HOW HOME AMATEURS CAN/SHOULD WIRE THEIR CAR
by GoMoG

GENERALLY

YES! Most of will be astonished to know that there are some advantages we amateurs have over professionals, at least in the automotive field, that compensates for our lack of their experience. This is no way is should be construed to cast aspersions on dealership or MMC Service Department work. I mention these factors encourage the readers. Fololwing the simple rules hear will allow and owner to match or best professional work.

1. We have a personal connection to our cars that they lack. This follows the wisdom in the ancient adage that states "The best fertilizer for any crop is the eye of the owner".

2. Amateurs have no time constraints. We do not make more money by hurrying the job. We take more time and therefore more care.  If we see something unrelated to the original job that needs attending to, we do so. Professionals doing the same thing can be accused, wrongly, of price- gouching.

3. We do more research and ask more questions of our contacts.

4. We are less cost sensitive on components. As we do not have to multiply each component cost by a large factor reflecting constant needs to do the same job, amateurs tend to use higher quality parts, whether replacement or new ideas.

5. We are not bound by contract to buy most parts from the manufacturer only. Manufacturers have the same problem indicated above (#4) except the multiplication factor is in the 1000s. We are also not forced, as manufacturers are, to follow government regulations that can be dated or ill-suited to OUR specific cars.

6. Most Morgan trads are very owner-friendly.  We all share a upbringing that trains us to think cars or great mysteries. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Manufacturers only began to make their products progressively progressively owner interaction after 1990 (2000 with Morgan trads)

SUMMARY

In the aggregate, the elements above can and do cause much frustration in a collector vehicle normally kept on the road for decades, much longer than currently made vehicles. Working on your Morgan, will constantly upgrade it and avoid usage frustration. It's the little things that cause the most problems!

There is no need to re-wire your Morgan. Merely get into the right habits and components, and the ongoing failure of the original wiring will allow (force) you to incrementally upgrade your car merely by changing the connectors as the need arises. LUCAS wire colors are brilliant and there are GoMoG sections on wiring diagrams and fuseboxes.

This article merely shows amateur to basic skills and tools necessary to properly wire their car. Small and large tasks use the same methods. It is also fun stuff. It does not involve strength of heavy lifting or dirt and the results are immediate.

CONNECTORS

The best connections are soldered ones. But for most of us, this requires an extra skill set.  I will focus here on crimped connections.

Manufacturers use lousy connectors. Cheaper. Morgan is one of these, unless they find later that they have created an warranty issue in doing so. The difference in cost between an excellent insulated connector and cheap isht is negligible and the consequences are never ending. I favor insulated connectors for obvious reasons..preferably marine grade. They can be found, if you ask for them, everywhere, in any American auto parts store and in Halfords as well.

I am Canadian. I source from all countries, all my life, with the only priority is that the part is the best and most appropriate for the task I put it to and at the best price. I have never fathomed the insistence of some people that they MUST source locally..either though some misguided patriotism or the assumption that they are getting a better part. However, I see such sentiment often. That being said, the goto country for Morgan parts is obviously the UK.

By "insulated" connector, I am referring to a "blade" connector where ALL its metal is covered and the connectors comes in both female and male versions that fit into each when/if needed, making a water tight seal. One can get butt connectors, male and female, but then must still get blade connectors for the many blade fittings one has on components. Why double up unnecessarily with two types serving the same task sets?

CONNECTING - Cheap Tools Needed and How to Use Them

These tools make the job result far more reliable. At their tiny price, they are well worth it. I regret I did not buy them when I first began working on my beloved Morgans. How many times does a wire have to detach from its connector to make them worthwhile?

WIRE CUTTER/STRIPPER

AUTOMOTIVE WIRE CRIMPER

Practice a cut, a strip and a crimp first. Once is enough.
 

ANTI CORROSION GREASE

There is a prudent extra habit I recommend and use for damp climates..especially those with salt air like parts of Europe, the UK and coastal North America. It is a recommendation born of 25 years of the GoMoG Help Line and forums. These areas are very hard  on anything made of metal, especially electrical connections and earth/grounds. They corrode and are often difficult to detect causing frustration. They CAN be discovered with the use of a inexpensive multi-meter..but let us leave those for another day. It is made especially for this purpose. Cover the connector or the area being use for wire connectors. It  is a viscous non-conductive waterproof substance used to protect electrical connections and it does so better than Vaseline, axle grease pr white lithium grease. It also cheap, made by everyone and comes in a easy-to-use format more likely to cover your target rather than your shirt, trousers or eyebrows.

For those of us in an area described above, or as an added precaution, you can increase reliability with the use of a grease. I prefer  one sold inexpensively under the name (in the UK and USA) as DIELETRIC GREASE (search Amazon or your local Auto store?).