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Tue Oct 25, 2016 7:28 am

I'm ready to wire my buggy build. What part number in the Painless wiring products do I use???

Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:53 am

If you're going to use VW electrical components(speedo and switches) and just want to plug in connectors, and not cut all the wires to length and crimp on all the connectors and fabricate and run all the grounds yourself, this is the one to buy. Read the full ebay ad to see how its customized just for your model of buggy and components. The guy that makes them is up the road from you above Jacksonville. If you're planning on using non-VW electrical components/gauges/switches, disregard this post

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Dune-buggy-Wiring-harne...mp;vxp=mtr

Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:30 pm

I have wired 8 buggies in the last 5 years, and although Painless makes some fine wiring harnesses, I would not recommend them for a buggy.

Last week I put on a wiring seminar at the Manx Club's Manx On The Banx event on the NC OBX. In that class, the Dune Buggy Brothers gifted the event with one of their harnesses, and Rebel Wiring gifted the event with 2 of theirs.

If you know exactly what switches and gauges you will run, the Dune Buggy Brothers (Link Provided by Nelson above) will make a custom harness exactly for your spec's. And having inspected their harness, it is top shelf quality. Each end is tagged with the name of the connection, properly wrapped in loom tape and ends terminated.

If you will make your decisions late on gauges and switches, and the placement there of, or like to customize your harness, Rebel Wire makes a super nice harness. I have used 6 Rebel harnesses and have had great results. Each wire is labeled every 8 or so inches and color coded, uses a modern blade style fuse block with relays installed.

Both of these harnesses I mentioned are made for rear engine VW based vehicles, not a front engine harness like Painless.

Tue Oct 25, 2016 4:58 pm

Take the above info and go with it.
I know the DBB and they know their stuff and stand by their work.

AMAC

Wed Oct 26, 2016 6:49 pm

I second the rebel wire harness. I have used at least 7 of there 16 circuit (vw style) harness's. They are very nice and the labeling is great. For air cooled or water cooled they worked in both applications.

Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:01 pm

Thanks for all the info guys. My switches & gauges are going to be kept low cost so I may wire it the old fashion way. But I will ck with Rebel.

Wed Oct 26, 2016 10:24 pm

My buggy was wired with a Painless harness by the original builder. It has not been painless for tracing circuits and fixing problems, and that's because the documentation supplied by painless flat out sucks. The components are very nice, and it all works well, but the one in my buggy appears to have been set up for GM/Mopar/Ford, and definitely not VW. Accordingly, uniquely VW circuits (such as the horn) are a little tricky to resolve.

Thu Oct 27, 2016 5:14 am

I have wired up my buggies with a harness of my own design. My vehicle is simple and has minimal accessories so I started with 2 fuses at the rear, one to the light switch and one to the ignition switch. If it goes off with the key it is wired off the ignition switch. If it can work with the key off it is wired off the light switch. It ends up very similar to the 40 horse era Bug wiring as 6 of the 8 fuses where lights, one was for constant hot and one for everything ignition switched except the coil (VW didn't fuse the coil.) The power wire(s) to the front are fused with my simple setup, as well as the coil power and front parking lights (another thing VW didn't fuse in the early '60's.)

Fri Oct 28, 2016 6:04 am

JoeCool summed it up perfectly.

Also, you are VERY lucky where you live. If you need extra wire, connectors, indicator lights, etc, go to SkyCraft Surplus on Fairbanks Ave.

Sun Oct 30, 2016 5:29 am

I am using the Dune Buggy Brothers harness, very pleased. Using stock VW switches and column. Answered any and all questions I had in a timely manner, made the wiring a breeze.

Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:07 am

There is nothing more rewarding that wiring your own buggy.
I get great pleasure in doing wiring work.

I have wired and rewired my buggy so many times in the past 10 years that I am quite intimate with each and every circuit.

If you follow the 1967 Bug wiring diagram and use the 67 Wiper, wiper switch, turn signal switch, taillights and front turn signal lights it is a very simple wiring system.
Just modify it a bit to suit your needs and use the new style circuit box.

Here is my wiring in it's simple days...

Current cluster....... :wink:

One thing I am glad I did was keep the engine wiring separate from the buggy body wiring.

I can disconnect the 8 primary wires to the engine and then lift the body off without having to touch anything else.
The main engine harness runs along the passenger side tunnel to the back.
Here I am building a new one to include some upgrades.

Before my Fuel Injection upgrade I could have the body ready to pull in less than two hours.