[pherrley]

Way cool... Can't wait... Thanks

 

[opelspyder]

Will you be using your famous red electrical tape for this build like in the Manta one way back?

 

[GoinManta]

Sweet.. was wondering how this would work..

No red tape.. I will go into the 2 styles of tape, and which to use.

BTW The NEW headlight harness looks good. I have it fit it out tough.. Pics and such tomorrow.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Sweet.. was wondering how this would work..

It is very simple, the electrons go on the inside of the wire insulation. :haha:

 

[GoinManta]

Everyones a comedian :haha:

I meant this is how the Article will keep the comments off the article itself.

That said, downloading pictures now..

Should have the tear down article today.

 

[opelspyder]

What have you decided to do about the Ammeter circuit. I don't think that universal harness is setup to use an ammeter. American Autowire does not even supply instruction into wiring an ammeter and leave no provisions for it. They don't want you to run one period. The one thing I like about Ron Fransis and American Autowire is the fact you can terminate the wire of your choice where you want, say for instance you are not using an electric fuel pump, you can use that circuit for something else and not have a spliced wire.
On tools, if you are going to use those cheesy Stakon connectors and terminals (The nylon molded ones) You might want a good soldering gun to solder those connections. I do not trust the ones that come in the kits, and use the original style AMP terminals instead. Makes for a better looking harness. If I have to use a crimp Stakon, I remove the vinyl, and use heat shrink after it is soldered. I've just had too many cars that broke down because of those terminals and butt connectors come loose.

 

[GoinManta]

I am not a fan of using the StockOn crimp style connectors at all..

For splices I prefer these:

Because like you I have seen far too many problems with Crimps.

For connectors I prefer this style..

Double Crimp with heat shrink and seal built in. The heat shrink ensures the crimp won't come loose.

As for Ammeter I reuse the Ammeter wiring that comes with the GT.. BUT I put in inline 30 amp ATC fuse. Circuit is simple. (B+) on Alternator to Ammeter and back to the starter lug. I'll go over it later during install.

I find the AAW Hwy and Ron Francis Access overkill. I like the KwikWire due to it being prewired, and most all circuits are individually fused and they solder the connections inside the fuse block. For a basic car its usually the Goldilocks of the harnesses I sell.

That said, I understand why some like the Ron Francis and American HWY series for the control.. Everyone has their unique preferences.. that's why I sell 3 different manufacturers of wiring harnesses, because each has their strong point.

 

[GoinManta]

I know my brain is faster than my fingers, and often I need a read through of what I posted a few times to get it right.

If any Mod or grammar nazi (Or both), wouldn't mind going through the thread for errors that would be helpful.

Next installment will be testing and prepping the harness and components for installation.

 

[zippy7575]

I'll add my $.02 worth. Take it from an old radio guy and don't use any brand of electrical tape except 3M. Anything else goes in the garbage around here.

 

[wrench459 (R.I.P.)]

... I remove the vinyl, and use heat shrink after it is soldered. I've just had too many cars that broke down because of those terminals and butt connectors come loose.

Yep I agree.

A good mechanical connection(crimp) is a must then follow up with silver solder

along with nice sealing shrink tubing.:yup:

 

[hrcollinsjr]

Yep I agree.

A good mechanical connection(crimp) is a must then follow up with silver solder

along with nice sealing shrink tubing.:yup:

Silver solder? That stuff is expensive and requires higher heat than regular solder. I just use rosin core solder. :yup:

Harold

 

[wrench459 (R.I.P.)]

Silver solder?

Ugh

I'm going to get into trouble with this.

A silversmith is working with a batch.
How is it known when all the impurities is gone?

 

[kwschumm]

Yep I agree.

A good mechanical connection(crimp) is a must then follow up with silver solder

along with nice sealing shrink tubing.:yup:

I believe for any environment with vibration, such as a vehicle, a properly crimped connection is better, properly crimped being the operative words. Proper crimpers that double crimp without overcrimping and connectors properly sized for the wire. Crimping gets a bad rap because people ignore the important aspects, use whatever connector they have on hand, and use cheap $3 crimpers while a good crimper with proper dies can cost hundreds of dollars. Many times soldered connections fail due to the solder wicking up the wire strands and creating a hard flex point that eventually causes the wire to break through vibration, so a good, stiff heat shrink that extends past the wicked solder is very important when soldering.

Factory harnesses rarely fail at the crimps, when there is a failure it's usually because of an improper repair.

Here's a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the two techniques.

http://avielelectronics.com/Downloads/Catalog/Ref-Crimp-vs-Solder.pdf

 

[twisted stripe]

I work in the home appliance repair business. I constantly see people trying to repair the female spade connections on their appliances with some cheap aluminum connectors they bought at their auto parts store, or one of those "100 connectors for a dollar". NOT a fan of putting a copper wire into a flimsy aluminum connector with a cheap crimping tool and putting it onto a steel terminal. There's a reason that aluminum wire isn't used in your house wiring anymore.
I get my supplies from JOHNSTONE. For the appliances, and my Opel, I use the Hi-Temp steel female terminals. For my Opel I crimp from both sides ($30.00 crimper), solder, then cover with heat shrink. The connections are super tight and won't loosen due to expansion with heat caused by current flow.

