Electrical Connectors

[Randy in Maine]

The last time I removed my dash, I decided that I really need to come up with a much neater and better organized wiring set up back there.

What are the best and most secure connectors that I can use? Marine or aviation or just what? A link to someplace would be nice.

I have a gob of crimp on connectors in my parts bins, but they really just don't hold up all that well IMO. They seem to all get loose and just look kind of cheesey.

[hazetguy]

are you looking for factory style, non-insulated terminal ends like this?

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thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[Randy in Maine]

I have those already.

Can you suggest something better?

[hazetguy]

never needed anything better than that, so no, i can't help you there.
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thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[rccbusfreak]

Randy, you can find just the metal sleeve for a butt connection and use shrink wrap makes a smaller clean connection. I'll pull off the red and blue eye sores on spay and eyelet connectors and also use the wrap. Also if you slide the spay connector on anything existing on your bus. Clean and use some type of anti-corrosion ointment. Hope this helps.
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71 Westfalia
68 Transporter
71 Transporter parts bus (the bus that keeps on giving)
LudwigUSA

[Duncwarw]

I've had no trouble with crimp ons but I tin, solder, crimp & shrink.
Crimp ons with the plastic sleeve suck. I remove them.
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“To find yourself, think for yourself”
Socrates, 470 BC - 399 BC

[pb24ss]

i use metal crimp ons and solder. not the cheap ones with the plastic red/blue/yellow sleeves, but plain old metal ones that real electronics stores sell. always solder the connections though.

[gmag69]

Has anyone ever used one of the cold heat soldering guns. I was thinking of getting on for when I do my wiring but want to know if they work or not.

Geno
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Check out my Westy resto. thread.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=230285

[1977_L63H_P27]

[Karl]

The secret to crimp ons, other than soldering, is to use the correct tool to crimp them. Forget about the ones that just crush them..... vise grips work just as poorly. You want a tool that has a dull point that sits in a U.

The middle section of this tool:
http://www.doityourself.com/invt/u262995

[hazetguy]

[mattcuddy]

[keifernet]

This style works fine for the most common terminals... better than the cheezy ones they sell with the "kits"

http://www.mytoolstore.com/klein/1005.html


this style sucks for crimping connectors... but has other uses.

http://www.specialized.net/ecommerce/shop/layout.a...-Tool-1000

[rccbusfreak]

I like the Klein crimper. I have used the crimper that has the stripper in the handle and they have pulled apart. The Klein tool is not cheap.
_________________
71 Westfalia
68 Transporter
71 Transporter parts bus (the bus that keeps on giving)
LudwigUSA

[ccpalmer]

I used to be a "only solder" guy but I am now sold on using a proper crimper with crimp-on connections. Soldering in tight areas and with smaller, older wire can be troublesome.

So I'd say get a good crimper and use the proper sized crimp-on connectors.
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'71 Westy

[keifernet]

[germansupplyscott]

http://www.germansupply.com/xcart/customer/home.php?cat=390

i am going to build a kit with some of the most needed terminals and the crimping tool, but for the time being we have a pretty good selection of terminals for aircooled VW's. where we need more selection at the moment is with terminals that work with the small wire gauges, some of the .25 termials are not ideally sized for small gauges (.5mm).

i agree that there really isn't anything better than the original style terminals. every single vehicle that gets worked on here leaves with about a dozen or more of these terminals crimped into the original wiring. sometimes you need to splice wires as well and that's where to solder and shrink wrap comes in handy. but if you just need new termination on the wires, use the original stuff and it will work perfectly for another 20 years.
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SL

[rccbusfreak]

I have used the small ones off the instrument cluster in my parts bus. Wires and all.
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71 Westfalia
68 Transporter
71 Transporter parts bus (the bus that keeps on giving)
LudwigUSA

[mattcuddy]

Total thread resurrection, but here goes.

Anyone know of a decent supplier of the factory open barrel connectors (shown below) in bulk at a decent price? Everywhere seems to sell them in packs of like 4, and the ones I've been getting lately from my FLAPS are really thin and don't hold the connection to the male end very well.

[Forest Ape]

Del's Vintage Connections.

http://www.vintageconnections.com/
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'79 Adventurewagen 2.0L FI CA


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