| Endre
(Andy) Bujtas
Electrical Wiring Tip(s): Connectors
When starting to do electrical connections, I recommend using either,
or both, Deutsch or GM Weather Pack connectors - especially to hook-up
lighting fixtures, etc that are outside the car and exposed to the elements.
This is especially true if you are using Lamborghini OEM lights.
The Lamborghini Parking and Tail lights have strange connectors, which
will not hook-up to any US connector. Therefore, I recommend replacing
these connectors. Since the wires from these lights are pretty thin, I
suggest using the Deutsch connectors for these. JEGS
sells Deutsch connectors under the following part numbers:
| 2-pin: 121-8183
4-pin: 121-8181
6-pin: 121-8180
These are for 18 ga.wire. |
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Assembling Deutsch Connectors
Deutsch connectors are easy to make. Just simply strip the wire and insert
into the connector pin. Crimp the ends. I also solder the connector to
ensure they won't pull out of the pins. They are easy to solder and heat-up
fast. Just rest the assembled pin onto a soldering iron and place the
flux-core solder on the pin in the area between the crimp and the hole
where the wire is inserted. Allow the solder to flow around the crimp
and into the pin. You don't need much, and don't "blob" the
solder on. Let it cool and you have a sturdy connection. Then just insert
the pin into the rubber seal and insert the wedge-shaped locking tab and
you have a connector. Also, don't forget to mark what pin does what so
that you know what pin gets connected to what device or polarity.
Assembling GM Weather Pack Connectors
GM Weather Pack (WP) connectors are also easy to make. I use them for
most of the higher load external pieces of equipment such as the fuel
pump, etc. You can get these WP connectors at any NAPA auto parts store,
as well as from JEGS. However, the
NAPA version comes in individual pieces. The green rubber seals, black
connector housing(s) and pins are usually sold separately. If you buy
them separately, remember that the male pin goes into the female housing
and vice verse.
As with the Deutsch connector you strip-off the insulation and insert
the wire onto the pin. Use both the large and small inner crimp tabs.
I suggest soldering these as well using the same procedure as explained
above. However, when attaching a wire to the female pin, I suggest inserting
a male pin so that you don't let the stripped wire extend into where the
end of the male connector would get inserted. If you do, it may be difficult
to insert the connectors together.
In addition, it is best to insert the green rubber seal BEFORE you strip
the wire. The orientation of the green seal is with the long thin section
facing the connector. Therefore, push the rubber seal onto the wire with
the flat end facing the end of the cut wire. Push the seal far enough
in for you to do your work.
Once the pins are made, then simply insert them into the housing and
listen for the "click". That means that the pins are seated.
Then push the seals all the way into the housing and lower the locking
piece. As with any connector, keep track of what wire does what.
Assembling Blade Connectors
Blade connectors are the ones you usually get with wiring kits such are
Painless, etc. I recommend
using the ones that have a plastic cover and not the uninsulated metal
kind. Typically, you only need to strip off about 3/8 of an inch. Insert
into connector and crimp the end - through the plastic. The proper way
to crimp these connectors is to orient the connector onto the crimping
pliers such that the slit in the metal of the connector is on the round
side of the crimping plier. That is, the crimp tool has a round side and
a pointed side. The connector, where the wire gets inserted, is not completely
round, but has a break or slit in it. This slit must be opposite of the
pointed edge of the crimping tool. The action of crimping (in the correct
gauge) should cause the slit to curl into the wire. The round side helps
it do that.
For external wiring using these connectors, I usually weather seal them
by using heat-shrink tubing. You can get heat-shrink tubing at any hardware
store, NAPA or RadioShack. But I prefer the [dark gray] heat-shrink tubing
from Gardner-Bender (GB brand). I get these at my local Lowes hardware.
They can take the heat better than the plastic junk that RadioShack sells.
And they harden to make a pretty stiff seal. I usually use 2 sizes of
heat-shrink for the external connectors: one that's just about the size
of the wire and can be slipped into the connector at the wire end, and
one that can slip over the connector leg and gets shrunk onto the inner
shrunk tube. Therefore, the inner tube is a bit longer than the outer
tube. To shrink-fit just use a cigarette lighter and wave the flame over
the tube. It is best to start at the connector end and work back - rotating
the piece to ensure complete shrinkage.
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