Differences between amateur and professional wiring? Options

[Tdskip]

OK guys - we have some very talented people here and I'm hoping to bring my wiring skills up a level.

What separates amateur wiring from a pro level? One item that comes to mind - no use of Harbor Freight connectors (which I am guilt of).

What else comes to mind?

[johnorm]

Whether you solder or crimp don't scrimp on the materials. The Chinese wire at the local parts store is not up to surviving in a classic car, especially in the engine bay. For a few dollars more you can buy TXL or GXL wire that's meet many new car specifications.

If you know anyone into the hotrod or classic muscle car scene they are familiar with companies like Painless, American Autowire and Ron Francis. These companies all use quality American made copper strand wire. Their wiring harnesses are typically crimped but solder joints are needed for some applications.

For my 914 loom rewire I put the original loom on a 4X8 sheet of plywood. I found a lot of burnt and or hacked up wires / connectors so most if not all of the wires will be replaced (color matched to the original wiring schematic with similar or larger gauge high temp GXL wire) .

I'm not that good with wiring, I have done my share of "letting the smoke out", but for most part the 914 loom is made up of crimped wires. For some of the more complicated sub looms, like the FI/engine loom, I will buy a quality pre-made loom. I plan to test each circuit on my work board before it goes in the car.

There is many great "wiring" threads on this forum. You can learn a lot from those guys, regular and pro's, who have been through this before us.