Electrical connectors, wire, tool advice

[SunPilot]

I'm finishing up the bumper build on my 4R and moving onto different projects. Some of these projects will include electrical wiring work. I've been searching for info on wires, connectors, tools, etc. but it seems that of the hundreds or thousands of search returns, I would be reading for years. I would appreciate any info you guys can share on quality tools, kits, sources of wire, relays, connectors, plugs, etc. I want to do these jobs correctly and a nice waterproof solid electrical connection is important to me. Any info is welcomed.

 

[flipflopnfly]

A good slather of dielectric on all electrical connections cures a lot of future ills.

 

[Mariner]

I buy most of my electrical supplies at Home Depot. I'm a heavy proponent of using heat shrink butt connectors on all of my wiring, regardless of location, if space allows.

 

[sr3tlaw]

theelectricaldepot.com

Been meaning to start a thread about just this. Very picky about my electrical supplies. It's a one man shop based out of Seattle. GREAT prices and only carries the best stuff. Tell him Craig sent you, the gentlemen's name is Clive. Just for done setting up my very own kit.

As for tools Klein is my first choice always.

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[mavrick1903]

theelectricaldepot.com

Been meaning to start a thread about just this. Very picky about my electrical supplies. It's a one man shop based out of Seattle. GREAT prices and only carries the best stuff. Tell him Craig sent you, the gentlemen's name is Clive. Just for done setting up my very own kit.

As for tools Klein is my first choice always.

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Good looking kit. Love the organization. A wire stripper from Klein, and a separate crimping tool. The stamped steel combination crumpet stripper is usually shitty. A small side cutter is damn handy for trimming excess from zip ties.

This:

Kurve Wire Stripper/Cutter

http://thd.co/1oqD5c0

This: http://thd.co/1YU03co

This: Hakko CHP-170 Micro Soft Wire Cutte...p/B00FZPDG1K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yBsHybVCC7DH3


A set of wire is nice too. You can find 16ga color sets on Amazon for not too much.

GS Power's 16 Gauge, 6 Rolls of 100...p/B01MYNDJ9S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oDsHyb6EJ7AM6

Braided wire sheathing is great. I don't care for the corrugated crap. Stuff like this Techflex PTN0.25BK25 Flexo PET Gene...p/B004UHJCFI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vEsHybAWGFX37 a hot knife helps with that or buy stuff that doesn't need it or is "cuttable with scissors " the. Wrap with shrink tube on the ends.




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[SunPilot]

theelectricaldepot.com

Been meaning to start a thread about just this. Very picky about my electrical supplies. It's a one man shop based out of Seattle. GREAT prices and only carries the best stuff. Tell him Craig sent you, the gentlemen's name is Clive. Just for done setting up my very own kit.

As for tools Klein is my first choice always.

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Thanks. I'll give them a look

 

[riceandpho]

I buy my connectors in bulk. Just the usual stuff I use for installs and repair.
A good tool is the Klein journey man crimper for me , extra pad on the handles. Also the automatic wire stripper from Irwin. I use that A lot too. Zip ties some tape . I also have lugs and a hydraulic crimper for thicker wire.

 

[stsmytherie]

Klein wire strippers are nice to have and available at any big box store.

Heat gun and quality heat shrink tubing is always good to have around.

Those 3M Scotch Loks are nice, but only the 3M ones. If possible I like to solder connections, but not if it means unnecessarily butchering the factory wiring.

Another thing I like to have around is OEM wire harness tape, often seen on european cars. Search ebay for "cloth wire harness tape".

Getting a decent DMM and learning how to use it will pay off in the long run. Doesn't need to be fancy.

 

[stsmytherie]

theelectricaldepot.com

Been meaning to start a thread about just this. Very picky about my electrical supplies. It's a one man shop based out of Seattle. GREAT prices and only carries the best stuff. Tell him Craig sent you, the gentlemen's name is Clive. Just for done setting up my very own kit.


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sr3tlaw thanks for the link, this is a great resource. Looks to be out of San Diego now, but definitely reminds me of the old (sadly long gone) Active Electronics shop in in Kirkland.

