Where do you get your wiring from?

[87ChevyV20]

Where do you get your high quality wiring from?

I am thinking about slowly rewiring Ole Blister and I need to buy some primary wire.

I was diagnosing why my plow lights didn't work and found that the I had some cheap wiring. The wire inside the jacket turned to a white powder and was very brittle. Move the wire at all and it would snap like a twig. Not sure where it came from, maybe something Dad had laying around. Maybe it was copper coated aluminum wire?

Anyway, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tonimus]

https://acdcwire.com/ or their evilBay store, https://www.ebay.com/str/acdcwireandsupply

 

[89Suburban]

When we used to have the pick and pull junkyards 'round here I would always grab up some body harnesses from wrecks just to have some good wire for projects.

 

[legopnuematic]

Wire barn and CE auto electric are two more sources.

 

[labratm]

I have learned this lesson the hard way as well. That powder was almost certainly aluminum.
Always make sure that the wire you buy is NOT CCA (copper clad aluminum) and that it is pure copper or OFC(oxygen free copper). Also make sure that it is AWG(American wire gauge). If it just says the word "gauge" that could be anything and is often much thinner than its AWG equivalent. Also when you receive the wire you ordered verify on the jacket. All that being said the safest bet is to order from a reputable supplier.

 

[Zelph]

TXL Wire - By The Foot

Explore EFI Conversions' selection of automotive TXL wire, available by the foot. Ideal for engine wiring projects, our high-quality wire ensures performance.

eficonversions.com

Good selection of insulation colors. Helps when you want to keep a factory color to schematics.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I buy TXL from CE Auto Supply, it's pretty cheap, they have a bunch of colors.

 

[Grit dog]

Where do you get your high quality wiring from?

I am thinking about slowly rewiring Ole Blister and I need to buy some primary wire.

I was diagnosing why my plow lights didn't work and found that the I had some cheap wiring. The wire inside the jacket turned to a white powder and was very brittle. Move the wire at all and it would snap like a twig. Not sure where it came from, maybe something Dad had laying around. Maybe it was copper coated aluminum wire?

Anyway, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

How old is/was this “cheap” wire? And obviously being a plow truck how many years of salt? How well was it protected from corrosion heat and UV?
Or in other words, are you trying to get another 50 years out of some new aftermarket wiring?

 

[87ChevyV20]

How old is/was this “cheap” wire? And obviously being a plow truck how many years of salt? How well was it protected from corrosion heat and UV?
Or in other words, are you trying to get another 50 years out of some new aftermarket wiring?

Not old, I think.

It has been on the truck for 3 years when I did the initial "restoration."

That particular wire still looked pretty decent on the outside and it was pretty hidden from the the sun being wire loomed and run behind the grill.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I've had the parts store stuff disintegrate in 3-4 years in Michigan, that's why I buy TXL now, and I'm cheap AF lol.

 

[87ChevyV20]

This is the stuff I hit when I wired Bluster up for a trailer in various colors.

12 Gauge Primary Wire 100% Fine-Stranded Copper USA Made Lot NOT CCA | eBay

Constructed from finely stranded copper and coated with a flexible PVC insulation. 12 AWG Fine-Stranded Copper Primary Wire. 100% Copper Wire for maximum conductivity. WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals, including lead, which is known to the state of California to cause cancer...

ebay.us

Seems decent, but stiff.

Hope it lasts.

 

[Grit dog]

Not old, I think.

It has been on the truck for 3 years when I did the initial "restoration."

That particular wire still looked pretty decent on the outside and it was pretty hidden from the the sun being wire loomed and run behind the grill.

Ouch. My bad. Sounded like it was much older.
No doubt cheap wire and presumably corrosive environment assuming the truck was on public roads in the winter.
Were the terminations sealed up well? Oxidation starts where there’s oxygen and that’s at the ends. Just something to consider.
Good luck man!

 

[87ChevyV20]

I used heat shrink butt connectors so it should have been sealed up well.

I used some cheap ebay plugs that were sealed very poorly, maybe water git in there.
The wire was corroded a long way up the wire too.

Weird and poor quality.

 

[NWSooner]

Summit Racing sells high quality wire.