oldtin
oldtin PowerDork
4/29/17 3:06 p.m.

Wiring the TR4 from scratch. What's a good source for quality electrical wire?

Trackmouse
Trackmouse SuperDork
4/29/17 3:13 p.m.

Sub'd for interest. I know Amazon and eBay should be avoided. It's not AWG. It's Chinese metric garbage and the insulator doesn't flex well.

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro PowerDork
4/29/17 3:16 p.m.

Not sure on brit cars, is it cloth covered wire you're looking for?

Trackmouse
Trackmouse SuperDork
4/29/17 3:18 p.m.

In reply to Trans_Maro:

lol. What?

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro PowerDork
4/29/17 3:30 p.m.

In reply to Trackmouse:

Automotive wire, wrapped with cotton braid. As was used on American stuff well into the 1950s.

Being that the O.P. has a TR4 and I don't know how long they used cloth covered wire in British cars, I thought I would ask.

We go through tons of it at work.

We buy from Brillman and Company, Rhode Island Wiring or Restoration Supply.

If it's just the good quality nylon jacketed stuff, we just get that from our local FLAPS.

m_walker26
m_walker26 Reader
4/29/17 3:40 p.m.

I completely rewired swmbo's TR250 using the harness Dan Masters developed. It's available from Advanceautowire.com Dan's book, electrical Handbook for the TR-6 is available from Britishwiring.com. Some large % (90) will be the same as TR-6 stuff. Let me know if you have questions or I can help.

Ransom
Ransom PowerDork
4/29/17 3:44 p.m.

I think Waytek is supposed to be a good source, but I don't even recall where I got my wire when I Megasquirted the 2002...

Cousin_Eddie
Cousin_Eddie Reader
4/29/17 3:49 p.m.

I've always used DelCity for all my wiring supplies unless I needed the cotton jacketed stuff, in which case Rhode Island Wiring

I have placed many orders from each over the years.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy UltimaDork
4/29/17 4:08 p.m.

I think the first question should be, is it a restoration, a daily driver, or a race car? Restoration, go with Trans Maros recommendation. Daily driver, buy a hot rod kit from American Autowire or such, and get rid of everything that has ever had the stink of Lucas or Britain attatched. Race car needs a roll of red wire from the napa store.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
4/29/17 4:13 p.m.

Make your life easier in the future, use the proper colours. I did not do that with my Land Rover, and I regret it 15 years later.

http://www.britishwiring.com/PVC-Wires-s/67.htm

oldtin
oldtin PowerDork
4/29/17 4:21 p.m.

It's a race car with about 5-6 circuits. There is not a single wire in it today. Relocated battery, master cutoff... the only unusual bit is running an electric compressor which is just a switch through a relay. I do want headlights or the option for them, so a second relay.

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro PowerDork
4/29/17 4:31 p.m.
oldtin
oldtin PowerDork
4/29/17 4:48 p.m.

In reply to Trans_Maro: Was thinking a bit more grassroots/homebuilt than $400 but it does look like an easy button

JBasham
JBasham Reader
5/1/17 9:32 a.m.

Marine 16

I use this stuff. Nineteen cents a foot! I can usually find 4 or 5 different colors on Amazon. If I need a heavier gauge, they have that too, in the same brand, same specs, for like forty cents a foot for ten gauge, etc.

NOHOME
NOHOME PowerDork
5/1/17 9:43 a.m.

This place has you covered. Right colors and proper circuit design. Think of it as painless wiring for Brit cars.

http://www.advanceautowire.com/

The new harnesses that are being sold by Moss and some of the other suppliers are a bit suspect. Wire gauge is smaller to the point where thr harness diameter is too small to fit the P clips.Sockets for the dash/instrument bulbs don't seem to match either what was in the car or any other format sold i NA. Had to cut all the bulb holders out of the Bugeye's old harness and solder them into the new one. Same for the 68 MGB.

DaveEstey
DaveEstey PowerDork
5/1/17 10:59 a.m.

I had some really lousy experience with DelCity.

For a simple system - NAPA actually carries some really nice wire with super flexible insulation.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce MegaDork
5/1/17 11:07 a.m.

And now I want to do cloth wiring in the engine compartment of something pretty.

EvanR
EvanR SuperDork
5/1/17 11:17 a.m.

Wanna go truly grassroots? Go to the junkyard and strip the wire out of anything American. The only reason to avoid Euro or Japanese is that you probably don't have metric wire strippers.

Take wire from the interior or trunk. The stuff from under the hood has had a hard life.

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