Looking for some advice... I am planning to reinstall the engine bay wiring harness on my 69 Riv this weekend. What is recommended to clean up the wiring -brake clean? Or will it damage the insulation. After/ during clean up I will inspect the wiring for breaks or damaged insulation. Buying a wiring kit isn’t in the cards right now. Also I can see that using electrical tape is a no no as it will dry out and unravel. What are people using? The plastic corrugated split looming? Thanks
I would try some diluted simple green, it's a good de-greaser and mild, shouldn't harm the insulation.
Mineral spirits. I use electrical tape. The original wrap was non adhesive. They tied it in a knot at the end. They sell it on Ebay
I just soaked a rag in lacquer thinner, squeezed it out & ran it down each wire with my hand wrapped around each wire with the rag OR you can use Brakleen. Secret is to not soak it & dry immediately. Have been doing it this way for years with NO PROBLEMS. As for the tape I have used the Eastwood wrapping tape which has a small stretch to it to wrap the wires tightly. Same as factory. Just time consuming & patience is needed.
WD-40 and Purple Powers Orange Citrus Cleaner works good as well. I use either 3M Black Electrical Tape or the Black Textured Tape by Gorilla Glue.
When jot too visable I add a small cable tie over the end of the electrical tape wrap to prevent unwinding.
I know some people hate it, but I put the wiring into split loom. Gives me access if I need to add anything and it is neat. Each to their own.
I pulled the engine and light harness from my '68 'lark, removed all the tape, used WD-40 to clean and then Isopropyl to remove the WD-40 residue. Then I cut off and re terminated the really bad PAC-56 connectors, replaced the fuse links, and then wrapped with both cloth auto wrap tape and the plastic tape to original (took pics, measured and made diagrams of the harnesses). I also use this time and effort to make mods to add wiring for new tech and such so it all looks "factory". It is mostly labor. If you need to clean terminals, use white vinegar and salt until saturated solution in one container, and water with baking soda and salt until saturated solution in another. Dip the connector in the vinegar solution and swish for about 30-45 seconds, use a toothbrush to help clean, then dip and swish in the baking soda solution for about 30 seconds, then rinse in clean water, then dip and swish in isopropyl and let dry. The salt helps ionization of the metal and allows the acid to get into the surface, then the salt/soda neutralizes the acid. Makes contact area on the terminals nice and clean. It will cost much less than replacing harnesses and extend life (and trouble-free use) for quite a while. My wiring was in good shape, and no green or "oily/black" corrosion. But, if the harnesses are in bad shape, it is less costly to replace them, than the car from a wire fire.
When Ray had my car, he is the sort that makes things look good on the surface, unless you start poking around underneath. Love him dearly as a brother-in-law, but, his repairs were so frustrating. He uses those wire half-tap clips to add another wire. To join two wires together he either uses those clips again, or just twists the wires together and tapes it. I spent days with my soldering station out there under the hood and dash, solder and heat-shrink.... and repeat.... and repeat... Days of this. After that, I used the split loom. Not to hide anything, but to protect it from any rubbing damage, and to leave access if required. If a wire had more than two splices in it, it was replaced. I love my car, but recognize that she is 54 years old. If I hurt, she has her hurts too. The thing is, I can repair her hurts.
Scotchlocks..... When I found that they were used in AGT (Alberta Government Telephones, precursor to TELUS), but I could use AMP crimps if I had the tool, I whipped out my VS3 and MR1's so quick. Scotchlocks should be banned....
Well now Chuck I can’t get on board there. I’ve only discovered scotchlocks within the last couple of years but I like them. If used correctly they’re pretty much bulletproof. Kyle
The problem with Scotchlocks is that they are so often used incorrectly. There is a proper tool to be used with them. When they are closed with pliers, they have a significant failure rate over time. In the telecommunications industry, any failure rate is too high. In my car, I would much rather solder a connection. A soldered connection has almost zero parasitic loss. When covered with heat shrink, it is like there is no splice there at all. If Scotchlocks work for you, then I wish you nothing but the best with them. Remember though, there are different Scotchlocks for different wire gauges.
Thanks everyone. I cleaned up the harness with simple green and used electrical tape and the zip tie hack. Looks great. Ive reinstalled the harness but have a few connector questions/issues. The transmission downshift solenoid connector broke right at the connector. I’m sure there is a pn for a replacement but haven’t found one. Anyone have a suggestion Also I’ve replaced the alternator with a 12SI unit and the connector is different. Again I’m sure these are readily available I just suck at finding things. And lastly the oil pressure light switch has a single prong but the connector has three slots. Do I have the right switch Thanks for the help
69 Riv had a "oil pressure safety switch" and it has three terminals. It is to prevent the fuel pump from running without oil pressure (if the engine was not running, accident etc). You need one like this. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...2QpiKvFwlR_ULtXQ88gaAj8nEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds I modified my '64 Skylark (nailhead, EFI, iin tank pump) with a similar feature. https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?media/albums/fuel-pump-relay-safety-switch.52/
