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| Do you like or dislike the new dashboard ? |
| Yes I do like the new dashboard |
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100% |
[ 7 ] |
| No I do not like the new dashboard |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 7 |
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| Author |
Message |
Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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 Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2026 9:02 am Post subject: Re: Wiring |
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| bjacko wrote: | | Ray, you appear not to have installed a new loom and those old green wires look to be in poor condition. I installed a new loom in my Morris with extra earth wires for lights etc knowing what problems the earthing or lack of it can cause in coach built bodies. Modern wire will also last longer than the older wire used to last. |
You are incorrect. ALL the wires in this restoration are new. I purchased a new braided loom from Auto sparks. What tends to happen is that the ends of the fabric covering frays and can look untidy. so I have taken to sealing the ends.
All the components have individual earth wires for precisely the reasons you give.. |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4333
Location: South Cheshire
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2026 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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I have never understand why folk install individual earth wires, when a solid steel chassis is available ? Bonding across a coach body yes, but individual earths?
Additional wires, equates to additional chance of problems.
Last edited by ukdave2002 on Sat Jun 13, 2026 10:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2026 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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I have managed to fix the o/s headlight by making up one good bulb cap from two bad ones.
I can keep the (replacement) new bulb as a spare.
As to earthing points...
I have used the chassis where it is convenient to do so; the lights indicators and horn for example; otherwise, the bulkhead battery box (accessible in the footwell) is a good place.
In the engine bay, the battery earth cable is anchored to the side of the battery box which also has a good pathway to the chassis.
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JC T ONE
Joined: 30 Oct 2008
Posts: 1185
Location: Denmark
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 12:18 am Post subject: |
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| Ray White wrote: |
As to earthing points...
I have used the chassis where it is convenient to do so; the lights indicators and horn for example; otherwise, the bulkhead battery box (accessible in the footwell) is a good place.
In the engine bay, the battery earth cable is anchored to the side of the battery box which also has a good pathway to the chassis.
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Good job Ray = many dont know how important a good ground connection is.
Once saw a post on another forum, with a high end resto job, and the guy complained that nothing of the electrics worked, and he didnt understand, as he had fitted a new loom.
I knew instantly what his problem was = paint (lots of it) at all earth connections.
He was not happy when I told him he had to sand off the paint around every ground connection in the car, and cut up the threads, but he had to admit it worked ha ha.
_________________
http://www.eurods.eu/wp/index.html |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4333
Location: South Cheshire
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 7:07 am Post subject: |
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I have found a reliable and tidy way to create an earth point is using these rivets.
with a blob of Contralube under the rivet.
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 9:33 am Post subject: |
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Dave. I would never have thought about riveting the earth on...and I can't quite see how it would be done.
JC. I had a similar issue with my fog lamp. I could leave it with the paint scraped off the fitting but being on the front of the car it would soon go rusty and look horrible.
I think I made the right decision to take the earth wire back down the hollow threaded post (along with the feed) and connect it to the spare bullet earth point for the electric fan. It keeps things tidy.
I have been surprised at how easily wires break off at their terminals.Yesterday I found a wire had broken off the petrol low level warning light. O.K., it may possibly not actually work - and I have a gauge as well - but you have to be so very careful under the dash. There is not much room!!!
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Last edited by Ray White on Mon Jun 15, 2026 11:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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alastairq
Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 2200
Location: East Yorkshire
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | .and I can't quite see how it would be done. |
It's a pop rivet.
So no access to the backside is needed.
I think it's a brilliant idea...
Some earth point rivets have serrated undersides to bite through any paint too.
All that's needed is something metal that is part of the chassis or body frame...[plywood doesn't work as well.]...
Anyway, seems to save fiddling with nuts and bolts which are just out of reach, eh?
_________________
Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces. |
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Keith D
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Posts: 1189
Location: Upper Swan, Western Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 10:21 am Post subject: |
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I have found it very easy to cut or fracture the fine strands when you cut the insulation back before crimping terminals. A few fine strands may just be fractured and not obviously broken, but snap when the wiring is moved even slightly.
