The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Rewiring . . . What would you do different?

Pete · 10-18-2019, 04:09 PM

I don’t recommend complete rewiring a car unless you have had some schooling in basic electricity, wiring and Ohms law..

Crimping versus soldering needs to be COMPLETELY understood. Both are good and there are
places where each will excel. If crimping is to be even considered, a PROPER tool is required. This is a complete closure type where once started the tool can not be opened unless is is compressed to the maximum before it will release. This is the point where metal migration takes place. A requirement for a proper crimp. Crimping is preferred over soldering for people with limited soldering experience.
A good looking solder joint mechanically is not necessarily a good one electrically.

Wire gauges need to be understood for proper current flow to the various appliances. Too small and the appliance will not operate properly and there will be risk of fire. Too big and the cost will go up and there will be mechanical problems like getting the wires through tight spaces and around corners.
Following the factory wire sizes for a given appliance is a good rule of thumb.

In cases where there is room and you are not restoring original, it is a good plan on vintage cars, to run a separate ground wire to each appliance so you don’t rely on rusty frame joints for a ground. All grounds can be brought back to a common centrally located terminal strip and the main ground made close to or at the battery. The ground wires should be the same size as the hot wires.
A fairly common way to handle the hot wires going out is a terminal strip located at some convenient place with one side all hot and the other side for the individual circuits. If you use circuit breakers they can be mounted directly on the strip.
Each hot wire should have an appropriate fuse of circuit breaker.

Over the years I have wired a couple hundred cars from scratch and I prefer Mil Spec Teflon covered wire for safety reasons. It has a very high flash point and it is usually silver plated for better conductivity and corrosion resistance. It is also cheaper if you get it from the many surplus stores around the country.
I use the small number band tape on each end for circuit ID.

10-18-2019, 04:09 PM	#24
Pete Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Wa. Posts: 5,409	Re: Rewiring . . . What would you do different? I don’t recommend complete rewiring a car unless you have had some schooling in basic electricity, wiring and Ohms law.. Crimping versus soldering needs to be COMPLETELY understood. Both are good and there are places where each will excel. If crimping is to be even considered, a PROPER tool is required. This is a complete closure type where once started the tool can not be opened unless is is compressed to the maximum before it will release. This is the point where metal migration takes place. A requirement for a proper crimp. Crimping is preferred over soldering for people with limited soldering experience. A good looking solder joint mechanically is not necessarily a good one electrically. Wire gauges need to be understood for proper current flow to the various appliances. Too small and the appliance will not operate properly and there will be risk of fire. Too big and the cost will go up and there will be mechanical problems like getting the wires through tight spaces and around corners. Following the factory wire sizes for a given appliance is a good rule of thumb. In cases where there is room and you are not restoring original, it is a good plan on vintage cars, to run a separate ground wire to each appliance so you don’t rely on rusty frame joints for a ground. All grounds can be brought back to a common centrally located terminal strip and the main ground made close to or at the battery. The ground wires should be the same size as the hot wires. A fairly common way to handle the hot wires going out is a terminal strip located at some convenient place with one side all hot and the other side for the individual circuits. If you use circuit breakers they can be mounted directly on the strip. Each hot wire should have an appropriate fuse of circuit breaker. Over the years I have wired a couple hundred cars from scratch and I prefer Mil Spec Teflon covered wire for safety reasons. It has a very high flash point and it is usually silver plated for better conductivity and corrosion resistance. It is also cheaper if you get it from the many surplus stores around the country. I use the small number band tape on each end for circuit ID.