Tidying up Wiring

[Elizabeth Lenkeit]

In the process of evaluating the '64C we purchased a while back I made the mistake of sticking my head under the dash. A previous owner had installed an alarm system in the car, and at some point in its life it also had some kind of CB radio emulator or something in there. These had both been installed with the fastidious attention to detail that you might expect, which is to say that it was an absolute rat's nest under there. I carefully nipped and tucked to get rid of as much of the butchery as possible, but there is still work to be done. At one point there is a relay in line with the main ignition switch feed and I would like to remove it. The problem is that the remaining ends of the wire will need to be attached by a butt joint. I would like to know if anyone knows of high quality crimps and tools that they would recommend for working on such things. I would like to stay away from the low budget crap.

[Wes Bender]

A butt splice will work, but it is best to solder it rather than crimping. You need a butt splice that is uninsulated and you put heat shrink tubing over it. Done carefully, it's just as good as the original wire.

[Mike Wilson]

If you don't have a wiring diagram for your car, Greg Bryan, one of our members, produces excellent laminated ones.

Mike

[Jim Liberty]

Wes and Mike hit it on the head. ..............Jim.

[Doug McDonnell]

Welcome and let us know the general area you live in. Lots of 356ers like to help Newbies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9G9gaokqvM

[Harlan Halsey]

Electrical splices can function flawlessly if done well. There is an argument to the effect that crimped junctions are better than soldered ones. (This is not an argument I like since I have been proud of my soldering prowess since childhood.) The electrical components and the crimp tools are cheap and very readily available. The crimp joints are obvious while it is possible to make a soldered joint that is practically invisible with shrink tubing. It is also possible to make a joint which is invisible simply by moving the joint upstream to where it is hidden. Colored patterned wire is available from Y n Z.

[Dave Lagerstrom]

Agreed that crimp connections can be as good as a properly soldered joint. As I used to connect wires and cables for a living, I have experience with both. Interestingly, any electrical connections for the US military can be crimped, with some testing requirements, or soldered. However, soldered joints were only approved if there was lead in the solder. Newer solders without lead have a tendency to be brittle and can crack under extreme conditions. Crimping, in my experience, requires both the proper equipment and a high level of experience.

The wire harness' I built for my car are completely crimped. Not a single solder joint. I spend quite a bit of money on crimping tools.

You should use the method you are comfortable with. Hopefully, the method you choose will outlive the car.

Cheers,
-Dave

[Hugo Karasawa]

Probably the relay you are talking about is what is called a SSR (Switch Saving Relay) it is installed to ease the load on the Ignition switch. If you want to remove it you can use soldered bullet connectors and a butt splice for this connectors. Porsche used this type of butt splices in the 356, you can see those, on the cables that come out from the steering column.
Read the articles that appeared in the Registry´s Magazine (Media Center, Magazines May June 2014 to Jan Feb 2018)) you will find all the information there is about the 356 wiring. Also look for the Joe Leoni books, you can download or read those at the Technical Library.

[Hugo Karasawa]

You will find drawings and diagrams that are very helpful, like this one.

[Martin Benade]

Dave, how did you deal with the bullet connectors? Crimped somehow?

[Dave Lagerstrom]

Hi Martin,

Yes, I found some stamped bullet connectors that I crimped.

-Dave

[Jon Schmid]

Just don't crimp soldered wires FWIW. Crimp, or solder, not both...

[Martin Benade]

The bullet connectors are a similar profile American one?

[Dave Lagerstrom]

The bullet in the stock harness is 4.8 mm. The version I used was from TE connectivity and was 4.57 mm. In some cases, I had to spread the bullet a bit for a really good fit. For the most part, they fit well but every now and then I ran across a female on the car (rear light housings for example) that the socket was loose and required a bit of a 'tweak' to the stamped contact.

-Dave

[Steve Proctor]

Crimping may be okay, but nothing worse than those red or blue crimped connections in an engine compartment or anywhere for that matter, just hollers out expediency. Done properly with good solder flow, you can avoid the "snake that ate a rat" bulge in a tidy soldered connection insulated with shrink wrap.