308 GTSi Engine Wiring Looms Rebuild .... From Scratch

Runs GREAT Right?

Take a good hard look.

Do your two Engine (Bay) Management Looms look like this ('Spare' Looms):

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Or this:
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Or how about this (From my car)?
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If they look like this on the outside, what do they look like on the inside?


Well, we are gunna find out.

We are gunna rebuild these two from scratch.

Why from scratch?

Because neither of these two looms appear in ANY Parts Catalogue. NOPE. NADA. Completely omitted. You CAN'T BUY a replacement from the usual suppliers even in the 'Parts Heaven' of the UK. I Tried. No Joy.

It took me (off-and-on) about 15 years to get my hands on the burnt loom (By Far the BEST Condition Looms I ever found available) you see above, and it came off an 'Excellent Shape' '81 GTBi just a few cars away from my '81 GTSi. That 'Bi' is being turned into a race car with a Honda Engine being installed.

That is how you FIND Replacements, be a Vulture, or, you BUILD your own.


Thankfully MANY, but certainly NOT ALL of the OEM parts are still available and some of those are 'Drying-Up' FAST too, as the manufacturers are not going to make them any longer (Covid has helped here, so I'm told). Some of the OEM parts you Won't Want to use in New looms anyway as they are absolute CRAP.

From some of what I'm finding studying these two pair, I am somewhat amazed any of these cars run at all with the original looms still in place.


Anyway,

IF you are thinking of renewing your looms now or in the future, I'd collect-up the parts SOONEST if you want to maintain any semblance of OEM. Some are already Gone Forever (I'll highlight those I've found) and more will be GONE soon. The wires can wait IF you intend to 'shelve' this project for later or even have someone else do the work and you provide the parts.


PLEASE FEEL FREE to 'chime-in' as I am NO EXPERT, actually I know NOTHING about ANY OF THIS 'Electricity Stuff,' and we can all learn more that way. And I know already in a couple of places we are gunna have to FLAT-OUT Improvise as no OEM or Aftermarket exists.

IF you want to TRY to tackle this, Follow along and I'll try to SAVE you about a hundred+ hours of time or more (I'm still not done researching), several Excedrin Headaches (with more to come), AND more than a 'FEW BUCK$.'


(Spoiler Alert: As we are gunna find out, all is NOT as it seems. The Reality of the 'Looms in your hand' vs. the Wiring Diagram in the Owner's Manual AND the '81 308 GTB/Si Wiring Diagrams Training Pamphlet (stapled paper) are NOT ALWAYS a 'reflection' of each other. Sometimes there is no almost reflection at all ... as if THAT is a surprise )



'Till the first Installment ......