Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models > Parts

Wiring harness manufacturers

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midlife:
Just an observation after looking at probably 2-3000 harnesses from engine, underdash, etc.  Most of the factory wrapping tape fades with time, and often gets stained due to exposure to tobacco, the environment, heat, etc.  Some factory tape after 50+ years appears dirty, and when cleaned with the strongest solvent, appears shiny when wet but dries to the same dirty appearance. 

The cleanest, freshest factory tape I've seen is a tad less shiny than the 33+.  When I re-wrap a harness in 33+, it is obvious that it is a re-wrap, as it is too shiny throughout, and doesn't look factory to me.  The same goes to the reproduction harnesses: a tad too shiny.  I could be biased, though, in that 99.5% of what I see is 50+ years old and it's hard for plastics to retain its original finish after all those years. 

Bossbill:
Another famous fuchsia pink arrow! Thanks Jeff.

Compared to my new roll, that is semi gloss and mine is full gloss.
Time to go shopping for the right stuff (NPD perhaps) and some white 3M Scotloks (another story).

Randy -- I'm unsure as to what to do with this harness as it highly visible in the engine compartment.
Re-wrap it in no-glue vinyl so it has the same sheen everywhere?

It's odd. I took the engine o/p, temp, and coil harness apart on the Shelby as there is 3 wires in and two out. Plus it was in sad shape. Two things struck me. I couldn't tell the sticky tape apart from wrap. And SA took the harness apart, snipped the o/p idiot light wire and simply wrapped the thing back with tape. We don't need no stinking light when we have a real gauge!

By the way, I noticed in Jeff's pic that he has cloth tape on the mid span of his loose wires coming out of the main bundle. I noticed every loose wire I have is normal semi-gloss tape. I ASSume this is a plant/year thing.
Is that spelled out in the Library?

Bob Gaines:

--- Quote from: Bossbill on November 03, 2017, 11:21:44 PM ---Another famous fuchsia pink arrow! Thanks Jeff.

Compared to my new roll, that is semi gloss and mine is full gloss.
Time to go shopping for the right stuff (NPD perhaps) and some white 3M Scotloks (another story).

Randy -- I'm unsure as to what to do with this harness as it highly visible in the engine compartment.
Re-wrap it in no-glue vinyl so it has the same sheen everywhere?

It's odd. I took the engine o/p, temp, and coil harness apart on the Shelby as there is 3 wires in and two out. Plus it was in sad shape. Two things struck me. I couldn't tell the sticky tape apart from wrap. And SA took the harness apart, snipped the o/p idiot light wire and simply wrapped the thing back with tape. We don't need no stinking light when we have a real gauge!

By the way, I noticed in Jeff's pic that he has cloth tape on the mid span of his loose wires coming out of the main bundle. I noticed every loose wire I have is normal semi-gloss tape. I ASSume this is a plant/year thing.
Is that spelled out in the Library?

--- End quote ---
SA did not take the engine gauge feed harness apart. They simply snipped the oil idiot light wire where it came out of the existing harness and sometimes but a wrap of electrical or friction tape to cover the snipped wire end and sometimes not.

J_Speegle:

--- Quote from: Bossbill on November 03, 2017, 11:21:44 PM ---By the way, I noticed in Jeff's pic that he has cloth tape on the mid span of his loose wires coming out of the main bundle. I noticed every loose wire I have is normal semi-gloss tape. I ASSume this is a plant/year thing.
Is that spelled out in the Library?

--- End quote ---

We've discussed in in a couple of threads the way the ends of the looms (adhesive tape, cloth tape or sealant) IMHO use depended on who made the loom and there were likely hundreds of sub contractors making these in garages, basements or who knows where across the country.  Told this sorry before but as a kid we ran across a gas station out in the desert on a family vacation. The family was putting together the wire looms for power seats for some Ford model in about 1969. They had a jig that help the ends and plugs as they laid out the wires and wrapped them

Bossbill:
Bob -- I took a loop to the factory loom wrap and see that they did start at the terminal end and worked toward the molded plug end. So the harness was not opened, as you state.
On mine it appears that 5" of the snipped o/p wire was beyond the end of the loom wrap, but there was 6" of black tape wrapped 6".
Normal?

I did find a brand of loom tape that matches the sheen of the old tape, as used by my nearby restoration shop. It looks very good next to original 67 harnesses.
It's Elliott ET301 black. It's the right width and sheen. I found 2 rolls for $12.95 on ebay.

I also found some 3M Scotchlok 564 white connectors and hope to have all of this by next week.

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