Wiring Loom Query

[David Stepney]

It was Andrew and you answered it perfectly. I did pm you regarding wiring for further info
However that raised some other questions
As I progress I’m sure there will be more daft questions so please bear with me

When it comes to Austin Sevens, there is no such thing as a daft question, particularly if you are new to the cars. It is better to ask and be safe.

[s.earl]

I’m just about to start re wiring a 1935 Ruby. Everything was stripped out by the previous owner but he did purchase a new loom before selling the project on to me.
The diagrams on this site look helpful and I have bought some extra wire for the horn, trafficators, etc.

What else should I need to complete this job? Do I need connectors, heat shrink or anything special to complete the job? A bottle of whisky?

[Reckless Rat]

Patience.

[John Cornforth]

Hi

The Ruby pre-dates bullet connectors, so the loom should have eyelets or bare ends as required. You might find some black heatshrink and some black cloth tape useful when extending or supplementing the standard loom. Also fine glasspaper to clean the bits that aren't new if they are tarnished.

If you do come across bullet connectors, e.g. maybe lights have been updated from the 1950's onwards, I prefer the solder types to the crimp ones. It's hard to get a decent crimp with the tools available at an economic price.

I like to tin the twisted bare ends with electrical solder before putting them in screw terminals (like the lighting switch, regulator and dynamo) as it stops them untwisting and gives a neater job. Not essential though.

The physical run of the loom is fairly straightforward, I can only suggest you look at lots of photos on the internet (or cars in the flesh) and see what is the most common arrangement.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Whilst the loom is off the car, maybe sticky labels on each end to remind you what goes where.

Helpful if they are left on where you can't see them - behind the dashboard, for example - so that a year or two from now you will find it easier to fault find, if required.

Particularly applicable to the non-loom, additional wires.

Think about proper earth returns - I have good quality earth wires from the battery to distribution points at the front and rear of the car.   Try not to rely on the bodywork to do the job for you.   I believe LEDs can be finicky about supply quality, so proper earths are a must if that is true.

If 6 volt system, use thicker wires to reduce the losses of your precious volts.

As Rekkers said - patience.   Which includes undoing it and re-routing if it gets messy looking, puts strain on the wires, or whatever.

Take care no wire can get pinched or chafed - just this week I came to a grinding halt in a cloud of smoke as my main power feed to everything except the starter got pinched between the floor and the gearbox.

[Howard Wright]

Hi

Purists might complain but I would get some loom clips to hold cables in place. I believe “Construction and use” regulations require wires to be held every 8” although they don’t necessarily apply and I haven’t checked them recently. Most clips will be hidden from view under the car.

Cheers

Howard

[bob46320]

"They" say that soldering the ends of wires will cause stress fractures at the joint between the end of the solder and the copper wire - I doubt most of us would live long enough for this to happen though!
Bob

[k8207418]

Automotive cable is specifically designed with multi strands to allow for flexibility during vibration
Soldering negates this
Also terminations are often designed for cables where the strands will splay across the contact area and give a better electrical connection whereas soldered ends can give single point contact

[John Cornforth]

Re - soldering wires

Maybe I should have made myself clearer. I tin just the last few millimetres of the twisted core, using minimal time and a good sized hot iron. Not enough to allow the solder to wick up the cable. In most situations the loom is supported and there is little or no relative movement between the loom and the components it's connected to. With soldered bullets the wire insulation is supported by the back of the bullet, all the solder is inside the bullet. So in no situation is the solder being tasked with any mechanical supporting role.

In a couple of situations (Distributor Low Tension, Dynamo) there is a higher risk of vibration fatigue, so a bit of loom support onto the engine mounted components is recommended.

Being softer than copper, the solder deforms under the screws of Lucas style terminals and gives more than enough contact area.

I accept that the auto industry moved to crimping many years ago, for a variety of reasons. A properly crimped joint is ideal, but I have seen far too many improperly crimped joints when working on other people's cars. If you can afford high quality tooling it is the way to go, but most people can't justify the expense for one or two cars.

[A G Wood]

Wasn't there (for the want of a better word) a spoon shaped solder-on wire termination for the RF95 regulator 2BA grubscrew type of terminal?
The 'handle' of the spoon went through the slot in the terminal post and the screw compressed the 'bowl'.
Pretty sure I saw some online ages ago when I was looking for something else, I remember thinking that that was a good idea if you're trying to put multiple cables on one terminal,  but do you think I can find them now.....