I have a cutter that is sized for whatever wire I am using. This minimises damage. - Keith
_________________
1926 Chrysler 60 tourer (100 years old! - a genuine antique!)
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution |
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2026 10:43 am Post subject: |
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| Hi Keith. That is what I use. |
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ukdave2002
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4333
Location: South Cheshire
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2026 10:29 am Post subject: |
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These have been my fine wire stripper of choice for many years, similar operation to Keith's , but a bit easier to use. Quick and reliable.
I firmly believe that a major cause of electrical unreliability, is wire stripped incorrectly, and when crimped, wrong size crimp for the wire gauge and or wrong crimp tool!
One wouldn't fit a 1/4" nut to an M6 thread and expect it to be reliable  |
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2026 11:47 am Post subject: |
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| ukdave2002 wrote: |
One wouldn't fit a 1/4" nut to an M6 thread and expect it to be reliable |
Didn't stop the p/o from doing it! I have spent many a happy hour correcting his mistakes! He had presumably never heard of Morris engines having M8x1 threads and if an M8x 1.5 didn't fit perhaps a UNF one might?
...Give me strength! 
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alastairq
Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 2200
Location: East Yorkshire
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2026 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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Might just be...if he was anything like me...using whatever happens to be in the margarine tubs...? Needs must when the devil flies, eh?
Or, he might just not have wanted to waste anything...so a recycled nut is a recycled nut?
My problem is, most of the once laboriously applied labels have fallen off...with time..
Plus, some nuts will 'nearly' go on some threads....Too late once one has performed an emergency fix, and put a bit of weight into the spanner?
_________________
Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
----------------------------------------------
Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces. |
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2026 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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| alastairq wrote: | Might just be...if he was anything like me...using whatever happens to be in the margarine tubs...? Needs must when the devil flies, eh?
Or, he might just not have wanted to waste anything...so a recycled nut is a recycled nut?
My problem is, most of the once laboriously applied labels have fallen off...with time..
Plus, some nuts will 'nearly' go on some threads....Too late once one has performed an emergency fix, and put a bit of weight into the spanner?
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Please don't give him the benefit of the doubt. His aim was to cobble the car together as quickly as possible and flip it. I must have been wearing rose tinted spectacles and missed all the signs. I will never understand what I was thinking.
Anyone who packs wheel cylinders with grease to stop them leaking is probably not to be trusted.
The fact that the brakes failed while getting the car on the trailer should have told me something!
I have since established that the guy is a dealer who passes himself off as a private seller.
I could write a book! |
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bjacko
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 564
Location: Melbourne Australia
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| Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2026 8:12 am Post subject: Installing Nuts Etc Incorerectly |
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Fitting nuts of the incorrect thread and other bodgie work happen all too often on old cars because the owners doing the work are not engineers. When buying a classic best to establish who did the work and if he was not an engineer you can expect all sorts of messy problems.
_________________
1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP |
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7504
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2026 10:11 am Post subject: Re: Installing Nuts Etc Incorerectly |
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| bjacko wrote: | | Fitting nuts of the incorrect thread and other bodgie work happen all too often on old cars because the owners doing the work are not engineers. When buying a classic best to establish who did the work and if he was not an engineer you can expect all sorts of messy problems. |
Maybe all they need is an appreciation of engineering principles. I am not an engineer but my Father was and I picked up enough to know how important threads and tolerances are.
I recently spent quite a few hours sorting out all my threaded fixings into their respective containers. I am fortunate to have inherited a considerable collection of various nuts and bolts in different sizes ranging from Whitworth to Isometric and everything else in-between.
There are some odd ball fixings. Morris for example acquired Hotchkiss at a time when English mechanics were unfamiliar with metric sizes. It was realised that in garages up and down the country mechanics would not have any metric wrenches so Morris fitted whitworth heads to metric threads in their XPAG engine.
I am sure there are whole books on what must be an expansive subject.! |
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