Good wire for repairs and/or rewiring circuits?

silverbackreef · Thursday at 9:08 AM

Hey Folks,

I've been getting along doing repairs using the contents of the scrap wire box in my garage until now. Need to buy a few spools of bulk wire. I haven't actually bought automotive (or marine or aviation) wire in decades. Any recommendations on material (good or bad)? I'm also trying to standardize on one gauge for as many circuits as possible, recommendations?

Thanks,
-Mark

Scott91370 · Thursday at 10:17 AM

Probably more info than you want:

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1703-the-abcs-of-automotive-wiring-and-wires/

silverbackreef · Thursday at 11:14 AM

I'll take everything I can get. Deep dive is OK, I'm a retiree with too much time on my hands. Thanks.

Tonimus · Thursday at 2:16 PM

I like https://acdcwire.com/ for various stuff. Even individual hanks of wire for odd jobs. Good value.

Matt69olds · Friday at 7:24 PM

Mosier, electrical depot, and Waytek are good venders for wire.

You might want to rethink the plan to use one gauge wire for everything. Using wire big enough for a blower motor or wipers gets to be a major packaging headache when used for dash lights or gauge sending units!!

As cheap and low bucks as it sounds, I have several totes full of old GM dash wiring harnesses I have pulled from wrecked cars. One of the convenient traits of GM is they have used the same wire color/function for decades. Meaning in 1965, 1985, and 2005, GM used a tan wire for low beam headlights.

Using the same color wire as factory makes troubleshooting so much easier!!

daveca · Friday at 7:32 PM

Its low voltage, any 300 V PVC insulation is fine. if its a leaker, use oil resistant insulation.

Powerstream dot com for ampacity, or replace with same gauge, dont use solid wire, too easy to nick and crack/ break.

Take out a second mortgage to buy wire...

The wires not the critical part, with moisture and vibration, the connectors are. Theres no such thing as a proper crimp without crimp tooling, any crimps done with cheap tools should have the barrel soldered on any circuit at a half amp or more +/-...

Signed, auutomotive wiring engineering experience..

Good wire for repairs and/or rewiring circuits?

silverbackreef

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Scott91370

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silverbackreef

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Tonimus

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