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At the time we asked MKC owner Chad Charlton to build us a harness for extra sensors, he was working on a full ECU engine harness for a 1000whp Honda Civic drag racer.
Building a harness is tedious work that should only be done by the extremely detail-oriented. It’s really considered more of an art form, and harness builders take lots of pride in their work. It’s also expensive. Not only do the raw materials add up for the wires, heat shrink and connectors, but even the printer to make the yellow labels you see here runs upwards of $1700!
MKC’s harness building room may not look like a whole lot, but when I asked Chad how much money he’s got in there he replied with “around 15 grand”, which includes tooling and raw materials like wiring, heat shrinking, connectors, etc.
It’s all in the details when building an engine harness. For example, when you order an EMS system, or anything that needs a little wiring, most of the time it will come with a standard, crimp-type connectors (like the one up top). MKC, however, takes it to the next level with barrel-type connectors (bottom), which provide a full crimp around the wire.
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Why AEM doesn’t supply a customer with these connectors probably has something to do with the fact that not everyone will have the special crimp tool needed, like the one Chad is using here. | It works with various gauges of wire and connectors, providing an extremely clean, 8-point crimp. Oh and it costs over $400. |
