> I'm glad you're having fun. I started doing the jumper wiring on the central
> console today. I'm not an expert in wiring, but it seems to me that mashing
> a bunch of wires into a hole by running a screw down on top of them is
> recipe for future heartache. If there was a 2006 wiring code for cars, I'm
> positive that this would not pass.
It's actually a very good way of making a gas-tight connection, essential to
resist future corrosion in a copper-to-copper joint. The power entrance to your
house is almost certainly wired the same way, as allowed by current code.
Modern cars aren't wired that way because it costs more, and cars are not
supposed to last 50 years.
> I am all for technically correct restorations, but I have no desire to burn
> my car (and maybe myself) to a crisp. Are there wiremen on the list who can
> suggest safe and secure ways of doing '50s style British auto wiring, or
> should I consider chucking tradition and employing 21st century techniques
> for safety's sake?
Joe, I've run "50s style British auto wiring" on the street for many years; and
IMO there is nothing wrong with the basic techniques. IMO crimp connectors are
a REDUCTION in quality (and cost), not an improvement !
That said, tinning the tips of the wires with lead/tin solder is probably not a
bad idea (although by no means essential). I do it myself. Ideally, only part
of the screw should bear on the tinned area, the tinning should not extend out
from under the screw along the wire. But as long as the remainder of the wire
is anchored so it doesn't vibrate and flex, it won't matter if the tinning
extends out a bit.
Of course it's your car, suit yourself. But my 59 Triumph with it's original
harness and connectors (plus additions of course) has fewer electrical problems
than my 95 Buick does !
Randall
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|