 

[GoinManta]

Yep I agree.

A good mechanical connection(crimp) is a must then follow up with silver solder

along with nice sealing shrink tubing.:yup:

Again many miss this newer third technique..
(OF course this is only really good for the braided wire, it doesn't work well with solid core wire)

The Solder Ring Shrink wrap butt splices are even better than crimp and solder for strength.

Many people are unfamiliar with them and the proper way to use them.. It is a much faster and sold way.

• You take one of these:
  
  
  
• You slide it over one of the wires.
• Strip 3/4" of the insulation off of each wire end
• Open the wires up like fingers
• Interconnect the two wires and twist
  
• Slide the sleeve over the wire
• Heat with heat gun or cigarette lighter..

This melts the solder and shrink wraps it all in one.

Also before I heat it, I give a good tug to the two wires to make sure the twist was tight and strong.

Many less steps and a quality connection guaranteed for the life of the system.

As for 3M Electrical tape comment, couldnt agree more.

I only use rubber splicing tape.. MUCH better product, and it also can be used for other things standard electrical tape can't.

It provides a water tight, and even oil resistant coverage. It adheres well to itself and everything. Its formable so it works well wrapping the end of plugs and such.

Its pretty much the best thing on earth as far as I am concerned from an electrical tape aspect.

Oh and no glue residue if you have to unwrap something because you need to fix or add something later.

 

[opelspyder]

I don't use electrical tape. I also do not like breaking a wire to make a splice. When I have to make a splice, I cut the vinyl coating off around the 3/8 space I am connecting to, and I have some open barrel spices I use to crimp the two wires together, and then apply a small amount of solder, and then shrink sleeve. I do not like the predetermined harnesses because you will always have to splice in with a butt connector onto one of there wires.
I also do not need solder when using the factory style AMP F Crimp terminals. They are expensive and so are the crimpers, but they are a workhorse

If you are wrapping a harness with black electrical tape, you already made your first mistake. They sell harness wrap which is a non-stick, PVC tape that gives it the OE look. It will seal against itself, but will not leave any residue if it gets hot under normal conditions of the engine bay.

 

[hrcollinsjr]

I don't use electrical tape. I also do not like breaking a wire to make a splice. When I have to make a splice, I cut the vinyl coating off around the 3/8 space I am connecting to, and I have some open barrel spices I use to crimp the two wires together, and then apply a small amount of solder, and then shrink sleeve. <snipped>I also do not need solder when using the factory style AMP F Crimp terminals. They are expensive and so are the crimpers, but they are a workhorse

They sell harness wrap which is a non-stick, PVC tape that gives it the OE look.

Yes, he is that anal about wiring. :yup:

Harold

 

[73Manta72gt]

this tape works well..

tesa® Solutions for Wire Harnessing - Automotive - tesa tape North America

 

[GoinManta]

I don't use electrical tape. I also do not like breaking a wire to make a splice. When I have to make a splice, I cut the vinyl coating off around the 3/8 space I am connecting to, and I have some open barrel spices I use to crimp the two wires together, and then apply a small amount of solder, and then shrink sleeve. I do not like the predetermined harnesses because you will always have to splice in with a butt connector onto one of there wires.
I also do not need solder when using the factory style AMP F Crimp terminals. They are expensive and so are the crimpers, but they are a workhorse

If you are wrapping a harness with black electrical tape, you already made your first mistake. They sell harness wrap which is a non-stick, PVC tape that gives it the OE look. It will seal against itself, but will not leave any residue if it gets hot under normal conditions of the engine bay.

I do something similar if I have to tap..

If I have to tap a solid wire.. I cut a small section of the insulation exposing the bare wire..

Then using a similar technique, I open up the wires of the feed wire and braid it through the supply wire. Then I solder the joint and wrap with splicing tape.

Depending on the situation, I use harness wrap. I also use the corrugated tube, and rubber splicing tape. I mainly use the splicing tape for tings like the dash cluster harness where I want everything tight and I know it will be pulled out a few more times over the years. I Use tube for dress up, and usually the wire has a barber pole style wrapping of splicing tape to keep the wires tight. Usually this has gaps of 3-4 inches along the spiraling of the tape. Then its placed in the corrugated tube and I use vinyl tape to seal it off and clean it up.

 

[GoinManta]

this tape works well..

tesa® Solutions for Wire Harnessing - Automotive - tesa tape North America

Yea I really like that.. but haven't been able to find it locally recently.. Its really nice in the engine bay, and exposed areas.