On electrical connections which one works best for hooking up MSD boxes and such. Thanks

I prefer spades, they work well and seem to be cheaper. A multi-pin connector would be better, if you can get both sides at your FLAPS.

I am partial to spade connectors as well. I think it is related to all the cr*p stereo wiring I had to deal with from the stereo store installers and they were always cheap, poorly crimped bullet connectors.
I prefer bare copper/brass that use the factory style 'W' crimp and shrink wrap and/or multi-pin plugs.

Jim

here's what i used for my gauges ...
Andy

Click to view attachment

I would think the situation itself should dictate, most important thing to consider is power handling. An MSD box will surely draw more power than say, Andy's gauge pack. Undersized or under-rated connections could be fire hazards or at least failure points.

make sure whatever you use has an adequate power rating for your application ...
Andy

I use a terminal block and ring connectors on all my engine hook-ups, looks pro, I colour code and its fast to un-hook all your wiring.

The big trick is to use a real good crimping tool.

Heh Mark That sounds pretty cool got any pics? should work well with multi wire connections

For these (semi)permanent connections, does anyone use solder in addition to these connectors? It seems as though one should, maybe add a little heat-shrink also.?

I am sure some have strong opinions on solder VS crimp connections, I have seen long threads on other sites.

I prefer to stay away from solder in general wiring for automotive use. A good crimp will have very close to the same electrical conductivity as a solder connection and most automotive systems will not be affected by the minor difference.
With a soldered connection there is almost always some wicking of the solder up the wire that makes the wire stiff. Vibrations and movement in an automotive application can cause the wire strands to fail at this point in the wire.

Soldering takes extra time, I don't see any advantage to the soldered connection and an increased chance of failure is means I will crimp my connections.

Jim

Low voltage, low impedance, electronics are probably and exception to this.

Sorry both of my cars (with this) are in storage and 50 miles away.

This is the terminal block
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...rentPage=search

It does 8 connections but can be cut down smaller with a hacksaw, don't over torque the screws when you mount it. Small ring connectors from the FLAPS will need to be filed a hair to fit and I take the plastic cover off them so they look sort of stock. I colour code the wires and shrink wrap them.
The whole harness stays on the engine when I drop it.
BTW My 67 bus has a 75amp alt. and I run it thru this block with no problem...even though it says 15 amp on the ratshack site.

I like to tin the wire ends with solder prior to crimping the connector. Makes for a solid connection and is less likely to pull out.

You shouldn't need to tin the ends if you use a good crimper, I think mine were around $80. The cheapos are crap...may as well use a pair of vicegrips.

I use a double crimp connector. One crimp connects the wire to the spade, the other crimp grabs the insulation to keep it from working loose. Then I heat shrink everything. I LOATHE the blue/yellow/red plastic connectors. Nothing says "HACK JOB!" like those pieces of crap.

Sorry for the crap picture.

I agree with Mark.

You can get a lot of neat stuff from Waytek - www.waytekwire.com

You can go a long way with a decent crimper like the Thomas and Betts WT111M, a handful of noninsulated crimp terminals (I like the spade or faston type) and some heatshrink tubing. You can actually pull the colored insulation off of the cheap crimp terminals you see at hardware stores and then use a good crimper to crimp them on REAL good.

The crimper that you see sold at Radio Shack or OSH that is stamped and can cut and strip wires, crimp 10 different kinds of connectors, and make french fries is crap!

Mark is showing what is called an open barrel connector, you can get them from Waytek, they call them relay terminals. You'll need yet another special tool, the blue handled one that Mark shows, also available from Waytek. (#491 I think?)

I'm doing a big thing about crimping and making wiring harnesses at this year's Maker Faire (see my sig), check it out if you want to learn more.

I had to make another connector, so I took better pictures.

Nice!

I am guilty of using the cheesy red/blue/yellow terminals if it's in an area where heatshrink would be hard - like if the heatgun would melt surrounding parts. On my back under the dash I usually use whatever is easiest.

Yeah, me too.

"Maker Faire" sounds cool- except the name-e.

I can't imagine anywhere on a car where the heat needed to shrink
properly sized heatshrink tubing would melt anything surrounding it.
It doesn't take that much heat to shrink the stuff.
Worst case, and I have used this often, is to use a cigarette lighter
(actually I use a BBQ grill lighter with the long snout) and quickly pass it under/around the desired area.
As long as you don't linger and do it in multiple passes with a delay between passes,
all that will be necessary is to wipe off a bit of black carbon left by the smoke.
In a pinch even a match works.
The key is to use the proper sized tubing and only the minimum amount of heat
needed and apply the heat in multiple passes.

I've done this for decades and never had an issue melting surrounding
components.


--- bill

Remember if you Solder the wire right the wicking will be minimal. a lot of people use surgical clamps ..clamped at the insulation to help dissipate the heat

with both of these...its how I did every FRICKEN one of the gazillion in my ride!

Josh

1000%

When I wired my MSD box/Pertronix, I made sure I could easily bypass the MSD box on the side of the road. This proved wise, because the MSD box actually did fail on me.

Here is my two cents;

SirAndy's usage of molex connectors for a gauge set-up is good due to the fact that it's within the passenger compartment.

If you are hooking up an MSD and it's within the engine compartment, I'd recommend using GM Weatherpac connectors. These are the ones with a little rubber boot that keeps out moisture. Not easy to find in all configurations, but worth it.

I always solder connections and use heat shrink tubing. Maybe the soldering isn't needed, but once done, you know that part of the connection isn't going to be a problem.

Wes

fwiw - the male spade has a different, double crimp, than the female.

seems the male also requires a different crimp tool ??

any idea where to get male spades with same double crimp as female's above ??

I see some on ebay without locking tab but they are made in china

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-pairs-4-8mm-Cri...=item232f7bdaa8