By Chuck Vranas Images BY THE AUTHOR

egardless of whether you’re updating your ride or taking on a full build, one of the most vital systems for review should always revolve around wiring. With wiring being the absolute control center of your high-performance Chevy, its daily demands handle everything from engine management to lighting, interior comforts, and gauges to monitor the vitals. Sure, your car had perfect wiring when it left the factory but if you’re wheeling a muscle car that’s over 50 years old, it’s a good idea to revisit its heartbeat to be sure it maintains a clean bill of health.

Regular readers of All Chevy Performance will recognize the ’71 Camaro showcased across our pages, having followed its transformation from that of a barebones roller. It’s certainly come a long way, having previously focused on its suspension, brakes, LS driveline, cooling, exhaust, and sheetmetal. There’s nothing more exciting than finally bringing it to the point where it’s ready to catch its first breath.

Recently, we followed up at Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, where shop owner, Pat O’Brien was preparing to move forward on the next step of the build by addressing the wiring. With the car packed with cutting-edge upgrades, including an aggressive 5.3L LC9 LS it was obvious he would need a system that could support all of the updates as well as many of the original factory components. He contacted American Autowire to check out their vast catalog of offerings for vintage Chevys. Their Classic Update Series complete wiring kit (PN 510034) packs all the right parts into one system to accommodate many of the needed modern amenities designed for specific applications exclusively for modified vehicles.

The Classic Update kits are designed for builds requiring far more circuits than would have been available on the original factory harness. While each kit supports rewiring of all the original basic needs from headlights to taillights and everything in between, it also accommodates modern updates including EFI, aftermarket gauge combinations, and common supporting modifications. Many of the kit features include an updated ATC fuse panel and fuses matched to modern GXL wiring throughout featuring wire functions labeled every 3-5 inches, a prebuilt dash harness with exclusive gauge cluster quick disconnect for use with stock or aftermarket instruments, and six-way power accessory plug to use as a source for aftermarket accessories. Their engine and lighting harnesses feature extra-long leads for either stock or custom routing with the ability to accommodate modern driveline needs with original-style bulkhead connectors included.

Another exclusive is their 175-amp Mega Fuse kit that comes complete with six-gauge charge cable for supporting high-output charging systems and internally regulated alternators. For our application, we also selected their accessory component add-ons, including trunk light assembly (PN CA03102), glovebox light assembly (PN 18000), and vinyl, non-adhesive harness tape (PN R0067108). For ease of installation, each kit arrives with extremely well-illustrated and detailed instructions included, as well as all components being clearly marked and ready.

To bring the second-gen’s lighting into the modern age, O’Brien used an updated system from Dapper Lighting. Dapper features an extensive group of options available for creating a truly custom-tailored system for your individual needs. Sourced through Classic Industries, O’Brien selected their LED Seven Series headlight kit, which integrates the latest in projector lighting technology into the slimmest 7-inch headlamp design on the market today. Their exclusive thermo-regulated LED optical module allows for a massive increase in light at less than half the draw of power. Designed as a true plug-and-play replacement for stock sealed beams in classic cars, the lights fit into most factory headlight buckets without modification. There’s even an option when building your system to include OEM-style glass lenses for a vintage look. With unlimited possibilities thanks to the ability to select your own housing colors, lens types, and halos it gives car owners the opportunity to fuse some personal style into their rides.

Wanting to bring plenty of visibility to the back of the car for additional safety, O’Brien hit up Dakota Digital for one of their LED Brake/Taillight Module Systems (PN LAT-NR100). Engineered to utilize the original wiring harness, installation is a snap to make the update to your factory taillight assembly.

2. Getting started, the OER reproduction headlamp housing from Classic Industries was installed by Pat O’Brien of Procision Industries along with the new headlight adjuster set and headlamp bulb adjusting spring.

4. The Dapper Lighting LED Seven projector headlight was then set in place and secured to the headlamp mounting bucket using an OER reproduction headlight retaining ring from Classic and Phillips head screws.

6. O’Brien continued with the frontend lighting by first installing the retainer clips followed by the new OER reproduction parking lamp assemblies from AMD.

8. Bringing the Camaro to life is an American Autowire Classic Update Kit (PN 510034), which comes with everything needed to complete the installation. This extensive system includes all factory basics to rewire from headlights to taillights as well as the ability to accommodate EFI, aftermarket gauges, and common supporting modifications.

10. With the wrapped and perfectly branched-out dashboard harness and fuse panel in hand, O’Brien prepares it for mounting to the stock OEM bulkhead hole on the inner driver side of the firewall.

12. The dashboard harness was then looped and secured in place for when the full dash will be installed in a future article.

15. American Autowire provides extended wiring to accommodate an OEM or custom-style installation, which O’Brien has opted for to conceal the harness. As pictured, the lighting harness has been wrapped and branched out to address each individual circuit, including headlights, directional and marker lights, horn, and cooling fans.

16-17. To prepare the lighting harness, O’Brien spliced and wrapped the headlight wiring to supply power to the right-side headlight from the left-side connector.

19. The headlight wires were then installed to a new headlight connector and joined to the Dapper Lighting adaptive power control unit (PCU). O’Brien then followed with all other related connections on the front light harness.

21. To complete the cable, a heavy-duty heat shrink sleeve is added and secured in place by a heat gun. The starter cable end is then stripped and finished with a crimp lug using a hydraulic crimping tool.

23. Finally, the Optima RedTop battery was set in place in the factory location and connected to the custom battery cables.

25. Next, the modules were secured in place using the provided round mounting plate with the flat surface of the plate facing down and raised surface facing upward. Secure in place with the provided hardware and prepare wiring for connection.

27. The housing was then secured using new gaskets and a fresh set of self-locking Peri-Keps nuts sourced from Classic.

29. The final bit of dazzle included new bumper brackets and chrome bumper from AMD to complete the back of the car. Note that the rear body wiring harness was trimmed and wrapped, ready to tie into the lighting and fuel system.