 

[sr3tlaw]

sr3tlaw thanks for the link, this is a great resource. Looks to be out of San Diego now, but definitely reminds me of the old (sadly long gone) Active Electronics shop in in Kirkland.

Ohh man I could talk about electrical supplies for hours with all the time and effort spent buying and trying different items! Lol. Excellent point on 3M - it's the only brand I buy because its just safer knowing that the connector won't rust or wiggle loose. In particular the 3M terminals with "insulation grip" that allows one to pull the wire safely. It really puts the "quick" aspect in the idea of using male and female quick disconnects. Soldering is always preferred and you hit the nail on the head in avoiding soldered connections to OEM wiring.

Will post links and pictures of the several different tapes I've used a bit later. The European tape you mentioned is called "Tesa Tape"

Would you mind sharing a few distributors you buy your supplies from?

Your kit looks fantastic!




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[stsmytherie]

The European tape you mentioned is called "Tesa Tape"

Yep, Tesa tape is what I was thinking of. Handy stuff for doing OEM-looking modifications.

Would you mind sharing a few distributors you buy your supplies from?

I picked up a lifetime worth of bits and pieces back in the 90s when I was more heavily into DIY electronics. These days I get what few things I need from Amazon, McMaster Carr, or Ebay.

I'm also knee deep in a vintage car restoration so some of my tools and supplies were picked up to restore or rebuild whole sections of wiring loom. Which is not really all that fun until it's finished and actually works. Nothing quite as disheartening as stripping a wire to make a simple repair only to find that the entire length of wire has corroded under the casing. It goes into the firewall here and comes out... where?

The one thing I haven't yet found and would love is a supplier of 16-18 ga wire in striped colors to match OEM wiring. It must exist. Probably just in very large custom orders, which is why we pay $$$ for custom restoration wiring looms.

 

[sr3tlaw]

[MENTION=150467]stsmytherie[/MENTION]

Ahh you're in luck again! Forgot to mention, I also found a source for SAE J1127 wire.. any color and not in quantities of 1000 feet. Will post link when I get home don't have it handy


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[SunPilot]

Getting some good options here. Thanks for the input guys...really appreciate it. Time to start putting an electrical kit together!

 

[sr3tlaw]

Yep, Tesa tape is what I was thinking of. Handy stuff for doing OEM-looking modifications.

The one thing I haven't yet found and would love is a supplier of 16-18 ga wire in striped colors to match OEM wiring. It must exist. Probably just in very large custom orders, which is why we pay $$$ for custom restoration wiring looms.

After using KnuKonceptz "Kolossus" 1/0 AWG (OFC) for my dual battery setup I learned my lesson after it melted in my engine bay. That started my search for quality wire that doesn't need to be purchased in bulk. This is where i discovered the most important factor when buying automotive wire - standardization. Specifically SAE J-1127 and SAE J-1128. After you've verified this standard find the strand count and make sure it matches the standard:

7/28 = 20 (7 strands of 28 gauge equals 20 gauge)
16/30 = 18 AWG
19/29 = 16 AWG
19/27 = 14 AWG
19/25 = 12 AWG
19/23 = 10 AWG
19/21 = 8 AWG
37/21 = 6 AWG

Finally, choose your wire insulation type. SGT, TXL, GXL etc.. See below for more info or a simple Google search will do

Different wire types used for battery cables.
https://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Selection-Guide-_ep_29.html

Ultimately this is the wire I bought for my speaker wire and was ablle to match every Toyota speaker wire color - its from ebay seller brussellex as

For battery cable chose this and got 10 feet of both red and black. Its from ebay seller acdcwireandsupply

Hope this helps

 

[stsmytherie]

Ultimately this is the wire I bought for my speaker wire and was ablle to match every Toyota speaker wire color - its from ebay seller brussellex as

...

Hope this helps

Sweet Christmas! This is awesome. Thanks!

 

[sr3tlaw]

Sweet Christmas! This is awesome. Thanks!

Glad my work was able to help a fellow member!


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