electrical guru's come in please... "pics added"

[supersize75k5]

I am getting ready to wire up my ls1 motor in my buggy. I spent a lot of time the last time I wired it but Im looking for a better/ cleaner more reliable way to do this being that I have to delete and add some stuff anyways.


My plan it to have the ability to unplug my whole dash. Or at lest easily remove just a few bulk connectors rather then wire by wire. I crave a clean neatly wired set up!

This whole post/thread will come off as garbled and all over the place but here goes

here is my main componets

I have been using see though heat shrink connectors for my wiring, now looking to put plugs on those locations. any pro's cons..better product etc? Any neat place for gm like plugs?

http://www.delcity.net/store/4!contact-quick-connector/p_9290.a_1

 

[throttleissues]

Honestly, I would look into AMP, Deutch, or Cat connectors. They are metal cased and come in various pin counts and sizes. They lock together with a twist collar and have rubber seals around each wire. You could put all the wires through one connector, except for maybe the really big wires. I think they can handle up to 8ga wires.

 

[supersize75k5]

looked on that amp website holy hell they sell everything. Problem is it looks like they have minimum orders.


I did find this though

http://www.quickcar.net/ign_sys/terminals.html

prices don't seem all that bad

what is this crap about though

"Weather Pack Crimp Pliers are mandatory for terminating wire with weather pack terminals. Provides a "positive lock" crimp on the wire"

 

[supersize75k5]

looks like this place has way better prices!

http://www.midterminc.com/index.html?target=dept_55.html&lang=en-us

 

[throttleissues]

That Midterm site has some great prices. The special crimpers are usually to ensure that the pin doesn't get distorted. Some have 4 pins that press into the terminal as you squeeze, and some are a hex crimp. Either way it seems to be for keeping a straight, rather than bent or flattened, terminal. The best way is to find someone who works with those connectors and borrow the crimpers (and see if you can buy a pair of housings that work for you). I know we were able to buy individual connector bodies through Cat for a couple projects I had going at work. Picture a fire starting in the frame rail of a fire engine, next to the Cummins N-14. I had to chop the harness at one end and pull it out the front of the frame to sort wires and replace sections (all solder connections with shrink tube). I think it turned out to be around 60 wires in that harness, but I did it with 2 sets of connector bodies and 2 big cables going around it. That way I could repair all of it, then just plug them back together next to the trans. Sorry, I went careening off into the ditch with your thread there.

 

[bp71k5]

jegs sells weatherpack connector kits for stuff that doesn't require large wires sizes. I used a couple big connectors for my dash stuff since the largest one was like 12 pins.

 

[uao85]

Yeah weatherpack connectors are definitely the way to go, I scrounge them from junkyards all the time, and can reuse everything on them except the metal inserts that I buy online. Another crimper I am looking for is the packard 56 terminal crimper that crimps the spade fittings that fit into the firewall wiring bulkhead on our chevy trucks.

 

[supersize75k5]

any idea when gm started using them? I know for sure the vortec 96 and up had them, the wrecking yard near my house usually does not have very many of those truck though.

maybe tbi engines and up or??

 

[imiceman44]

I don't know if you already have a plan for where to put everything, but I did the best and least complicated setup for my K5:
I put the batteries (Optimas) next to me between the seats, and had my fuse box right off the battery with all the relays right there as well, I minimized the back and forth wires and bypassed the ignition switch for power for a main switch at the battery.
I ended up with much less resistance in lines and less lines alltogether dues to centralized location of the source.

 

[uao85]

any idea when gm started using them? I know for sure the vortec 96 and up had them, the wrecking yard near my house usually does not have very many of those truck though.

maybe tbi engines and up or??

they started using them in the early 80s on gm stuff on everything from pass cars to pickups. On the average car or truck you will find 2 in the engine bay wiring harness. They used them on just about every domestic vehicle in the 80s and 90s, but are usually only the 2 or 3 port connectors. Occasionaly you will find a vehicle that somebody did some work to and added here and there for various reasons. I once found a heep cherokee that had half a dozen 6 port weatherpack connectors and countless others with all kinds of bosch relays. The 6 port connectors are atleast $6 a piece for just the plastic housing. All in all, there had to have been $100 worth of stuff that I got for $5, so you get lucky once in a while, just have to dive in and see what you find. That was also back when I used to frequent the jy alot.


EDIT I also just remembered that mid 90s caddies were one of the only cars I found to have the 4 port weatherpack connectors and atleast 2 if not 3 bosch relays in the engine compartment.
Another place is behind the dash above the glove box in 88-95 chevy pickups, there is a little mounting bracket with 3 bosch relays mounted to it with a nice little wiring harness attached to it that can be easily reused.

 

[uao85]

I don't know if you already have a plan for where to put everything, but I did the best and least complicated setup for my K5:
I put the batteries (Optimas) next to me between the seats, and had my fuse box right off the battery with all the relays right there as well, I minimized the back and forth wires and bypassed the ignition switch for power for a main switch at the battery.
I ended up with much less resistance in lines and less lines alltogether dues to centralized location of the source.

hope those batteries are in a non-vented box, because they let off very nasty acidic gases.

