Bronco Reborn: Painless Rewiring

Being the new guys, this particular job came to us. The boss stopped by and said that his boss was gonna take his '72 Bronco to Moab. "Cool," we said. The problem is that his Bronco is a fire hazard due to bad wiring. "So what?" we said. Well, the boss's boss is also going to take some CEO-type dude on the trails in Moab, and if the rig burns to the ground it may make everyone's job very expendable. So, the story goes that we have to make sure the boss's boss's Bronco won't burn to the ground in front of the boss's boss and the boss's boss's boss, or we're sleeping in a box down by the river. "No problem," we said.

The first step was easy: Get a wiring kit. Lucky for us, we had noticed our sister mag Faux Wheeler had done an article on the new Painless Wiring kit for '66-'77 Broncos. We called up the crew at Painless and told them our predicament, and sure enough, they had the kit to us in record time.

Initial inspection under the dash showed the rainbow spaghetti factory that was the old wiring. Upon inspection of the wiring, Eytan Rosenburg of Strictly Bronco exclaimed, "Whoever did this wiring should be shot. I just followed a wire that went from red to black to red and back to black again!"

Initial inspection under the dash showed the rainbow spaghetti factory that was the old wi

However, we needed some help putting this thing in and making sure everything else on the rig works before Moab. Here we have two choices: call our friends, who will just sit around and watch us work while drinking all our beer, or call a reputable shop where we can sit around and watch them work while we drink their "soda."

We called up Strictly Broncos, a shop here in Los Angeles, and scheduled the install. These guys are real pros, and most of the time they are taking old Ford Broncos that they have found behind barns and along back alleys and rebuilding them for their movie-star clientele. With the Painless kit in hand we all went to work (them mostly, but we got in their way a bit to help and take pictures), and after a few trips to the auto parts store for some special custom features we just had to add, we had a nonflammable Bronco ready for Moab. We're happy to say that the Bronco made the trip un-ignited for our boss's boss and his boss as well. As for us, we won't be moving out of our offices anytime soon. Hopefully.

While Rosenburg pulled wires from under the hood and behind the taillights, Ryan Lindberg tore into the old wiring under the dash. One of the worst things we found was the wiring wrapped around the fuel line and hanging under the truck next to the exhaust. Scary dumb stuff like that always makes us laugh, but it really shouldn't.
While Rosenburg pulled wires from under the hood and behind the taillights, Ryan Lindberg

We opened up the Painless kit and found almost everything there. To give it a nice clean install we purchased some electrical tape and wiring loom of various sizes. A pack of zip ties to help secure the harness in place was added to our inventory as well.
We opened up the Painless kit and found almost everything there. To give it a nice clean i

Not only was the wiring a mess, but half the knobs on the dash were missing or broken, and the cigarette lighter didn't work. We didn't know if our boss's boss was a Marlboro man or not, but figured that if we fixed these little things we might just get invited to the Christmas party this year. We called up the crew at Tom's Bronco Parts and they had the replacement knobs, wiper motor, heater cables, and other switches in our hands pronto. Some of these parts were slightly used originals, and others were new old stock or new replacements.
Not only was the wiring a mess, but half the knobs on the dash were missing or broken, and
The Painless kit came with these nice plugs (left) and most of the wires are labeled as to where they go. The corresponding taillight plugs (above) need to have the ends crimped on, and we followed that by soldering them. This will ensure a strong trouble-free connection.
The Painless kit came with these nice plugs (left) and most of the wires are labeled as to

The guys at Strictly Broncos liked how the loom protects the wires and makes it much easier to secure the whole deal out of the way, and we have to agree with them. Just be sure that the loom allows the wires to reach their destination, and that you allow for future installations--like leaving the end of the radio power wire exposed if you plan on installing one in the future.
The guys at Strictly Broncos liked how the loom protects the wires and makes it much easie
This particular Bronco had an NP435 four-speed swapped in, and as such we couldn't find the switch for the backup lights. Since these lights are good for backing up on dark trails and lighting campgrounds, we decided to wire them in with a dash switch that would allow you to turn them on as you please. We used this old brake-pressure warning light as the reminder light when the lights are on. Hopefully the bossman won't think it's a map light and drive down the road with his backup lights blazing.
This particular Bronco had an NP435 four-speed swapped in, and as such we couldn't find th
We installed the fuse box in the ashtray to give it some easy access. This involved a bit of cutting on the box and the tray, but since the box doesn't need to be grounded it worked fine. The Peeping Tom picture in the old speaker window was our idea, but you can feel free to copy it.
We installed the fuse box in the ashtray to give it some easy access. This involved a bit

In order to make the boss's boss's rig the grooviest on the trail we added a few extra special features. After a trip to AutoZone we installed some air horns that would scare a steam whistle, plus a red dome light to protect the driver's night vision. The final step was the disco ball to help the boss's boss with the ladies. Look out, it's party time!
In order to make the boss's boss's rig the grooviest on the trail we added a few extra spe
As we were leaving the shop we realized that the passenger-side front tire was rubbing on the bent front bumper. A tow strap to a telephone pole and some low-range reverse straightened out the old tubular piece. With that, the boss's boss's Bronco was ready for Moab, or a night on the town.
As we were leaving the shop we realized that the passenger-side front tire was rubbing on