Classic Mustangs List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (email redacted)

Hi all!

Talking about wiring, what gauge should one use for automotive electricals?
Will 14-gauge do for stuff like lights, radio, gauges, etc.?

I was thinking of rewiring my dash and some stuff because right now I have
a mess down there. I can't figure out what goes where. There's no fuse box
and no labels. Someone did a wild "custom" wiring job down there.

May God bless you all!


---[Manny Amador]--------------------------[(email redacted)]---
NO.TO.METERING Website --- iconn.com.ph/magnet/
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Be merciful as your Father is merciful"


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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Keven Coates (email redacted)

Manny,

> Talking about wiring, what gauge should one use for
> automotive electricals?
> Will 14-gauge do for stuff like lights, radio, gauges, etc.?

No fuse box? That's downright scary! If you want to do the job right, you
have three possibilities:
1. Get a mustang wiring harness and wire it like it was.
2. Get an aftermarket wiring harness and wire it as the directions suggest.
3. Sit down and plan a good system and then build it.

1. Is obviously a good way, but may be expensive. Although this way you
will be able to look in books to see exactly what goes where without having
to document it yourself.

2. Is another good way, with products from "Painless" wiring and so forth
coming to mind. They are made for kit cars, but I really have no idea how
good they are.

3. Is the hardest, but certainly the cheapest way. I have a feeling this is
the way you are going, knowing that things are hard to find where you are.
A few words of advice:
a. Plan, plan and plan ahead! This is a bigger undertaking than it may seem
(aren't they all ;-) and a possibly hazardous one, should things go wrong.
b. Write down all your connections and document things as well as you can.
That way when you go back to fix something, you'll know where your wires go,
and to what.
c. Have someone knowledgeable about wiring double check your plans. Unless
you know a lot about wiring, or even if you do, have someone double check
your plans. Think of the possibilities: You're going down one of those
dark Phillipino roads at 60 mph, and your headlights shut off! Then your
feet begin to be illuminated by the soft glow of melting, smoking wires and
your car shuts down, but you are still moving at 55mph in complete darkness!
Not fun!

As far as what gauge to use, I'd suggest finding out what parts draw what
current, and going by that. The advantage of a bigger gauge wire is that it
will carry more current without so much voltage loss, or overheating.

Here's some things from off the top of my head:
Instruments don't use much current comparatively, so 18 gauge would probably
be fine, except for the ammeter (charge gauge). This one you'll have to
find out what they used originally to make sure it's accurate and safe (some
of them carry the full 60 amp alternator charge!)

Lights typically need more power. Headlights use the most, so I'd suggest
14-16 gauge. 12 gauge would be even better.

Anything that has to do with the starter relay (the current side of it) and
starter should be heavy heavy gauge (like 4 gauge or better). Alternators
can use over 140 amps!

Obviously your car is running now, so you can use whatever gauge it is as a
guide, but make sure you use a fuse box and run everything away from sharp
edges, preferably inside a wire loom or wire protector. Also, solder your
connections or use good butt crimp connectors with the right crimpers (the
expensive forged $20 kind with long handles, not those cheap stamped metal
kind, believe me, I know). Make sure to cover your connections with
something other than electrical tape (that stuff never sticks in any kind of
heated car environment). Use heat shrink wire cover for soldered
connection, or self fusing 3m rubber tape (it works great). The butt
splices of course don't need covering since they have their own jacket.

There are books written on this, so I'll stop. Let me know if you have any
other questions.

Good luck!
Keven c.
'68 stang


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Mail From: (email redacted) (email redacted)

manny what year is the car i might have a used harness for it

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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Thomas Teixeira (email redacted)

At 6:41 PM -0400 2/12/99, Keven Coates wrote:
>Manny,
>
>2. Is another good way, with products from "Painless" wiring and so forth
>coming to mind. They are made for kit cars, but I really have no idea how
>good they are.

I used a fuse panel from "Painless" wiring in a '35 Ford pickup. The wiring
itself was a mixture of 'stock' reproduction and some extra wires for turn
signals, electric cooling fan and so forth. I got a fuse panel because the
'stock' wiring only has one circuit breaker for the head lights and
everything else was unfused!

>Here's some things from off the top of my head:
>Instruments don't use much current comparatively, so 18 gauge would probably
>be fine, except for the ammeter (charge gauge). This one you'll have to
>find out what they used originally to make sure it's accurate and safe (some
>of them carry the full 60 amp alternator charge!)
>
>Lights typically need more power. Headlights use the most, so I'd suggest
>14-16 gauge. 12 gauge would be even better.

I mostly used 16 gauge wire (this is what the local NAPA store had the most
of!) with some 18 gauge wire mixed in (just used for a single directional
bulb). I'm pretty sure I used 16 gauge for ignition wire also, but used 10
gauge for the the main feed from the battery to the fuse block and to the
alternator (the starter motor of course has something like 4 or 6 gauge
directly from the starter switch).

>Anything that has to do with the starter relay (the current side of it) and
>starter should be heavy heavy gauge (like 4 gauge or better). Alternators
>can use over 140 amps!

The alternator for this truck is only rated at something like 85 amps, not
140, but that could be a weak link on my system (which reminds me I should
check out the rating of the wire and on the alternator). I didn't think
early Mustang alternators are rated for very heavy current, but since my
truck doesn't have a radio or a heater fan, there's less current draw.