Remington

 

[supersize75k5]

I don't know if you already have a plan for where to put everything, but I did the best and least complicated setup for my K5:
I put the batteries (Optimas) next to me between the seats, and had my fuse box right off the battery with all the relays right there as well, I minimized the back and forth wires and bypassed the ignition switch for power for a main switch at the battery.
I ended up with much less resistance in lines and less lines alltogether dues to centralized location of the source.

No room to be had between the seats, mine is 48 inches wide. The seats literally touch one another..

 

[supersize75k5]

pics added. Anyone with some ideas or input feel free to share it.

My main problems with my current wiring,

1. I have no way to secure the relays yet

2. I have redundant fuses, a fuse on the switch and for the relay for the fan, head lights and ignition. There has to be a easy way to use the fuse on the dash/ switch panel. ideas?

3. I want to get rid of the piggy back connectors on the tach, water and oil gage lights, ideas?


Planned weather pack connector locations through out buggy

- tach, "for in cab wiring right to the tach"
- chassis ground for switches and relays, "may tie both into one wire"
- head lights, " in cab wiring and at the actual light"
- led tail lights" for both in cab wire to switch and actual light"
- horn, "in cab wire to switches"
- fuel pump, "also will prewire my spare pump the same"
- Ign and wires to starter
-Fan, "both at fan and wire from relay"



I have 7 locations on my switch panel those are

1. Ignition "relay"
2. Fan "relay"
3. Head lights "relay"
4. Interior and led tail lights
5. ?????????????????
6. CB and also amp for the ipod
7. Horn


The fuel pump will be powered/controlled by the ecm.

The ECM has 4 wires

1. 12 volt switched "will go to Ign. position on switch panel
2. 12 volt constant "will go to master disconnect"
3. Ground.. "to chassis"
4. fuel pump.."will go to fuel pump directly.


My reworked harness has its own small fuse block and relay as well as the prom plug in with warning light, so I only need to hook up the 4 mentioned wires above with with the addition of the o2 sensors, temp and oil warning light sending units, and temp and oil actual senders.

 

[ryoken]

hey Shawn... I'll look over your specific questions monday night, little busy tonight.. But the guys are steering you in the right directions.. weatherpack stuff is nice, but so are the Deutch and others... We see lots of different styles in the boats.. lot of Duetch stuff.. one nice thing about their stuff is they have some larger pin counts for large harness disconnects... whereas I think weatherpack has a max of 6.. which yes, you need the specific crimpers for..

I get revved over neat wiring.. simplistic too.. the shortest, least failpoint route is always a good line of thinking... imo, ditch any fuses and go resettable breakers. want wire to maintain a curve, etc? heat it up first, make the bend, it'll cool and stay that way... just remember, it's all circuits..




i'll get a better, question related reply out mon night for ya...



this is the kind of project I do at work...

in case your wondering, yellow is the ABYC standard for grounds...

 

[Babaganoosh]

Did you get that harness reworked done or did it yourself?

 

[supersize75k5]

I had it done by a guy in mesa

 

[GNERGY]

This place sells all kinds of connectors ( plugs )
http://www.casperselectronics.com/store2/

Tarey

 

[dyeager535]

I've had no problem doing weatherpack without crimpers. They probably DO ensure a better connection, but I soldered mine too. Time/use has proven that the combination of "hand crimping" and soldering works.

I agree on the types of connectors though. Weatherpack on the large stuff (electric fan wiring for instance) and the smaller metri-pack or whatever for things like gauges, as you can fit a ton more wires into a similar sized connector.

 

[Philly87]

We carry both Weatherpack connectors and Deutsch connectors at work. Both are commonly used on NASCAR applications and other type of pro racing applications. A quality set of crimpers does make all the difference in the world when working with wiring to make good solid connection.

Phil
MSD Ignition

 

[supersize75k5]

ok..I managed to get things cleaned up and my mind organized but I still am looking to button up my relay's and wiring.. I have been looking online but I cant find what I am looking for yet.


right now i have the fan, head lights, and ign relay all with prewired plugs for relays so its nice and uniform.

But because of this I have:

3 ground wires
3 power wires
3 switch control wires

then the wires going to the actual fan, ign, and head lights..

I also plan to add a light bar and amp in the future.. This is alot of wires.


So someone must sell a multiple relay panel that has just one ground wire and one power wire ..then I would only need to wire the switched to my panel and to the item.

that brings me to my second wonder.. I have fuses already on my switches.. seems very redundant to wire to the switch then to the item. There has to be a way to go to my panel then to the item right off the stwitches? Half the point of having fuses on the dash is so I dont have to crawl in a funky position to get to them.. the way it is now I have a fuse to the relay then at the switch.

Is there any reason I cant power my relays off my power strip on my switch panel or right to my master disconnect?

Do I need a fuse in between my master disconnect and my relay?

my mind is now just garbled, there has to be a easier way to do this with less wires. help me make sense of this.

this pic is my current little relay harness.