wiring loom.....strange request

Hi all,

this is a bit of a strange request...so, please bear with me....

I want to change the wiring loom on my SWB 2a. the original is tatty with a loads of extra wires for lights, etc that have been added and removed over the years...

The request is for a wiring loom from a swb 2a petrol. I would like to copy it and use it get all the cables to the same lentgh, same colour...

I'd rather not take the original out as i'm a little apprehensive to just rip it out and leve the landy with nothing. i would like to have one already out to copy.

thanks

Rav

p.s. Pics soon to be on the net...

Reply to
rav_k
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Have you considered

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Not sure what the prices are, but it's something I am going to have to consider in due course...

Reply to
Tim Hobbs

In the States the company we use most often is:

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Why not just wire it yourself. You know what you need and what's not needed. Why use the SWB 2a? The wires do not need to be the same color as long as you document where they connect. Remember to wire in a good fuse box with relays for all the big appliances.

Good Luck.

Reply to
Jack Kerouac

Thanks Both,

I had a look at Autosparks, but at £120.21 plus. I thought that a little on the expensive side for a bunch of cables and a few connectors...

I want to wire it myself, but would like to copy the original loom in terms of how long each wire needs to be, etc...outside of the vehicle prior to taking out the original. I don't want to take out the existing one and then start from scratch, as i feel that would be a little more than i could handle... this way i can complete the loom outside of the landy and then route and replace the orignal bit by bit....

If i had a loom from the same type of vehicle then i could unwrap it onto the floor and copy it, to create another, e.g. the red wire needs to be 13 inches long and starts from the back of the instrument panel and ends at the left hand side indicator..etc

does this make sense or am i just waffling?

Reply to
rav_k

Twas Tue, 7 Sep 2004 20:36:43 +0100 when "rav_k" put finger to keyboard producing:

it makes sense but is your time so cheap that you can actually save money doing it this way? just a thought.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

Reply to
Mr.Nice.

By the time you've bought all the cables, connectors, loom wrap, fuse box etc and made it, you will be surprised what good value the autosparks looms are, as this was something we considered when rebuilding the Lightweight. I think when we priced it all out, we would have saved about £30, but still had the sodding thing to make!

Other thing to remember is that if the loom doesn't work, you do have someone to go back to if it is a professionally built loom...

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Vice Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster (how much more....)

3.5V8 100" Hybrid, now LPG converted Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, Fully restored, waiting on the appointment with the nice man at the MOT station! Suzuki SJ410 (Fiancée's) 3" lift kit fitted, body shell now restored and mounted on chassis, waiting on a windscreen and MOT Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next 1993 200 TDi Discovery (the Pug 106 is dead, long live the Pug)

Peterborough 4x4 Club

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Reply to
Simon Isaacs

On or around Tue, 7 Sep 2004 20:36:43 +0100, "rav_k" enlightened us thusly:

I bet you can't make it for less than about 80% of that (and that doesn't count your labour). There are a *lot* of connectors, lots of different wire, both in thickness and colour, a load of cunning self-amalgamting tape to wrap it in, plus heat-shrink for the places where the tape ends.

and it's much more complicated than it looks,m even for a series IIa

Reply to
Austin Shackles

You'd be surprised. After you've bought the wire and all the connectors it won't be far short of that anyway. I have just totally rewired a IIa myself, and I spend something in the region of £50 on connectors alone.

My wiring loom is a complete custom job anyway, I redesigned the wiring on the car with several improvements, and built the wiring loom to suit. Although there's nothing extra on the car, I find that the original wiring specification is woefully inadequate. I find Landrover's idea of fusing a complete joke. If you're going to build a wiring loom yourself, you may as well use the opportunity to improve it at the same time, and fit some more fuses, in more sensible places.

For example: Did you know that if you short a headlamp out on a IIa it burns the wiring loom out?

Alex

Reply to
Alex

Wouldn't go near Autosparks myself, was interested in a wiring loom for a

110 - they were quite happy to sell me one for hundreds of pounds, but did not mention that it wasn't even a complete loom - the part that runs through the chassis to the back lights and everything at the back is seperate. And they didn't even sell the rear part - LR genuine parts only. Vastly overrated in my very brief telephone encounter with them. Though they should be able to cope with producing a series loom.

I'm not sure that this is going to be significantly easier than ripping it all out and starting again from scratch - sorry! Series wiring isn't that difficult and you should be looking to improve significantly on what's there to be honest, not copying it. Start from scratch, use fuses and relays and make sure you use decent sized cable. I personally put in an extra earth at each corner of the vehicle (to the chassis), and chop off most of the connectors I can at each corner as well and solder/heatshrink sleeve the joints. Much nicer than re-using rusty connectors which are the cause of many problems IME. Cheaper as well :-)

Regards

William MacLeod

Reply to
William MacLeod

Dealt with them quite a few times now Willie, always been ok with me. They are right re. the 110 loom though, the "main loom" is only the bit at the bulkhead and down the front wings, the "rear loom" is a separate loom going from the main loom at the connectors under the bonnet, via the chassis r/h rail to the rear. They have always been quoted and sold separately. If you need a rear 110 loom, gimme a shout, I think I have a spare brand-new genuine. (Going away late Fri. for 3 weeks)

In theory it is sense, in practice it is almost impractical. Best to redesign and modernise at the same time, IMO. Sit down with a wiring diagram and redesign it, adding new fuses and relays, leaving extra cables for future add-on's. Draw your new wiring diagram, add a colour key and heatseal/laminate it immediately! Then work out lengths, order all parts and go mad in the process of making it!

