Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

914World.com _ 914World Garage _ wiring supplies

Posted by: Sparky Oct 4 2005, 08:56 PM

So where do I get the wire from? I'd like to use the same colors as in the factory harness example: the right side marker and right tailights are a shared gray wire w/red tracer on a '72.

I checked the McMasters-Carr site but found doodley poop.

Suggestions?

My best,
Mike D.

Posted by: Aaron Cox Oct 4 2005, 10:17 PM

see about digikey.com

Posted by: 914GT Oct 4 2005, 10:17 PM

Mike,

http://www.waytekwire.com/index.htm is one possible source for automotive primary wire. This http://order.waytekwire.com/IMAGES/M37/catalog/218_004.PDF of their catalog page shows they can provide wire with various striping. I don't know what the cost would run though. Would be nice to have bulk rolls of some of the wire colors used in the 914.

Posted by: lapuwali Oct 4 2005, 10:31 PM

Waytek requires a sizable minimum order to do striping, much more than required to do several cars. They don't stock the stuff, it's custom. The only place I know of that stocks bulk tracer wire, esp. with proper automotive insulation, is a mom and pop called British Wiring. They're not cheap, but they're cheaper than Waytek for the amount of wire required to repair one harness. They also have the correct spade terminals to replace the factory parts, and they sell good crimpers. They'll sell you just a couple of meters of wire in any color you require, including with a tracer.

Digikey doesn't sell tracer wire, either, and doesn't even offer as many colors as Waytek does. They also don't sell much automotive grade wire. Most of their stuff is solid-core, fine for hooking up stationary electronics, but terrible for wiring a car. The insulation on their stranded wire isn't rated for particularly high temps, nor is it oil or fuel resistant.

Posted by: Sparky Oct 4 2005, 11:45 PM

Thanks for the replies, I'll check out the mom and pop and report back...

>M<

Posted by: Dr. Roger Oct 4 2005, 11:51 PM

I've spent the last three weeks looking for the "right" wire to replace much of my harness and had no luck.

I'm going to the easier to find aftermarket stuff.

If you end up finding a source for the correct wire you should post your source and cost. There are many people here who would benifit from that info.

Best of luck,
Roger

Posted by: Jeff Bowlsby Oct 5 2005, 12:18 AM

Waytek is the closest you will find. Its not exactly accurate in every respect, but you will not find anything better.

Posted by: michelko Oct 5 2005, 05:40 AM

not much helpfull for you us guy´s but this little german shop has the stuff you need.

www.kabel-schmidt.de

Ordered several times, nice stuff (wiring). And if you wish you can order the complete Wiring

Posted by: michelko Oct 5 2005, 05:42 AM

direkt link to two colour wires

http://www.kabel-schmidt.de/shop/shop.php?ks=b57c249f48b86017a476b92d557f1405

Posted by: Sparky Oct 5 2005, 06:53 AM

Hey Bowlsby how come you dont offer an updated lighting wiring harness yet?

Mike D.

Posted by: Jeff Bowlsby Oct 5 2005, 08:24 AM

QUOTE
Hey Bowlsby how come you dont offer an updated lighting wiring harness yet?

Say What? I stick to the stock harnesses...if you want something custom, you will need to do it yourself...Right now, I don't have the time to do custom stuff is the bottom line.

There is no separate 'lighting' harness that I know of. If you mean the headlight/foglight circuits, they are in the main harness.

Posted by: lapuwali Oct 5 2005, 08:27 AM

QUOTE (bowlsby @ Oct 4 2005, 10:18 PM)
Waytek is the closest you will find. Its not exactly accurate in every respect, but you will not find anything better.

I've used the British Wiring place, and their wire is high quality. The only reason to use Waytek over BW is the cost of buying enough wire to make a complete harness is quite a bit higher from BW. If all you're making are some small repairs, however, BW is the place, as they have a very small minimum.

Posted by: eric914 Oct 5 2005, 10:14 AM

I know it is a pain but you could strip a wire harness from a parts car. If your only goal is to get the wire you can cut the connectors off the ends to make pulling it easier. I have the harnesses from two part cars and they are a good source for pieces.

Eric

Posted by: lapuwali Oct 5 2005, 11:16 AM

QUOTE (eric914 @ Oct 5 2005, 08:14 AM)
I know it is a pain but you could strip a wire harness from a parts car. If your only goal is to get the wire you can cut the connectors off the ends to make pulling it easier. I have the harnesses from two part cars and they are a good source for pieces.

Eric

The only real problem with using old harnesses is that insulation DOES age, and that's the primary reason to replace wires. I'm reusing some of the OEM wire in my new harness, particularly the large gauge red wires, mostly to avoid paying out serious money for 250ft of 10g red wire, when I only need about 10ft of it to do the car. If you follow this route, inspect the wire carefully. Bend it in places and look for cracking, and feel the insulation to see if it's brittle or still pliable. Wire that's actually in the engine bay, or near the exhaust, is particularly prone to suffering long-term damage. Oil-soaked wire is also likely to be unusable.

Newer insulation is also better than what was used when the cars were first built. A replacement harness with high quality wire will very probably outlive the rest of the car.

Waytek also sells good quality polyolefin wire covering, and it's an excellent idea to use as much of this as you can afford to protect the long runs of the harness, and particularly in any high oil or heat areas.

Posted by: ss6 Oct 5 2005, 11:37 AM

Note that factory automotive wire conforms to a higher standard (currently SAE J-1128, IIRC) than most "consumer grade" wire which is usually some flavor of PVC. For your trouble you get better temperature / abrasion / chemical tolerance. I believe most of the Waytek stuff is J-1128, which is at least partially why it is pricey.

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Oct 5 2005, 12:04 PM

If you don't mind the extra hassle of using a single or amybe just a few colors, you can often times find big spools of PTFE insulated silver plated stranded mil-spec wire on ebay.

Its typically used in aircraft and aerospace applications but could easily be used for cars too. New its extremely expensive, but it shows up on ebay peridically.

http://cgi.ebay.com/50-feet-12-gauge-stranded-Violet-Teflon-wire_W0QQitemZ5813996788QQcategoryZ32811QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/50-feet-Total-12-gauge-stranded-Teflon-wire_W0QQitemZ5813920336QQcategoryZ32811QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Still probably important to jacket the teflon wire with sleeving...

-Tony