I'm curious as to why a shrink sleeve would go 'out-of-date'. I'd have to assume that once installed it would be expected to last for the life of the installation, how can an uninstalled sleeve 'expire'? Because the splice sleeve was the 'hot spot', the point of poor connection. High resistance + high current = heat. If let go long enough, you could expect to see the wire insulation start to melt, starting at the sleeve. This brings up the importance of a proper crimper. I'll note that most crimps are dual-sized. 'Yellow' is 10/12, blue is 14/16, and red is 18/20. When using the smaller of the two wire sizes, it becomes even more important that you get a full crimp as it needs to be crimped more than if using the larger size.
I’m in the midst of wiring up my flathead for its’ first start. Was looking for a decent hand crimper for non-insulated terminals the last two days, and couldn’t find one. Just some for insulated terminals and those cheap a$$ useless ones that come with a box of terminals. So, decided just to solder them. It’s all just for start-up, and the final will be “period” correct, but haven’t been able to find much on what was done in the 20s - 30s as far as terminal/wire connections. I don’t want to use any heat shrink. I did buy a hydraulic hand crimper for the large 1/0 cables (6VDC system). Should have bought one many years ago.
You won't find any at the auto parts store. Electrical supply houses, and some of the big box stores have 'em though. Look for Klein 1005 SEN, Channellock 909, or T&B WT111M for current versions. These are for barrel-type crimps. The T&B is the best one and most expensive. But my personal favorite is the T&B WT111 (the first version of this tool, long discontinued) which still turn up various places used... here's one on eBay... Thomas & Betts Sta-Kon Crimper Model WT-111 - Made in USA | eBay How-to... https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/crimping-tutorial.1127519/
Hey Crazy Steve, Thank you for your time and effort on making this thread. I have been reading this thread since the middle of May 2024 and taking notes on each page as I had zero knowledge about anything related to electrical stuff and it was pretty intimidating when I used to think about it... After feeling 100% confident, I finally took actions and bought the electrical supplies in the beginning of July 2024. After 72+ hours worth of doing some wirings, I got my street rod running and driving without any issues. I'm so mind blown at how using a continuous duty solenoids reduces the amount of wires I use, makes wire installations easier, and diagnosing any electrical stuff easier. I did have some questions after experiencing all of this: If using a continuous duty solenoids helps keeps the wiring and electrical stuff simpler, why do automotive manufacturers not resort to using continuous duty solenoids and instead, resort to using a lot of cube style relays? Even though it is normal for a continuous duty solenoid to get warm after using it, would I see any sort of benefit if I were to attach a heatsink to it? Ex: Attaching a computer CPU heatsink to a continuous duty solenoid. See the picture below as an example. (The picture does not belong to me) Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you soon, Bolo
Solenoids, contactors are just other names for relays. Manufactures use cube 'Bosch' relays as they are smaller, lighter, cheaper. Most function for years without fault. No need for a large solenoid/contctor for smaller loads. No need for a heat sink on a correctly rated relay/solenoid/contactor. If heat is a concern, a latching type of relay may be a better option than using a continuous duty solenoid.
Thanks for the kind words... Just trying to 'pass it on'... It's nice to get positive feedback. Mad Mike pretty much answered your questions. One clarification though... technically a solenoid performs a mechanical operation rather than just an electrical one, but the Ford 'starter solenoid' had degraded the term somewhat as it's just a relay. GM and Chrysler solenoids are true solenoids because they actually move the starter gear into engagement, along with solenoids being used for door latches, various air/fluid valves, or to engage overdrives to name just a few uses. Latching relays have their uses but need two signals to operate; both an 'on' and 'off' signal which can complicate wiring. The OEMs do what they do to keep costs as low as possible. When you're building millions of harnesses a year, even penny savings per harness add up quickly.
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