In a message dated 97-09-19 02:00:35 EDT, pbitton@axess.com writes:
> Can someone tell me what gauge wire is used on a TR-6. A friend who is a
> mechanic told me that it is possible that there may be between 16 to 20
> gauge wires. Can someone confirm that for me. I plan to make my own
harness.
> First I want to check the cost :)Since I have 2 TR-6 harnesses, I can
> salvage the connectors.
Patrick:
There are five different sizes of wire used in a TR6, and over 50 different
color codes (out of a possible 144, 106 of which are available), the exact
number depending on the model year. British wire, as used in Triumphs, MGs,
etc, is not sized by gauge as is American wire. The size of British wire is
stated as the number of individual strands of 0.30 mm copper used to make the
wire. The sizes available are listed below, along with the maximum current
rating of each size:
9 strands 5.75 amps
14 strands 8.00 amps
28 strands 17.50 amps
44 strands 25.50 amps
65 strands 35.00 amps
84 strands 42.00 amps
120 strands 60.00 amps
A TR6 will use the first 4 sizes, and either the 65 or the 84 strand wire,
depending on the alternator rating ( I think the later models with the larger
alternators use the 84 strand - I haven't confirmed this. I know the earlier
models use 65 strand.) For any given wire in your existing harness, just
strip a short length and count the strands. This will tell you what size to
buy for replacement. (you may find some oddballs - somewhere in my collection
of British wire, I ran across a piece of 21 strand wire! I have no idea where
it came from)
This wire is available from:
British Wiring
20449 Ithaca
Olympia Fields, Ill 60461
708-481-9050
Call them and ask for a catalog. They also supply all the associated wiring
supplies, such as connectors, bullet terminals, etc, as well as complete
harnesses.
Whether it is advisable to make your own harness depends on a number of
factors. If you have no harness at all, it would be much easier, and cheaper,
to buy a ready made harness. Building a harness from scratch, without a
pattern to go by, is extremely tedious, to say the least. If, on the other
hand, you have a fairly good harness, with only a few wires damaged, then it
would be cheaper, and almost as easy, to do a repair, using the methods
outlined by Chad Jester. These two extremes make the choice fairly easy; it's
when your sitiuation is somewhere between that the decision is difficult.
As for re-using the connectors, I would advise caution. Of all the pieces of
the harness that give problems, the most likely is the connectors. If you do
re-use them, make sure they are clean and corrosion free. The bullet
connector sleeves, the black pieces that are used to connect two pieces of
wire, are particularly trouble prone. Often, the metal sleeve inside will
crumble with age, and will no longer have sufficient tension to make a good
connection (not being a metallurgist, I can't explain this, but on about six
of them on my '71, when I removed the bullets, pieces of the metal sleeve
fell out on the ground).
Salvaging the wire is not a problem, as long as the wire has not been
damaged. If you can, ie the wire is long enough, I recommend cutting the wire
an inch or two from any connector. Often, moisture will wick up the strands
and corrode the wire, making it difficult to get a good connection. You
should cut back to where the wire is clean and shiny.
Good luck with whichever choice you make. Let me know if I can help.
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
'71 TR6---------3000mile/year driver, fully restored
'71 TR6---------undergoing full restoration and Ford 5.0 V8 insertion - see:
http://www.sky.net/~boballen/mg/Masters/
'74 MGBGT---3000mile/year driver, original condition
'68 MGBGT---organ donor for the '74
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