We've stripped back the cloth...
We've stripped back the cloth here on a piece of Sacramento Vintage wire. The black part between the colored threads and the stranded copper is the modern PVC insulation, which will normally not be seen.
It should be understood that the wires used in the Sacramento Vintage Ford kit are modern in every way, except for the exterior cloth covering. The strength and heat-resistance qualities match any modern wiring kit. The cloth covering is coated with lacquer, just like the old days, which keeps the threads from fraying and makes the wires stay where you bend 'em better than just the plastic insulation.
The business of keeping your wires tidy in a loom of some kind is just as necessary as in any other kit. Tubular loom material is important to protect and organize your wires. In this kit you'll find no crinkly plastic split-loom, but rather old-school loom just like the early Ford kits, with wound paper coated with tar and then covered with cloth. Sacramento Vintage Ford offers the loom material in seven diameters, from 3/16 inch for one or two wires to 3/4 inch for a big bundle. The entire loom for the hot rod kit is black with two red tracers.
One of Bud's swap meet finds...
One of Bud's swap meet finds was this back seat frame from a '55 Chevy Suburban, which had to be narrowed somewhat and tilted back, but fits his 6-foot-plus self.
The Vintage hot rod wiring kit divides the whole car into sections, each with the wires, terminals, loom, and a wiring diagram for that section in a bag, such as the "Turn, Tail, and Parking lights." There are two other cool features of this kit we like. There are separate "optional" bags of goodies depending on the variations, such as for use with a one-wire alternator, standard alternator, or a vintage generator with separate regulator.
The other thing is that Sacramento Vintage Ford can help those guys who have already wired their car with a modern wiring kit, by offering 6- and 12-foot lengths of each size of their loom material and by-the-foot of any of their colors of cloth-covered wire. There are 29 different colors in 14 gauge, 11 colors in 12 gauge, and four colors in 10 gauge. Thus, a guy could get a few loom sizes and new wires to replace the modern ones that show in his engine compartment or at headlights, taillights, etc. The wire-by-the-foot ranges from $0.65 per foot to $0.95 (depending on the gauge) with a 10-foot minimum order. Note: when working with the loom tubing, be careful of abrading the covering at the ends, since this cloth is not lacquered. To cut it to the length you want, slide a piece of shrink-tubing over where you want to cut the loom, shrink it, then cut through the middle of the shrink-tube.
By the time you read this, Bryan will be out there amongst you again, drivin' the wheels off a traditional '29, though this time it'll be one that actually fits him (Brookville '29 rpu extra cab).
This may seem basic, but when...
This may seem basic, but when attaching any terminals, strip only the amount needed, no more. Slide the shrink-tube on first, then the terminal.
Palmer recommends using "lineman's...
Palmer recommends using "lineman's pliers" (top) rather than cheap crimpers designed for plastic terminals.
The lineman's pliers make...
The lineman's pliers make a clean, even crimp on the terminal. Now you can secure the shrink tube with a heat gun or butane lighter.
A handy tool when running...
A handy tool when running wires through the loom material is an awl made from sharpening a screwdriver, which makes a wider hole than an awl.
If you wanted to add a wire...
If you wanted to add a wire partway along a loom, just poke the tool in at a low angle and it will make a wire-sized hole. Don't stab yourself.
Soon after you've made a hole,...
Soon after you've made a hole, start pushing the wire down into the loom. One quality of the loom tubing is that it will start "healing up" after a puncture.
The fuse panel, glass fuses,...
The fuse panel, glass fuses, and other needed devices are included in the kit, like the blinker can (although the horn relay seen here is not included).
Wire loom was run through...
Wire loom was run through Bryan's guide headlight shells, where the ground was attached to the shell while the wires for the headlight plug and amber turn bulb up top were fed through the loom.
The only non-covered wires...
The only non-covered wires on this car are the instrument lights, but all instrument panel wires are routed with cloth-covered to their destinations.
If you have existing wires...
If you have existing wires you want to cover, use the cloth-covered loom. Use grommets wherever wires pass through wood, fiberglass, or metal.
Here's a cute idea. Bryan...
Here's a cute idea. Bryan cut up an old tachometer cup to cover the sending unit on his T fuel tank, and routed the wires through Sacramento Vintage loom.
If you want to apply the same...
If you want to apply the same principal to your vintage engine, install a set of Sacramento Vintage cloth-covered 7mm plug wires, with stock Flathead terminals or Rajah clips. Several colors are available.