Why does nobody talk about how much wiring looms weigh on older cars

I was swapping out my head unit last Tuesday in my 1992 Civic hatchback, pulling the factory radio out of the dash. And man, I swear I pulled out like 4 pounds of old brittle wire and connectors that didn't even go to anything anymore. It was this giant tangle of crusty insulation and rusted spade terminals behind there, probably from some dealer add-on and two alarm systems the previous owner let rot. I spent almost an hour tracing each wire with my multimeter, cutting out dead runs, and zip tying the rest back clean. Lost about 3 pounds of copper and plastic trash when I was done, the car felt lighter, and the stereo actually sounds clearer now with less interference. Has anyone else found a random mess of dead wires hiding in their project car's dashboard?

2 comments

2 Comments

ramirez.caleb5d ago

Man, @kevin_adams is right, that kind of junk adds up faster than you think. I've pulled similar rat nests out of old cars and it's wild how much dead weight is just hiding in there.

kevin_adams5d ago

Yeah that 3 pounds you pulled out is nothing. I had a 88 CRX where the previous owner installed like three different stereos and a phone kit from the 90s. I swear I pulled out seven pounds of dead wire, just brittle insulation everywhere. The car literally sat an inch higher in the front after I ripped it all out.