A friend reminded me that with these old vehicles you should give it a full end to end check every month of so. I checked my truck over when it came out of hibernation, topped off tranny and rear end oil, changed engine oil, lubed, adjusted brakes, etc.

So now a month later I went over it again, I’ve been holed up with covid for a week so I decided to get outside. No issues until I checked the lights. No brake lights. Didn’t make sense to me, they worked a month ago and nothings changed. The brake and blinker wiring was replaced by the PO so it’s only maybe 5 years old.

I put her up on ramps and scooted under. The connections to the switch both came out of the connectors. Should be an easy fix, crimp on new connectors, there’s plenty of excess wire. Pulled out the stripper, it took the jacket off and the wire inside came with it. Tried again, same thing. I looked over the piece that came off, totally oxidized and fell apart in my fingers. I don’t know what kind of wire the guys used, and I’ve never seen this happen.

So a quick 30 minute tech turned into a 3 hour rewiring job. I pulled all the brake and signal wires and used wire I had left over from rewiring my boat trailer.

in this pic you can see the switch end strands that came off in my fingers, where the end under the dash is fine. Now I worry, what else. I did a bunch of rewiring but I didn’t replace the wire the PO used.

 

He must have used real old wire .....

Good thing you discovered this.

 

I don't think is was old wire, because it only degraded under the truck where it was exposed to the elements.

I agree, glad I found this, but also a bit afraid I haven't found all the bad wire.

 

It must not have been automotive grade wire. There is a difference. I like to get mine from a place called wirebarn.com. Top quality auto grade wire with the correct high temp GXL insulation. Their prices are reasonable, shipping is quick and customer service responsive. You can get a good deal buying in bulk, available in several colors separately or in bundles. I use non-insulated connectors, double crimped and shrink wrapped. I've never had a failure.

 

This is similar to what I was about to say. If you wonder why some wiring kits are $300, and others are $90, it's not just the fuse block, it's the wire. Poor quality insulation, and poor quality copper in the wire make a big difference.

Good quality automotive wire is flexible, and chemical and UV resistant.

 

Thx. I learn something everyday I come to this forum. As an electronic guy I spent time selecting wire based on insulated temp, voltage handling, current handling, but I never knew there was a specific wire for auto use. Makes sense.

So a few more questions before I tackle this wiring.

1) what crimping tool is recommended. I use a tool I bought at the Ace hardware and I’m not convinced it does a great job.
2) what do you mean by “double crimped”?

Bob

 

Ratcheting Crimper, 10-22 AWG - Insulated Terminals - 3005CR | Klein Tools we used one like this at the shop and it worked great.

 

Thx, and home cheepo has them in stock.

 

Double crimped is a trick that was 'splained to me a long time ago. The old guy said if you look at commercially done wire ends, they're really squeezed together, and he showed me how it's done. Using the non-insulated part of the crimper, make the first crimp at the seam on the wire sleeve. After that's done, turn it 90 degrees into the insulated slot, then crimp again. It makes for a super tight joint that won't come apart and it's better than soldering. There's no heat or added metal that could make the joint stiff and/or brittle. Factory harnesses are not soldered. (although if you're of the insistent camp, and some people are super freaky about soldering, it could be soldered, too.) Follow up with shrink tube and you're good to go. The crimp tool I use is a Klein 1005.

 

Thx Wayne. I'm gonna practice that.

Back to the tech. Looks like I need a radiator shop, just a small leak where the upper tank joins, I haven't needed to top the coolant off yet, but the leak is there. I also had low tranny oil, so it must be leaking. No biggie, I'll top it off and look for the leak.

Fun and frustrating at the same time. My father-in-law asked me "is the truck done?" my response was "define done".

 

I was taut that method in A&P training. And the use of heat shrink. Year's later. Heat shrink was developed thru Nasa program. Great stuff. NAPA sells Auto wire. Been wiring my 1955 F-100 the PO used that cheap wire came apart. And burned up after a 6 to 12 volt conversion. Maybe the 6volt harness was replaced. Usually the original Ford harness was good quality and larger wire. But that was not the case on my truck. AJ

 

I purchased wire from wirebarn.com along with bullet connectors, ring connectors, spade connectors, heat shrink. Over time I plan to go through the entire truck. Under the dash is the biggest hassle, but under hood should be easy. I’d already planned to pull the instrument cluster, I’m simply not happy with the instrument lighting.

The difference in the quality is clear, visually and by feel. The connectors crimp far tighter and snap together better than the Home Depot crap, the wire strands are tighter and the insulation noticeably stronger than the wire either the PO used or that I used.

This work is one more step toward a solid vehicle. Thx everyone for the help.

 

Kinda sounds like you into the program. I like you am not satisfied with my instrument panel.not original ,but a repop from a previous owner. I.dont think the lady I bought the truck from did this, but anyway I am going to fix that and start organizing things after I get my exhaust and plug wires organized. Using a little aviation tech. AJ

 

I started on the harness today. Thx 5851a and 52 Merc for sending me in the right direction. The Klein crimper on the GLX wire with their connectors works like a charm. The connections feel very positive, measure near 0 ohms and I can't pull them apart. I'm confident these components will stand up to the vibration and flexing unlike the PVC insulated wire and Home Depot connectors I was using.

My instrument panel is an original from some truck, not this one. It has the speedo with shift points like the big jobs, but the biggest issue is the lights are not only very dim, they also don't seem to come through the gauges like they should. I think when they were installed the PO put them in with no gap for the lighting. I think I can fix that.

Here's the start of the harness, just front lighting so far. Once I add the ignition and power wires I'll use old fashioned lacing on it.

 

I just heard from Fingers radiator, mine needs a recore for over $700. I told them to chuck it. The LMC rad should be here tomorrow.