How can I shield these electrical connections?

[Rustisbest]

Looks like all that would fit inside a GM underhood storage box from an OBS truck. That or a cheap battery box.

 

[75gmck25]

This type of box might also work well. Different companies make them and them come in various sizes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLW5HMX/

 

[Doppleganger]

These are what I'm using - one under the hood and one under the dash. Ditched the no-name chicom relays and bought all NOS German Bosch.

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[WP29P4A]

No experienced low voltage installer would add unnecessary connections, like that, and then try to protect them. We end up debating this with DIY clients fairly often. Adding connections and terminals just for the "pretty" aspect is not logical. Every connection that you CHOOSE to put between point A and point B is more potential for future problems.

If you twist 2 wires together and solder, you have 1 connection. If you twist 2 wires together and use a wire nut, you have 1 connection. If you put 2 wires in a butt connector and crimp them, you have 2 connections. If you crimp a connector on the end of a wire and then connect it to a screw terminal, then to another screw and connector, with a wire crimped, you have 4 connections.(unless you count the bus bar, then you have 6)

No one that is paid to install reliable wiring would add unnecessary connections and sacrifice quality for pretty bling style connectors, just to make someone feel warm and fuzzy. I have clients that pay me $100.00 per hour to fix installations like this, that have been done by professionals and the DIY guys.

The best analogy that we found to explain this in simple terms is, would you ever buy a brand new garden hose and then buy a bunch of pretty splices, then cut up your new hose and splice it back together with beautiful connectors? Would this not affect the long term reliability of the hose?

Just to be clear, your installation and custom bracket look great, awesome installation. I like clean wiring and straight lines also, my dad used to give me a hard time when I first went to work for his company.(1977) When I would run groups of wires in attics, I would staple the wire up in perfect straight lines, all spaced evenly with nice swept curves, just because it looked great even though the client would never see it.

Personally I would correct the installation so you don't need to add anything overly engineered to correct the slight installation defect. Hopefully you didn't shoot yourself in the foot by cutting the wires from the new fuse/relay box outputs short.

 

[Grit dog]

^Agree. And that’s why, even with the “cautions” about soldering, I like the new solder/shrink butt connectors. Only 1 connection.
And the ability to twist or splice the 2 wires together and then have the solder and the waterproof shrink tubing also holding the connection together.

 

[Grit dog]

@RanchWelder
The little box with the purple wire is a fuel pump relay with a timed priming cycle.
The truck came with a Mark VI 454, carbureted, and those engines don’t have a mechanical fuel pump boss. The POs just had the fuel pump direct wired/powered off the electric choke circuit!! (Insert shocking emoji here…)
It works great.
The wiring etc is nowhere near cleaned up. Got some work left to do there. But no real plans to bling out or dress up the engine bay other than cleaning up a few things….and that rust spot I prepped and forgot to paint when I painted the truck, lol.

 

[WP29P4A]

^Agree. And that’s why, even with the “cautions” about soldering, I like the new solder/shrink butt connectors. Only 1 connection.
And the ability to twist or splice the 2 wires together and then have the solder and the waterproof shrink tubing also holding the connection together.

I fully agree, but soldering is only an improvement IF the person doing it has all the facts and skills. Not enough people pay attention to weather the wire they are using is oxygen free or not, and why it matters. Also the type of solder used is often over looked. Also the importance of using the correct heat and timing to produce a properly soldered connection instead of a "cold" solder joint. Way too many variables for most DIY guys. I started soldering in Jr. high school and have worked in the low voltage industry for 40 plus years and I still occasionally struggle to solder when the wire, heat and solder are less than perfect.

 

[Grit dog]

^Yeah. I agree. But also we’re not talking critical, av or sensitive circuitry here.
The solder shrink connectors are not an industry standard by any means imo. But the advantage imo is 2 different mechanisms holding the the connection together and an airtight watertight connection.

 

[WP29P4A]

^Yeah. I agree. But also we’re not talking critical, av or sensitive circuitry here.
The solder shrink connectors are not an industry standard by any means imo. But the advantage imo is 2 different mechanisms holding the the connection together and an airtight watertight connection.

I agree. I liked the shrink wrap butt splices but stopped using them and switched back to naked butt splices and separate shrink wrap to keep the size of the splice smaller. I have practiced my crimp connector game to perfection and there is no way you can pull my connectors off the wire once I crimp them. But I still like the idea of a second method of keeping the wires in the splice, like you mentioned.