>Obviously your car is running now, so you can use whatever gauge it is as a
>guide, but make sure you use a fuse box and run everything away from sharp
>edges, preferably inside a wire loom or wire protector. Also, solder your
>connections or use good butt crimp connectors with the right crimpers (the
>expensive forged $20 kind with long handles, not those cheap stamped metal
>kind, believe me, I know). Make sure to cover your connections with
>something other than electrical tape (that stuff never sticks in any kind of
>heated car environment). Use heat shrink wire cover for soldered
>connection, or self fusing 3m rubber tape (it works great). The butt
>splices of course don't need covering since they have their own jacket.

I used cloth adhesive tape (from the Eastwood Company) that is supposed to
be specially for taping wiring harnesses, but it didn't look very different
from ordinary cloth friction tape. Eastwood also sells vinyl tape WITHOUT
adhesive for wrapping wiring on later model cars for concourse appearance
-- the trick is supposed to be STRETCHING the tape slightly to make it stay
(but I don't have any experience with that personally). If you don't mind a
more modern look, molded plastic split-loom looks like it would be easier
to deal with plus you could add or remove wires to make repairs.

'66 convertible (200 auto) mailtoemail redacted)
world.std.com/~tjt



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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Chris Stephens (email redacted)

I worked at Circuit City Install shop and we would chuck up a bunch of wires
in a slow speed drill to twist wire together. Terminate the ends with heat
shrink.
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Teixeira <(email redacted)>
To: (email redacted) <(email redacted)>
Date: Friday, February 12, 1999 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: [CM:15907] wiring


>At 6:41 PM -0400 2/12/99, Keven Coates wrote:
>>Manny,
>>
>>2. Is another good way, with products from "Painless" wiring and so forth
>>coming to mind. They are made for kit cars, but I really have no idea how
>>good they are.
>
>I used a fuse panel from "Painless" wiring in a '35 Ford pickup. The wiring
>itself was a mixture of 'stock' reproduction and some extra wires for turn
>signals, electric cooling fan and so forth. I got a fuse panel because the
>'stock' wiring only has one circuit breaker for the head lights and
>everything else was unfused!
>
>>Here's some things from off the top of my head:
>>Instruments don't use much current comparatively, so 18 gauge would
probably
>>be fine, except for the ammeter (charge gauge). This one you'll have to
>>find out what they used originally to make sure it's accurate and safe
(some
>>of them carry the full 60 amp alternator charge!)
>>
>>Lights typically need more power. Headlights use the most, so I'd suggest
>>14-16 gauge. 12 gauge would be even better.
>
>I mostly used 16 gauge wire (this is what the local NAPA store had the most
>of!) with some 18 gauge wire mixed in (just used for a single directional
>bulb). I'm pretty sure I used 16 gauge for ignition wire also, but used 10
>gauge for the the main feed from the battery to the fuse block and to the
>alternator (the starter motor of course has something like 4 or 6 gauge
>directly from the starter switch).
>
>>Anything that has to do with the starter relay (the current side of it)
and
>>starter should be heavy heavy gauge (like 4 gauge or better). Alternators
>>can use over 140 amps!
>
>The alternator for this truck is only rated at something like 85 amps, not
>140, but that could be a weak link on my system (which reminds me I should
>check out the rating of the wire and on the alternator). I didn't think
>early Mustang alternators are rated for very heavy current, but since my
>truck doesn't have a radio or a heater fan, there's less current draw.
>
>>Obviously your car is running now, so you can use whatever gauge it is as
a
>>guide, but make sure you use a fuse box and run everything away from sharp
>>edges, preferably inside a wire loom or wire protector. Also, solder your
>>connections or use good butt crimp connectors with the right crimpers (the
>>expensive forged $20 kind with long handles, not those cheap stamped metal
>>kind, believe me, I know). Make sure to cover your connections with
>>something other than electrical tape (that stuff never sticks in any kind
of
>>heated car environment). Use heat shrink wire cover for soldered
>>connection, or self fusing 3m rubber tape (it works great). The butt
>>splices of course don't need covering since they have their own jacket.
>
>I used cloth adhesive tape (from the Eastwood Company) that is supposed to
>be specially for taping wiring harnesses, but it didn't look very different
>from ordinary cloth friction tape. Eastwood also sells vinyl tape WITHOUT
>adhesive for wrapping wiring on later model cars for concourse appearance
>-- the trick is supposed to be STRETCHING the tape slightly to make it stay
>(but I don't have any experience with that personally). If you don't mind a
>more modern look, molded plastic split-loom looks like it would be easier
>to deal with plus you could add or remove wires to make repairs.
>
>'66 convertible (200 auto) mailtoemail redacted)
>world.std.com/~tjt
>
>
>
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This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Keven Coates (email redacted)

> >Alternators can use over 140 amps!

What I actually meant to say was "Starters can use over 140 amps!"

Alternators usually are rated at 55-60 amps for these older mustangs.

An 85 amp alternator would be considered heavy duty for the older mustangs.
Maybe that's standard in the trucks. I don't know.

Also, I forgot to mention that the wire to the fuse block should be 10 gauge
minimum. I'd recommend 6-8 if you could fit it.

Fuse everything you can. Grouping essential circuits together and
non-essential circuits together as the manufacturers do. In other words,
don't put the cigarette lighter and the ignition system on the same fuse!

Thanks.

Best Regards,
Keven D. Coates
Datacom


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