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What cable to make own loom
Bizarro - 3/1/12 at 09:59 PM

Im at the point in my build to start thinking about wiring.

This is my first, and hopefully not my last build, so I want to learn as much as possible and am thinking about doing the loom from scratch.

Its going to be a pretty basic loom. Electrically Im not a novice but have never wired a car before, so a few questions for starters:

Is there standard wire colours I should be using for lights etc?

Approximately how much of each gauge cable do I need to buy? The build is standard MK Indy using sierra column switch gear, no wipers/heater etc..

As a guide, Im thinking about buying Kit Car Electrics by Peter Wallage and John Wallage (£7 on Amazon), anybody used it, is it worth it?

Cheers

austin man - 3/1/12 at 10:08 PM

I sourced trailer cable for my lighting it comes in multiple cores so easier and tidier than single cables and potentially cheaper. purchased off ebay
7 Core Trailer and Caravan Lights Wire/Cable 1m | eBay

[Edited on 3/1/12 by austin man]

Mr C - 3/1/12 at 10:19 PM

It was the first time I attempted anything like this as well, it was one of the most satisfying aspects of the build thus far. I used John Dickens (complete kit car) book on electrics which was easy to follow. my colour coding was based on the lucas colour coding though I didn't stick to it by the letter, using the major colours only for some applications.

I would also recommend thin wall wiring, it's amazing the difference in size to normal wiring, much less bulk. In terms of ratings the book will give you a guide I used mainly 11 amp and 16 amp wire

Well done for giving it a go, and all the best with it.

chrisbeale - 3/1/12 at 10:46 PM

I'm about to re do my dash wiring. It's a mess at the moment, spliced and knotts everywhere. I'm using 16awg thin wall cable for the whole thing, excluding ammeter. It's going to be a challenge trying to work out where everything goes but I do have the disadvantage of being an aircraft lecky.
Planes are so much simpler.

mad4x4 - 4/1/12 at 12:20 AM

I used the wire from the sierra loom gavem me heaps of colors . Just buitl up m own loom for the bits i needed.

knew I should have drawn it out when I did it in case i ever need to dedug.

James - 4/1/12 at 01:15 AM

Premier Loom for about £100 was one of the best purchases I made with the car.

Premier or DIY, either way, mad4x4 it totally right. Discipline yourself to make a wiring diagram.

5 years after SVA and I'm messing with wiring now and it's much harder as I have to work out what each wire does. A simple layout diagram would have saved a lot of time!

Cheers,
James

jossey - 4/1/12 at 09:58 AM

Just be careful making your own loom I re did a loom on a widow maker bike and the resistance was different with the new wiring and messed with the sensors on the :-( took weeks to figure out the issues

r1_pete - 4/1/12 at 10:15 AM

I have a .XLS detailling the Lucas standard wiring colours, I've re wired several cars now, the latest being my E Type, and find it more useful than the wiring diagram for the car.

U2U me your email address if you want a copy, I cant attach .XLS to the post.

Bizarro - 4/1/12 at 10:41 AM

Cheers for all the replies

quote:
Originally posted by James
Premier Loom for about £100 was one of the best purchases I made with the car.

Premier or DIY, either way, mad4x4 it totally right. Discipline yourself to make a wiring diagram.

Cheers,
James


I would go the Premier loom way but they want £160 for their loom and I figure I can buy a lot of wire for 160!

Eddie99 on here has given me a more affordable price to provide a loom with relays and drawings, so Im thinking about going that way as an easier option rather than making my own from scratch.

macc man - 4/1/12 at 03:13 PM

I bought a premier loom a few years back for £100. Best money I spent in my opinon. I tried using a Sierra and Escort hybrid loom and wasted loads of time and gave up in the end. Keep it simple if you make your own.