Technical Look out for the "Mickey Mouse" repairs of Previous Owners....

That pic brought back a memory from high school! I can’t remember exactly how it was , but when some of my friends put a 348 Chevy in a 1935 Ford pick-up …..wooden 2x4s where involved!
These same guys also welded two 1957 Chevy front spindles together to get their car sky high in the front!
It’s a wonder we are all still here!






Bones

 

4 words Spray foam and Bondo I forgot one other thing Scotchlocks

 

I've done some pretty crude stuff to get me home but when you are 50 miles away from parts and you need a gasket I have made lots of ballpeen gaskets that worked just fine.

 

Heck, I make ball peen gaskets at home…

 

I thought you are supposed to do that!




Bones

 

The 40 merc I just bought has some great work done to it .

great body work ( paint is 20 years old and still shines). Chrome is a 10 interior is all redone with lap belts in stock trim, all door and window seals new etc.
302, AOD , disc brakes on stock front end , duel master cylinder . 8.8 inch rear with new leaf springs all brakes new etc etc etc .

All documented in two big photo albums with receipts and records of who, what and where.

BUT THE WIRING !!!!!! Old , new , masking tape , marrettes , inline fuses , butt connectors !!! Junk just junk , everything works , but man is it scary under the dash !!

One of the things I’m going to get sorted this year .

it simply blows my mind at the money , time , and effort out in to replace , rebuilt and repair everything they did then cheap out in the wiring . A kit is maybe 300-500 bucks snd a weekends worth of time .


I simply don’t understand .

 

Many don’t know any better.
The first “metal repair” I made was on a ‘56 Chevy pu, the cab corners had some rot. I did what I’d seen done, cut some out and tacked in a flat price of metal and filled with Bondo.
Many do what they have seen and been taught

Edit: yes I used chicken wire.

 

Just patching one problem at a time as they occur.

 

Inline fuses installed properly are just fine , butt connectors are just fine . I've no idea what a " marrette" is ? Boo on the masking tape . A well done , properly sized & installed home made wiring harness will serve the purpose as well as some store bought product , it may not be aesthetically pleasing to some , as long as it's safe , MEH !

 

I used to work at an auto parts store. The plastic caps were left on by customers installing their batteries SO often that it was one of the first things we asked when a customer called or came in to complain that their car wouldn't start after installing a new battery.

 

I am peticular with my wiring too! But what I can’t stand is cheap crimped insulated terminals , in an otherwise neat install.






Bones

 

I am particular with my wiring too! It needs to function correctly. I expect stuff to turn on with the switches, turn off with the switches, not mess up other stuff when the switches are turned on or off, and not cause stuff to melt and let the smoke out, and not blow fuses. I don't like a wire that changes color from one end to the other because someone spliced two wires together to make the reach. I don't like bare wire anywhere. I've used the cheap (OK not the cheapest I can find) crimped insolated terminals for years without a problem. Lately I have been using mostly the insolated crimp terminals with the heat shrink wrap on the ends though. The purpose of running wiring is to get the electric power to the location I want it to be. The goal is to bundle it together so wires are not dangling free, and to protect the wiring from harmful contact. I will admit to rarely having to reroute wiring because of a pinch point I didn't know existed, I'm not afraid to admit I'm not perfect. I do however give little regard to how pretty something is that is generally out of site. I have other things more important to me to do.

Mickey mouse and crude is a matter of opinion and does not necessarily mean it wasn't safe. Unsafe is unsafe, and I've seen a lot of stuff posted that was unsafe, but I've also seen a lot of stuff posted that is more a matter of opinion of it being mickey mouse when has obviously been functioning for a long time or was done a long time ago. What amazes me is how many want to apply the standards of today to things that may have been done a very long time ago when the standards were that something had to function and not fall apart.

I believe too many here have a perfectionist view of how a vehicle "should be" built but have never driven their perfect vehicle a single mile and may never do so, but they sure are willing to talk down people that actually have built and driven things thousands of miles on the roads without mishap. There seems to be a lot of keyboard professionals with no real hands on experiences. Get something on the road and experience real breakdown events, very few of which can really be planned for, patch it up and drive it home. Then come and talk to me about Mickey Mouse repairs. Gene

 

As we use to say: "He tends to fix things rather than repair them."

 

To be fair he said wiring, not writing

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist-on_wire_connector

Bad on automotive wiring, but IMHO not as bad as the wiring connectors that work like a small gullotine that you clamp over the wire ends.


Cheers,
Harv

 

So , a marrette = wire nut , not intended for automotive use ...

 

I don't see a problem with a wire nut in a few places here and there. I use them for sure on my trailer lights on the car trailer because I always seem to be knocking one side light or the other off! I also will use one in a place where I might have a wire that I need to disconnect easily and don't happen to have a plug handy. Never had one come off, either. But I'm not going to use them on every connection.

 

Harbor Freight thinks they are. They are included with their trailer lights and other auto items.

 

Using harbor freight as a point of reference ?? SMH ..LOL

 

Romex, masking tape, extension cords. What's not to like?

 

Personally I don’t see much of a problem with the wiring here, aside from being a little untidy. Different color wires, hopefully with a plan, bundled and taped for the most part, terminals with shrink tube, hopefully crimped and soldered. Did not say anything earlier because some think I’m just negative, maybe I am because I don’t tend to speak up except for things I don’t agree with. I’ll shut up now before I’m banned

 

Custom exhaust

 

Those things were all over my engines when I took over in the late seventies. I would spend the day “spinning “ them , to get them to make contact. Slowly I started eliminating them, replacing the unions with a better method. Those things should be against the law!








Bones

 

These are called scotch locks . First time I saw one I said “cool” this will work. Nope , it didn’t work . And I’ve never been able to get one to work correctly so I don’t bother anymore .



and for someone to say this wiring is fine sniffs glue !
no anti strain built into the harness , pinch points and chaffe/ abrasion areas all over , wires simply hanging from their connections , looped routed and bunched all Willy nilly.

would you run your fuel snd brake lines in this way ?
Paint and body work to this “ level of professionalism “
If this level of craftsmanship is ok for your brakes and steering then tell me where you drive so I can avoid you.

if it’s not an crash , most antique cars are taken out by fires , caused by what ?
Shitty electrical !!


It doesn’t have to be show quality , but it needs to be neat , clean and follow the rules just like any other assembly on your car or your going to have problems .

 

That wiring could use some tidings up! I like to use those zip lock ties with an eye hole on one end. Makes it easy to organize the wiring. I like to make sure the wiring is not shaking around , nor rubbing on something that moves.








Bones

 

If the wires are not held even and given a slight clockwise twist, and or if the wire nut is large, it will spin and get loose….They are unsightly on a car but used properly they do work..

 

" Get it working & not fall apart" @gene-koning , you & I have the same mantra , I salute you for putting it into words !

 

Not the 3-m ones we had! Sure that would work today , but, tomorrow or a week from now, they will give you an open circuit! I ASSURE you! I had thousands of them on my dept! Not now!
I see them all the time a trailer and RV places! They will never see any use under my brand!









Bones

 

Been dealing with this very thing lately. An old friend called in a marker, he needed his recently purchased 39 Chevy coupe rewired. Solid looking car, late 80s, early 90s street rod. No pics but you can imagine. It has had too many idgits working on it, wound up spending way more time undoing shoddy repairs than in the actual rewire. Oh well.