19 Apr 2019
Wiring. Sigh.

There has been a terrible mistake.

Well.  Probably more than one.

We already discussed the damage to the forward harness.  I went to a junkyard and found a car (a Pontiac 6 cylinder, at that) and got a new C200; had to re-pin a few things to line up with the V8 bits.
Not pictured: I scanned in about 170 pages of connector drawings and schematics from the Helms manual.  I actually found some errata, not that I know who I'd tell; the books are almost 20 years old.

I also made a master spreadsheet with the circuit numbers, and what each end of each wire is.

I saved off a set of the completed scans, I'll make my notes and change the things that need changed (remove ABS, EGR, etc.; change the plugs for AC fan, headlamp, etc.), then print and put in a binder for future reference.

In this picture I started labeling the wires in the damaged harness as I could probe them and figure out which is which.  I probably should have just found an undamaged V8 Chevy forward harness - there's at least one more junkyard run coming.
Started connecting the new C200 to the cut portion.
Lots of labeling.  The labelmaker ran out of tape, so I moved to handwritten.
The process of combining both ends is very time consuming.
At least I could use this for both the soldering and the heatshrink.
It is progress, of a sort.  There are issues that I don't quite understand yet.

For some reason, this connector is not just to hook the front harness to the mid harness.  The ignition switch and the instrument panel fuse block are on opposite sides of this block.  I think there's more missing connectors but I can't tell; surely the General didn't expect solder and heatshrink to replace a front harness.  It looks like most, if not all, of the remaining wires coming through the firewall here will go to things other than the C200 block.

So really this update was just so I don't get out of the habit of updating; the work progresses, slowly.  The wife suggests that I do garage while it's cool out, and worry about this when it's hot out.  She's probably right.  I've got the pinion depth gauge, the bearing race driver, and the bearing splitter I need to do the rear axle... it just scares me. 

Also need to finish the needle scaling of the underbed, to powerwash the fuel tank and remount, to finish welding the bed front panel flange, to figure out why my MIG is not welding well.  Much to do.  Plenty of time, but much to do.

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