1965-1974 Dart, Duster, Demon, Valiant & 1967-69 Barracuda Wiring Harnesses: One Harness Up Front or Two? How to Order the Right A-Body Harness
Dodge Darts, Plymouth Dusters, Demons, Valiants, Scamps and early Barracudas are some of the easiest classic Mopars to own, and most of them still run on wiring that left the factory 50-plus years ago. Cracked insulation, green terminals and a few decades of add-on wires cause most of the electrical gremlins. A new harness fixes that. But Chrysler built the A-body's wiring in sections, and the front section changed design from year to year.
This guide covers the 1965-1974 Dodge Dart, Plymouth Duster, Dodge Demon, Plymouth Valiant and Scamp, and the 1965-69 Plymouth Barracuda (the A-body Barracuda). Everything below comes straight from our supplier's listings. Where a listing leaves a question open, we say so. (Working on a 1970-74 Barracuda or 'Cuda? That's an E-body. See our E-body wiring harness guide. Charger, Coronet, Road Runner or GTX? See the B-body guide.)
Step 1: Know which section you're replacing
- Under-dash harness. It connects to the switches and sensors behind the dash. It also attaches to the engine harness and runs down the side cowl panel to connect to the rear body harness.
- Engine harness. It runs the engine bay. The A-body engine harnesses we carry list connections for the temperature sending unit, oil light, coil power, horn relay and washer pump motor.
- Front light harness. It runs to the battery junction, headlights, parking lights and turn signals.
- Rear light harness. It powers everything at the back of the car and connects to the under-dash harness, or on some cars to an intermediate harness.
Before you order, look at your original harness. Our supplier's warning on the under-dash harnesses: Chrysler often added separate wire assemblies depending on how the car was built, many of those aren't reproduced, and you may need to reuse them from your original harness.
Step 2: One harness up front, or two? It depends on the year
This is the question that trips people up. On some A-bodies the engine and front light wiring is one joined harness. On others they're two separate harnesses. Our supplier's listings say which design each one is.
- 1965 Dart, Barracuda and Valiant (joined): 1965 engine & front light harness (MA2273).
- 1967 Plymouth Barracuda, V8 except Hemi (joined): 1967 Barracuda engine & front light harness (MA2276).
- 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, 318 or 340 (joined): 1969 Barracuda combo engine & front light harness (MA2283).
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1970 Dart, Duster and Valiant, 318 or 340 (joined): two versions, and the difference is ignition.
- Stock: 1970 engine & front light harness, 318/340 (MA2285).
- Electronic ignition: 1970 modified engine & front light harness, 318/340 (MA2384). The listing says electronic ignition harnesses need the 1970-and-later style alternator and voltage regulator and a 4-terminal ballast resistor.
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1971 Dart, Duster and Valiant (separate engine harness):
- 318 or 340 with stock breaker-point ignition: 1971 engine harness, 318/340 (MA2268).
- 340, stock, listed "with ECU": 1971 engine harness, 340 (MA2269).
- Front light: our supplier's 1971 front light harness (MD2471) is titled as a front light harness, but its description says it's for cars that need a joined engine and front light harness. If you're replacing both sections on a 1971, check with us before you order.
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1972 Dart, Duster, Scamp and Valiant (separate engine harness):
- Front light: 1972 front light harness (MD2472). The listing says it's designed for cars that use a separate engine harness.
- Engine, 340: 1972 engine harness, 340 (MA2271). The listing calls it "340 with HEI". We don't have a verified 1972 breaker-point engine harness listed.
- 1973 Dart, Duster, Scamp and Valiant, 318 or 340 (joined): 1973 engine & front light harness (MA2286).
- 1974 Dart, Duster, Scamp and Valiant, V8 (joined): 1974 engine & front light harness (MA2288). This one is listed for cars built after October 12, 1973, so check your build date. We don't have a verified harness listed for earlier-built 1974 cars.
On every joined harness, our supplier notes that the firewall connector varies by model: some use a single plug, others use two.
The A-body fusible link (MA4200) is the same type that comes on the original harnesses. The listing names the 1967-71 harnesses it's used on. If yours needs a new link and the rest of the harness is good, start there.
Step 3: Under-dash harness, by year and model
- 1967 Plymouth Barracuda: 1967 Barracuda complete under-dash harness (MA2307).
- 1968 Plymouth Barracuda: 1968 Barracuda under-dash harness (MA2310).
- 1968 Dodge Dart: 1968 Dart under-dash harness (MA2311).
- 1969 Plymouth Barracuda: 1969 Barracuda complete under-dash harness (MA2313).
- 1970 Dart and Duster, 340 with Rallye gauges: 1970 A-body under-dash harness, 340 with Rallye gauges (MA2316).
- 1971 Duster and Demon, 340 with Rallye gauges: 1971 Duster & Demon under-dash harness, 340 with gauges (MA2318).
We don't have a verified under-dash harness in stock for 1970-71 cars without the Rallye gauges, or for 1972-74. Ask us and we'll check with our supplier.
Step 4: Rear light harness
- 1972-73 Dart and Valiant: 1972-73 A-body rear light harness (MA2365). It's titled for the 2-door coupe, and the description names the Dart and Valiant. If you have a sedan, ask us first.
Other years' rear light harnesses are out of stock or not listed right now.
The small one people forget
- Wiper motor, 1973-74 Dart, Duster, Scamp and Valiant: wiper motor harness (MA4201).
Quick checklist before you order
- Year and model, and for a 1974, the build date on your car.
- Engine: 318, 340, or something else (these listings don't cover Hemi or slant-six cars).
- Ignition: stock breaker points or electronic.
- Rallye gauges or the standard cluster (for 1970-71 under-dash).
- Look at your original front harness: one joined harness, or separate engine and front light harnesses?
- Pull a panel and look for add-on wire assemblies you'll need to reuse.
Not sure which section you need? Send us your year, model, engine and options and we'll match the harness before you order. Or browse our Dart, Duster and Valiant wiring harnesses.