 

[WP29P4A]

I just figured out why you did the nice terminal strips. The 2 systems I installed like yours, had a wiring loom coming out of the fuse/relay box and they expect us to do inline splices. I had a hard time accepting that I had to be okay with random inline splices that would end up hidden somewhere in the loom. I badly wanted to do what you did, but had no left over space to do anything like that. I finally accepted the inevitable and did inline splices.

If I had the space I would have done exactly what you did, then I would have tried to figure out how to protect it, and ended up removing the terminal strips and going to inline. I hated the idea that all my wires would have a splice in them, I wanted to connect directly to the fuse block without splices.

 

[RanchWelder]

We used to say, amongst professionals: Oxygenated copper is only for the guys who carry a microphone purse... as their wallet.
(The $5000.00 Neumann Mic Cóuture Handbag... when you have to be the rage at the party...)

Resist the urge to use the stuff.
It's over rated unless you build satellites or $5000.00 amplifiers with Pure Sound..... (No disrespect implied if you wire satellites for a living...).
We referred to those guys' who feel they needed to use it, as a "Single Diaper Baby". (Not implying they are overly emotional or anal retentive or anything...)

We're not building anything for CERN here and some of those dopes' work is speculative, at best.
Those "slide rule guys" got a heck of a lot done, before they had 6 or 7 - nine's to work with on a routine basis... .0000000
Less you are playing with those last 2 zero's, oxygenated copper is copper.

Stick a little Beryllium in there and everything changes.

 

[RanchWelder]

You have enough room on all sides to slip a bigger box over the whole works and seal it at the firewall? Here is what I did for a few relays.

Yes, and if you added a layer of rubber under the blocks, and under the aluminum case, you would be triple insulated... from electrical short.
***Very good example of my post... when neatness counts.

There is big money in scaring you to think you need to buy a new harness... It makes it so the variables in diagnosis do not have to be questioned, during quality customer support.. and I get that... Freaking out over a splice, (OR A THOUSAND) is B/S, if it is done correctly.
"Purists" make great restoration supervisors, when reality costs nothing... (insert hard laugh emoji here).

How many guys buy the crimp Weatherpack connectors without the $150 crimper FOR EACH SIZE...?
Or use an idiotic improper sized crimper, as if it doesn't matter?... would you want to tech support anyone who did such a thing?

I prefer the pig tails and crimps, but what do I know....? My entire engine is pig tails and crimps done correctly.

Educating the basics and correcting the stupid human mistakes eats into profits, so it is rarely accepted as best practices.

Quite honestly, the shared ownership and trusted borrow and return of quality crimpers, between paying members, would resolve this issue and make membership much more relevant.

I would pay extra to be a trusted user of the quality crimpers required to build my engine here...
Others may agree... Do you trust me to borrow the tools required to build my engine and return them in perfect condition?
I am willing to trust you..., with education and best practices training...

If you buy the specified crimp connectors, from one of our trusted vendors, or Mouser or McMaster Carr or 3M or Digi-Key or another US Govt supplier, and actually qualify as a trusted buyer,,, then why can't we make this benefit, an exclusive part of membership? With a bond, if necessary?

I seriously think we need to go here.

With a bond, to insure we have the best people protected from accidental mishaps, we are no longer forced to be trained by the guys selling perfect circuitry, as if it is Gospel.
(All of you are the BEST people,... you all deserve to keep your GM wiring harness in 100% good condition..., with good quality USA made crimps...)

This forum can be much more than arguments or conflicting advice, it can be the resource for good guys to build with quality tools, from trusted sponsors.
I would gladly offer twice the tool cost as a temporary fee to borrow the tool and receive money back when returned in excellent condition.
I would agree, we MUST purchase USA sourced crimps, in order to borrow the tools... before we are allowed to borrow them...
As a condition of using them by contract... I would agree part of the membership fee would be increased to cover an insurance policy for those who do qualify for the tool borrowing program, in order to defer the costs of insurance for everybody...

I feel the tool manufacturers' and crimp suppliers' would appreciate the nod, as well, and sponsor our efforts to build the relationships with quality as our mantra. It would be a win win for old outdated tech. Planned obsolescence is not your friend.

Hello GM Engineering, are you listening...? (and we all know they are... they post here often...)

 

[RanchWelder]

Do it right or go home... sounds great... but can you afford to really do it?