I remember when people had useful info to discuss on here... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Some of us like things to be done the "old way" on "traditional" cars. Sounds to me like a useful discussion...you don't need to read it, if you don't want to.
I like black electrical tape. If you don't bundle all your wires together but keep them in separate circuits, it's not that hard to trouble shoot once wrapped. Just be sure to have many different colored wires. I also don't use those ugly plastic covers on the crimped ends. I use bare ends. I crimp them on, solider if possible, and then use black shrink tubing to cover the connection.
Problem with black electrical tape is it makes everything that it's attached to sticky after awhile. After you unwrap it that is. And then in a tight spot, wrapping and unwrapping becomes not so easy. But I've got sausage fingers so... Find the ties, as mentioned before, with the metal lock tab. Equally space them along your route, clip the ends off flush and rotate the 'heads' to where you can't see them. Neat and clean.
If we are worried about zip ties under the dash not being traditional we had better get rid of the fuses too. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Don't clip the ends... that can leave nasty sharp ends that can slice you up. Instead, twist the excess off. Grip the end with pliers as close to the head as possible, then twist the end around in one direction until it breaks off. They'll break off flush with the head, and anything left hanging out will have a rounded edge. This won't work with the cheapies, you need the good ones with the metal catch. I got a ass-chewing from my journeyman when he caught me cutting them off, then he showed me this trick... works great.
I have one of those, too; it came from the OR of a major medical center. In the 70s, it was used to zip tie clear surgical tubing to the early heart-lung machines. For those who use tape to cover the wiring loom, consider good old friction tape. Apply over regular electrical tape if desired.
When I acquired my 39, I found zip ties every inch of my wiring to create a "wiring harness". What a giant pain to deal with. The same moron left me other surprises.
I'm of the opinion that you use whatever you want on your own car, and if someone gets a stick up their butt about something you've done, well then that's their problem, not yours. Get some flush cutters to snip the tails off of zip-ties though, or you can open yourself up real bad when working around them. A mate of mine had to get half a dozen stitches in his forearm once at my old job. If there was wiring I was going to have to do other work with in future, I'd use velcro ties, but anything you want to be permanent, you buy quality zip ties and use them every 4 inches or so along the wiring run. Standard practice at Isuzu and Volvo trucks is to support wiring runs to metal brackets every 12-15 inches.
I like black harness tape, it's like black electrical tape, a bit wider, without the glue. It is what was used on GM cars starting around the mid 50s. If you cut zip ties off flush, using flush wire cutters, they don't leave the sharp edge. If you cut them off almost flush, they will cut you
Ty-Raps Came out in 1958 for airplane wiring harnesses. They had the metal tooth in them and was a Thomas and Betts invention. So year-wise it would be considered traditional and now you can rest easy. My best friend worked for GB and ran the department that makes the nylon ones. You use even more of these when their free !
....and someone with connections in the aviation repair business might have got ahold of some. There is a long history of neat aviation parts showing up in a few cars. They still are ugly and look out of place in an old hot rod. Use them if you like.
One covering I like that is sort of old timey is the asphalt-like covering that some vendors sell at bigger swap meets. It is the kind of wire covering that was used on old cars from the factory and it makes the wiring look like it fits that era. It comes in various diameters and they sell it by the foot. Don
Having grown up in the fifties and active in the hot rod industry for longer than I care to remember, I have never seen a hot rod that remained static for any length of time. Constant changes and upgrades have always part of the hobby. In more than a few car book reader/subscriber surveys, the "what's new" section always scored high. Hot rods and hot rodders are always evolving.
I did say cut them 'flush'. Grind down a set of cutters so that they will cut flush, don't just use regular cutters as they were bought unless they are actually for flush cutting.
When we wired my 1954 Ford in about 1965 we used a heavy nylon cord wrapped and back locked about every 3 to 4 inches. My friend was an electronics whiz and this was his idea. It looked really clean and tidy!
During the 60's and 70's I worked for Western Electric Co. And Sperry Flight Systems as an installer/ technician. One of the things I did as part of my job was building wire harnesses , and I probably laced 50 miles of wire harness in that time. It was done with waxed cord or laceing tape, which is a flat polyester cording. I don't recall ever using tyraps or zip ties. ................Jack
The trick is to double wrap your wiring. Put the first layer of tape over the wires sticky side out. Then go back over that sticky side in. They will stick to each other nicely, but a simple slit of the tape and it comes off with no residue on the wires. We used this trick in the electrical trade since I was an apprentice in the 70's. Uses more tape, but it sure keeps the mess off the wiring.
We always twisted the ends off to leave a end that wasn't sharp. Grab it close to the catch with pliers and just start turning. When it breaks off it leaves the end down in the catch and usually nothing sticking out to scratch you. It also tightens the zip tie as you twist it off. A small pair of Vise Grip pliers works really well for twisting them off.
Having used both zip ties and poly lacing string, I prefer the string tie method. Use a square knot over a clove bitch or a square knot over a lark's head on a bight and it'll hold for years, provide a smooth surface for adjacent work, and not chafe the wire necessitating further repairs in the future.
I twist off the excess ends with pliers instead of cutting them. Leaves a tiny amount of plastic sticking out but it won't cut you up like a cut end would. Flush cutters would be better though, agreed.
Yep, another good ol' electrician trick... Another part of it is don't use crummy tape; the cheap stuff makes a much gooier mess compared to a quality tape like 3M 33+ or Plymouth Premium.
Good advice here. I agree with denis4x4, my hot rod is under constant evolution so for now it's zip ties. But if and when I do 'finish' it, I like the idea of wrapping circuits separately, and add in an extra wire for future use.
Use zip ties, hide if you want under friction tape to make to look original but the tape is sticky and ugly to work with
Good info... I was just going to ask what the aviation / aerospace industry (and perhaps the Navy / commercial marine ship builders) were using pre-64.) Gary
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