I purchased a N.O.S. light and it has cloth covered wire. I went to install it and as I unrolled it the wire started making a crackling sound. It doesn't seem to be falling apart or showing any signs of actual cracks. Should I just replace the wires with new wire? Once the body goes on, it will be difficult to change. Has anyone else experienced this?
the liner is possibly dry rotted and the cloth does rot to , you can buy new wire thats cloth covered with newer materials if it was me to prevent a short and possible fire hazard I would replace it .
You have confirmed my suspicions. I am using a Ron Francis kit so I will probably upgrade it. Plus it will be more flexible and a lot smaller. These wires are huge. Possibly because it was 6V? I'm using 12V LED's. Thanks for the quick reply.
isn't there a law against using LEDs with cloth covered wire? yeah, the rubber insulation in the wire is dried out, don't use it
You might be hearing the "varnish" sealer that was applied to the outer cloth. Some brands had that sealer, but some did not. You can tell which, by the shine, or if it's just a cloth look. Just take a razor blade to slice a one foot section of the braided cloth down the middle and peel it off, to see if the rubber is Ok. I have a lot of NOS wire and just started doing mine....have not found any that is bad, and I have many sizes that I handled. .
I don't think I've seen any with rubber or plastic insulation, mine are just cloth covered covered copper with a clear lacquer topcoat. I find they 'crack' more when the weather is cold (in Texas that's below 80, haha). If the cloth covering isn't abraded, I usually just shoot a light coat of clear lacquer over them. As long as they aren't immersed in water and are protected from 'rubs' with some friction tape, they should be good to go.
Yeah it's just braided cloth no outer varnish and I checked the wires on the inside and they are all black and corroded. They will be changed by the end of the day. Thanks for all the replies.
I have a lot of boxed, spooled, Packard brand, and some unmarked open rolls, as well as one large coil of a heavy unvarnished cloth. If I get a chance I will try to get a pic of the inner cores I saw. funny you mentioned friction tape; my Dad ran an auto shop in the 50s, and as a teen, I tried using some friction tape from his stash of NOS parts bins. I was pissed because it would not stick to anything, including my wire patching on my car. Well, just last week I had a boxed roll of NOS friction tape from a 70 year old friend, and I gave it a try on the first small harness on my 32. It worked perfect, and I like the look a lot better than shellacked braided looms.
It is my understanding that the wire used for current reproduction harnesses is plastic covered under the cloth. Sort of the best of both worlds. Charlie Stephens
The Jalopy Journal
