Electrical: Installling new wiring harness in 1948 Commander

[PhilPatton]

This question is probably stupid, however, here it is: I have to replace the wiring harness in my '48. I ordered a harness/s from Studebaker West. Very nice, not labeled and my wiring harness only has one color, faded tan. I can figure this out, I work on radio transmitters for a living that make the wiring in this car very simple in comparison. I am not however, very mechanically inclined. What do I need to do to either lay the dash over, or else pull the bottom of it out a few inches. There is so little clearance between the dash and firewall I can't even see up in there, much less get my hands into the space. The procedure in the service manual seems to be for totally removing the dash from the car, which is more than I need to do. Is there any way to easily gain a little clearance between the dash and firewall?
Thanks for any insights,
Phil Patton
Nashville, TN

[Commander Eddie]

I had my '50 Commander re-wired by a professional and had a chance to inspect the progress from time to time. I noted that the installer removed the guages so he could wire them more easily. He then just pushed them back into the instrument panel and tightened them back in place.

[rusty nut garage]

the shop manual will have a schematic that is color coded. The wiring harness I've used from STUDEBAKER WEST were as perfect as you could be in regards to fit and matching colors per the original.
Id suggest you remove the instrument cluster to access the wiring. Since your a radio man you realize the importance of good ground and good connections. HAVE FUN!

This question is probably stupid, however, here it is: I have to replace the wiring harness in my '48. I ordered a harness/s from Studebaker West. Very nice, not labeled and my wiring harness only has one color, faded tan. I can figure this out, I work on radio transmitters for a living that make the wiring in this car very simple in comparison. I am not however, very mechanically inclined. What do I need to do to either lay the dash over, or else pull the bottom of it out a few inches. There is so little clearance between the dash and firewall I can't even see up in there, much less get my hands into the space. The procedure in the service manual seems to be for totally removing the dash from the car, which is more than I need to do. Is there any way to easily gain a little clearance between the dash and firewall?
Thanks for any insights,
Phil Patton
Nashville, TN

[StudeRich]

I agree with Russ, even though you possess the skills required to test each wire or trace it's location points, following the Color Codes on each Wire and following the Wiring Diagram in the back of the Shop Manual is the best and easiest way.
There are also many wiring diagrams on line at: http://studebakerparts.com