Hey everyone. A friend suggested this forum, and so far, it looks like a great place for information.

With that being said, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Going on two months ago, I bought a 1966 Coupe (289 2BL, C4 Automatic) for $2800. It's in decent shape, it runs, and it sounds great. It badly needs floors, minor engine work, lots of interior work, a bit of wiring, and of course, paint.

Right now my next goal is to get it key starting, instead of jumping the solenoid. I have a new ignition switch ready to be wired up, but the wires have been cut from the wiring harness, and I'm pretty sure at least one of the original wires is shorted or burned out. I've worked with plenty of electrical / electronics, so wiring it myself should be no problem. I already have the wires, tubing, etc.

I saw five wires connected to the ignition switch - two black grounds bolted to the back, and two reds (one with a blue stripe, one with a gold stripe) and one yellow coming out of the side. I THINKI can see the two red wires connecting to the front terminals on the solenoid, but I want to be sure. Can anyone tell me where all five wires should connect?

Finally, the wires to the altenator are all melted. I'm not sure how far back they're melted, but it's beyond salvaging. Is it possible to buy just a wiring harness for the altenator and related components, or am I going to have to shell out some major cash, or wire it myself? I really can't afford $300+ for a new wiring harness at this point.

Thanks for the help.

 

I have the stock harness from my son's 66 six cylinder. I have harvested some connections and such from the harness, but the ignition, ignition switch wires,engine, and charging wires are 100% intact, and in decent shape for their age. I would think that you could unwrap the harnesses and replace the damaged wires with the unmolested wires and re-wrap.

I will give you what I have if you want.

 

Welcome!
First...fill out your profile so we can help you better.
Second... If you haven't already, you need to get the schematics to figure out what colored wires go where. Here's a site to download them.
http://midlife66.com/wiring/wiring.html

 

A couple of recomendations:
- Subscribe to Mustang Monthly Magazine. Pick one up in a supermarket and check it out.
- Get some catalogs. National Parts Depot (aka NPD) www.npdlink.com has four locations and probably the largest stock of available parts. Also www.virginiaclassicmustang.com and www.texasmustang.com will cover 99 pct of your parts needs.
A 66 V8 alternator harness is available for about $20.00. It is unique to V-8 engines. All 66 harnesses are available, but the one under the dash is $430 so be careful with that one. Check out NPD's .pdf online catalog for other harnesses.
To be truthful, you can almost build from the ground up, a 65 or 66 Mustang from mail order parts.
Those two wires bolted to the back of the ignition are NOT grounds. Those are key 'switched' power to the car - run, radio, heater fan, etc. Use the FAQ section on this forum for wiring information. Hell, use the FAQ's for a lot of stuff.
Jim

 

[sm=gears.gif]Welcome to the Forum. You definately need to post a pic
of that Stang. Enjoy modding!

 

Excellent advice. Thanks guys.

 

When it comes to wiring, I have two left thumbs, but you sound as if you know what you are doing, but just needsome information. Well, here ya go. Here are wiring diagrams as well as how to hook up your alternator.

Mustang electrical system:
http://mustangmonthly.com/techarticles/mump_0604_understanding_mustang_electrical_systems/

Gauges and fixes:
http://www.mustangandfords.com/techarticles/75259/

65-66 alternator wiring:
http://www.cjponyparts.com/TechAltWiring.asp

How to replace Ford Mustang Electrical Harness: (7 pages)
http://mustangmonthly.com/howto/173_0401_mustangs_wire_harness/

Wiring diagrams for classic Mustangs:
http://www.hammar.dyndns.org/~djhamma/wiring.htm

Wiring diagrams:
http://www.midlife66.com/wiring/wiring.html

More wiring diagrams:
http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/811984/9279342/168993896.jpg

Wiring digrams: 1964-72
http://www.themustangshop.com/index.cfm?pg=/resources.cfm