What 'leccy bits should I have?

[dees]

That probably sounds like a stupid question to open with, but I'm after suggestions.

I'm looking into wiring up my hybrid. I have the complete wiring loom out of the '92 Rangie that I've got the engine and autobox from, and it already has most things (and a lot more than I'm ever going to need - eg leccy windows, abs, air suspension, heated screens, and a whole bunch of other stuff). So while the loom is accessible, what other things would you incorporate into it now, rather than when it's all in the car? Heated mirrors, interior lights? Should I keep it simple or go the whole hog? All suggestions welcome!

[ejparrott]

From bitter experience I can offer this.

Sit down and work out exactly what you want where - chart it on Excel or something, thats what Im doing for my 109. Do yourself a diagram, and list all the wire colours that are used on the standard loom, and then what colours you can get and will use for the extras - from the fact that its a hybrid..I'm guessing you might have a winch in there...maybe some spotlights...a fridge perhaps? Split Charge system??

When you've worked out exactly what you are fitting now, work out what you might like to fit later, and then work out how you're going to run wiring to it.

Now, you can see whether its worth running extra wiring.

I did all the electrics on my brothers 109 hybrid 2 years ago..wired a defender dash to a series chassis and put it all back as it should be - exactly what he wanted...then he decides to add this...and that..and a bit more...by the time he'd finished, it was a right rats nest - all for the sake of not sitting down and planning!

For what its worth, Im running extra earth cables, and extra spare lives in my 109's main looms, with different colouring to anything Land Rover used, ready for the day when I think of something extra to fit!

[paul mc]

I'm doing the hybrid thing with a S3 and RRC. The Classic is a 1987 Vogue 3.5 EFi so it has loads of wiring like air con, electric windows, heated windows blah blah blah which i didn't need or want as they will only cause problems and take up space.

My initial plan was to strip the loom from the rangie, lay it out on the floor in the garage and strip off whatever i didn't need, but it is such a complicated loom that i decided it wasn't worth the effort as you'd follow one wire for a while, which then becomes 2 wires which leads to somewhere you didn't expect from looking at the diagram.

Anyway, I found Stafford Vehicle Components online and they do a 'Universal Loom' which is a ready made loom that comprises all the basics you need to get a car running. It comes in 4 parts with plug connections, Main loom, dash loom and front and rear lighting looms. It is fairly expensive at £180 but i think it has made a very good, easy to follow and neat solution and by sticking in another spare fuse board you can add to it neatly in the future.

But in general I decided to keep it simple, I've kept the heater and will fit a radio for longer journeys but I'm never going to be using it as my daily commute so don't need things like heated windows etc, they're just something else to go wrong. Also, even with the basics it gets pretty cramped under the bonnet so extra wiring and fittings can't help.