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  • Electrical: Wiring woes

    Last year I removed the "crispy critter" wiring ends by the firewall and spliced in new wire further back into the harness where the wire was still OK. No big deal.

    This week I've been removing the same kind of "Crispy" wiring up around the solenoid and battery tray. (cracked insulation, half-broken wire, etc.) Trouble is. . . it seems no matter how far back i go into the harness on this end of the wires (reasonably), the wire is all covered in a gooey black substance inside the insulation which will not allow the solder to flow and stick properly. I hate the thought of using acid on an electrical joint! And no matter how far back I've gone, I have now completely lost any brake light action (the turn signals on the rear still work) from the wires that go to the hydraulic switch for the power brakes. (just hooking the two wires together used to make the brake lights go on.)

    After hours of trying to peel off the factory "tape" on the wiring harness, I've about had it. I'm seriously considering a whole new wiring harness. I found a thread here which showed the ENOS "Black Box" system, and I like the concept, if not so much the work involved in cutting all the wires, and figuring a good location for the box on a GT. Having wasted so much time already on trying to patch this, I'm more inclined to getting an SI or Stude West pre-made harness.

    Does anyone know a ballpark $$ figure for the ENOS system with the wires already cut and provided?

    Here's the issue> My GT is a '62. But it's already been switched over to an alternator. But if I order a harness for a '63-'64 GT to compensate for the presence of the alternator, then I'll have the wrong wiring for the climatizer equipment. And I'll end up cutting and patching the harness anyway. Do SI or Stude West do any mod's in the building process?

    Any advice or leads to other suppliers are welcome.

    Paul
    I finally have a Stude I can drive! (sort of)
    1962 GT Hawk, 4 speed, a/c

  • #2
    The gooey stuff is probably oil or brake fluid mixed with the tape glue that has wicked into the wiring and harness. You might try electrical contact cleaner to get rid of it. Be careful with it as some will dissolve paint too. Other than that I don't have any suggestions about a new wiring harness for the modified car without having to modify the harness too.
    Rob

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    • #3
      Don't be too afraid of using acid! I have a little canister of 30% hydrochloric acid (it's an old plastic 35 mm film container), and if I get a nasty wire like that, I just dip it in the acid, and it cleans up instantly. After that, I dip it in baking soda solution or spray it with Spra-Kleen or 409, or some other alkaline cleaner to neutralize the acid, and rinse it with clean water. Then dry it and solder it.
      Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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      • #4
        Do not use acid flux solder or soldering paste around anything electrical, it will cause a connection failure in short order. The only solder to use for electrical work is a solder with a rosin flux and either a 60/40 or 63/37 lead-tin content. You can try to clean the wires with something like alcohol or even a good brake cleaner will work for removing grease and tape adhesive. Bud

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