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Ready to start rewiring - need tool recommendations

Posted: November 4, 2008, 12:46 pm
by douglloyd
After reading the archives about rewiring, I decided to take the rewire plunge!

I bought the Painless 12 circuit truck harness from JEGS, and am getting ready to start digging into this project. Painless does not give any specific crimping tool recommendations, other than to 'use a good one'. Anybody have any favorites that they like for this kind of wiring?

thanks,
Doug

Posted: November 4, 2008, 12:57 pm
by ICEMAN6166
i like klein tools, made in USA.
cant tell you how many cheap auto parts strippers/crimpers etc. i have trashed.these are made for professional electricians.

http://www.kleintools.com/

home depot has a lot of these tools.

Posted: November 4, 2008, 1:53 pm
by jwh f-100
Doug I prefer seperate crimpers and stripers. I'm sure there any many different brands of each but here is a couple pics of the style I'm refering to.......
ImageImage

If you go with a combination tool be sure the crimper is in the front like this one....
Image

The type with the crimper in the back are a PITA when crimping and are worthless when crimping in tight quarters.
Image

One more handy tool that I think is great is a FUSE BUDDY. It plugs into a fuse block and is used to test the draw of that curciut up to 20 or 30 amps. Best of all they are only about $20 bucks.
Image

so...no ratcheting needed?

Posted: November 4, 2008, 2:12 pm
by douglloyd
Ok, I think I'm getting it. Thanks for the quick feedback.

These are mostly insulated terminals, and the Painless instructions warn you not to overcrimp. They call them barrel crimps or rolling crimps.

Some of these tools have half moon openings, and some are just squared off flat openings. Which would work better for these spade and loop terminals?

Guess I need to head for Lowes or Home Desperate to take a closer look.

thanks,
Doug

Posted: November 4, 2008, 5:10 pm
by Rosati
Get a battery charger with 1 amp of current to hook to the battery cables when testing circuits. Usually the chatger will trip before the fuse does.
Also, stay away from crimping the lines. Get yourself several sizes of heat shrink, good solid solder wire, and a can of flux paste. You can coat the wire and load the connector with paste, lightly crimp and then solder. You will chase no electrical gremlins down the road.

Posted: November 4, 2008, 8:35 pm
by Uncle Skip
Doug.
One more thing.
Make sure the indent on the crimp is on the solid side of the terminal. Not the side that is rolled up and over to make the barrel.
Take a look at the terminal and it will make perfect sense.
A little more trouble, but a much better crimp.
Uncle Skip

Posted: November 4, 2008, 11:54 pm
by johnny
Make sure the indent on the crimp is on the solid side of the terminal. Not the side that is rolled up and over to make the barrel.
great point skip im almost done wiring my 55 ill post pics later one more thing i was told by a gentleman who wires street rods here is DONT solder use crimps sorry rosati great point on the charger tho
John

Posted: November 5, 2008, 7:12 am
by GDG
Most OEM terminals are not soldered, use OEM style terminals, connectors and crimpers. I use Packard crimps, the do a nice job.
Doug

Posted: November 5, 2008, 6:54 pm
by Fanatic
If you are ggggoing to do alot of wiring.......get one of these style strippers. Snap on is shown but many other brands. They make stripping real easy........NO COMMENT from JC needed.

Posted: November 6, 2008, 12:42 am
by Alan Mclennan
It`s OK JC! I`ve got this one! :P

Oi, Tim!, where`s the picture? :lol: :lol: :lol:

but I think your right!, if your talking about the strippers that grab and pull apart to strip the cable, had a set for years, one of my better tool investments!

Alan,

Posted: November 6, 2008, 1:02 am
by DCarr
There you go-imputing bad motives of our kind ,sincere fellow member.However you did kind of set yourself up for it.

Posted: November 6, 2008, 6:15 pm
by Fanatic
Talkin about strippers and I passed out before the link was posted

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp ... ir=catalog

Posted: November 6, 2008, 10:39 pm
by jeepbut
The best tool I could use for rewireing is called a check-book. Thanks, Lyman.

Posted: November 8, 2008, 12:44 am
by johnny
well im a phone man and doing fiber were always told you must have a lot of alcohol and a goood clean pair of strippers thats straight from AT&T :wink:
John

Posted: November 8, 2008, 10:08 am
by fmartin_gila
johnny wrote:well im a phone man and doing fiber were always told you must have a lot of alcohol and a goood clean pair of strippers thats straight from AT&T :wink:
John
I can see this thread has a good chance of going downhill from here.

Fred

Posted: November 8, 2008, 11:16 am
by Uncle Skip
Fred.
I wouldn't touch that last post with a 10' pole.
ROTFLMAO
U@ss

Posted: November 8, 2008, 5:49 pm
by Max
Just make sure it's grounded.. :lol:

Posted: November 8, 2008, 8:48 pm
by Greg D
:cheers: <----Don't forget these.