-- Badger. B.H.Engineering, Rover V8 engine specialists.

now live but still under construction,

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Reply to
Badger

this is scary!!!!

ok, home made loom to original spec is out!! but isn't a pre-fabricted one from autosparks going to be the same or do they improve it and add extra fuses?

OR

do as Alex says, make my own and add extra "safety" features.... does anybody have a modifed wiring diagram with the extra fuses, etc... they would be willing to share?

btw thanks for all the advice so far.... more questions to come soon ;-)

Reply to
rav_k

go mad in the process of making it!

i'm going mad trying to get all the things done on it...

this project started as "just a few things to do to get it through the mot & on the road","just a couple of hours work"

Currently its..

- completely stripped body (bulkhead left in situ)

- both front doors being stripped & repaired..

- more than just one little hole that needed welding.. about the only thing that isn't getting touched is the engine, but sods law now i've said it, that'll pack up on me tooo

isn't it great owning a land rover ;-)

rav

Reply to
rav_k

My attempts at such rewiring have ben less than satisfactory, mainly in the soldering of connectors. I used standard 60/40 electronics muticore solder. My experience suggests the flux is not up to vehicle type environments. the connectors fell off after a year or two. actually the end of the wire corroded away after a year or two. I would recommend using crimp connectors, mostly these come with sleeving anyway.

Reply to
GbH

Not enough cleanliness or heat by the sound of it - soldered joins are the ultimate and should outlast the vehicle. Make sure you heatshrink the join though.

Go and wash your mouth out - crimp connectors are an invention worthy of Joe Lucas. They are only available in 2 types - bad ones and worse ones. They're not bad if you crimp & solder them, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

Reply to
EMB

Removing 25 years of army paint Rewiring completely and removing the slagged remains of the old loom. Stripping the interior and refit as camper. Build pop-top roof Change the engine to a 200Tdi.... And thats just on one of them.

Then theres: Rebuild LPG injector plates. Renew rear chassis member Fit winch.. Strip and repaint.. on the other one.

Welcome to the club.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Taylor

I probably got the YT boy then!

Thanks for the offer badger. I already got one though, Paddocks I think supplied it in the end, though fitting it was interesting - hours of fun getting it through the chassis!

Just finished rebuilding the 110 TD CSW, waiting to get it's MOT :-)

Regards

Willie

Reply to
William MacLeod

Well, have a look at the S2 wiring diagram. There's only one fuse in it, and it doesn't do a lot. It's also rated at 30 amps, and most of the wiring after the fuse isn't gonna take that kind of load for very long.

Oh, and you know those two test sockets on the dash? They're unfused as well, don't go poking things in them.

I dunno, you could ask them I suppose.

I could send you the wiring diagram I used for mine, but i'm afraid you'll have to wait untill I get around to updating the original on the computer. The current one I have is rather a messy scribble on an older diagram, I've been modifying things as I go along, as usual.

Alex

Reply to
Alex

Proper crimps, and I don't count Lucar bullets as one of them, are usually better than a soldered joint, and where there is vibration and flex present, crimps will win hands down over solder.

But you can part with over 200 quid for the crimping tools per crimp type !

Steve

Reply to
Steve Taylor

But that's why you don't just solder, you heatshrink as well to help with any loads, and zip tie to minimise vibration.

I just really don't like lucar connectors.

Regards

William MacLeod

Reply to
William MacLeod

On or around Thu, 09 Sep 2004 01:35:53 GMT, William MacLeod enlightened us thusly:

having said that, they do work amazingly well under very naff conditions, if properly done.

the horrid red blue and yellow ones aren't so bad either if you spend enough on the crimping tool. I've a crimping tool that cost about 25 quid, and does a much more convincing job of crimping than the normal ones you buy with a box of crimp terminals.

the proper lucas ones have a different type of actual crimping action, starts with a U shape and curls the sides round in to the middle. Where these have been put on properly (i.e. by the manufacturers, using the correct tool) they do last incredibly well - I don't think I've ever seen one come undone. Obviously, they can corrode, and the wire can break.

the point about solder AIUI is that the heat weakens the copper immediatel;y beside the joint. If you heat-shrin kit and tie it as you describe, this is less of a problem, however you should be washing the flux off after soldering it as well, since that is corrosive (else it wouldn't work).

however, back to the point, unless you need/want to modify the loom enormously, then a ready-made loom for 120 notes is pretty damned good value, provided they've used decent components to make it.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

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