs....Thumbs up here.

Tony K.

[midlife]

I tried one of the Alloy Metal harness's for my 69 BOSS.  Advertised as and exact reproduction.  I ended up sending it back.  The quality was nice enough,  but 'EXACT details',  no way.  Some connectors in no way duplicated physical attributes of the original connectors (e.g. headlight connectors were much lighter duty on the reproduction loom),  though functionally interchangeable.  Other connectors looked like perfect clones.  Where there was a branch in the loom,  the original loom has a special molded plastic fitting to emphasize the branch,  the reproduction loom had nothing,  other than the tape wrapping to make the branch demarcation.  A functional replacement loom,  yes it is,  an exact reproduction,  no way.

The after market manufacturers will make and get away with what ever the buyer is willing to accept or not want to know.  Not enough complaints filled IMHO.

I take it that was a headlight harness?  There are no special provisions in an underdash harness for branches. 

Both OEM and reproduction have their places.  Don't get me started on how badly the OEM harnesses were made...

[RadBOSS]

That is correct.  Headlight harness w/o tach. 

I thought this section the forum was out there for opinions,  good or bad,  so I  expressed mine.

I have several other parts I can comment on as well.

My point here was 'Exact Reproduction' claims are sometimes not completely true,  even though sometimes the part is pretty good (or better) and 'close' to but not like exact.

I realize Ford had more than one subcontractor making the harnesses,  and if you lined all of them up I am sure there would be subtle differences in the produced loom.  IMO,  this plastic piece that had a purpose that I remarked about,  as being non existent in this 'exact reproduction',  I think is a significant departure from what was intended.

Anyway,  after seeing what an exact reproduction looks like,  I simply decided to clean up my harness and re tape it.

[c4az63c]

My wife's late uncle was the unofficial head dude at Riverside in Dearborn on Oakman south of Michigan Ave.  He was the man that opened the gate and doors in the morning and then closed the place down in the evening.  He did what ever it was that was needed.  Sweep, pick up parts, deliver parts and what ever the owner or boss needed.  From time to time he would bring me rolls of tape that had the Ford part numbers all printed on them.  It was a large roll, if you could imagine masking tape with a smaller center opening.  I guess this was stuff that they had completed building and were getting rid of the old numbers.  He told me that he could get me anything made that I needed for my early interest in Mustangs.  He would also mention that he could get me spools of wire and wiring harnesses that were over built.  I knew they were a supplier to the DAP (Dearborn Assembly Plant or B Building).  He thought the tape was the cats whiskers.  Unfortunately, it was a very low grade adhesive and had limited use.  Wish I would have saved a couple dozen of those rolls.

He became ill in 1975 and we lost him that year.  The building that was used by Riverside went through a bunch of uses.  No longer a Riverside facility.  The last I remember the building was the administration for Detroit College of Business.  Which is now Davenport University.