Military (Automotive) Specification Automotive Wiring Harnesses.

[flyingbrick]

That's rediculious.

[xsspeed]

ffffffuuuuuuu thats expensive. Reuse stock wires & plugs, couple of new connectors and a link for me then, with some heat shrink/loom wrap

[NaN]

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[NaN]

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[Esprit]

Couple of my Autosport connectors were about $250 per side, (2 sides for each connector) and I had three of them, so you can see how it adds up.

The benefit of it all is the loom integrates all the factory stuff (like the rear lights, alarm sensors etc) with a whole bunch of other stuff I've added like a gearbox cooler pump and temp sensors, fuel pressure sensors oil temp/pressure sensors etc, with the easy ability to expand into the system should I want to add more stuff later on. It's also proven extremely reliable.

In the end, on a $100k car it's not silly, or on a dedicated race car build at the top level it makes good sense. But on most builds you can do as good a job with off-the-shelf connectors you can get from RS components etc and standard wiring/shrinkwrap. The labour etc that you put into it and the skill of the loom installer will make much more of a difference to final appearance than fancy connectors and loom gear.

[Rookie]

Yea but that is what a "proper" motorsport loom will cost.

 

I think you are on the money, but you will find that NZ distributors get their arse handed to them on price, I doubt the NZ guys get the stuff wholesale much cheaper than what you or I could buy it from America.

[KKtrips]

George - I think you and Rob [2052NV] need to hang out and build a car - it would be perfect and fast.

[Spencer]

Yea once we get away from the fact that mil-spec is thrown around loosely and we are just talking about decent automotive/motorsport wiring and loom gear this is a good thread. 

 

I agree with Rookie 100% on his recommendations on what to use, also agree you are usually better off looking to the US for connectors etc. My 150pc weatherpack kit was around $130US, I doubt anyone in NZ could match that even including shipping. 

[Esprit]

Rookie, you're right. Same with stuff like MoTeC, the price tends to be the price. I was happy in the end with my wiring/ECU install, because at least it was all being done by one bloke who'd stand behind his workmanship, and I was happy to pay for that. Given the wiring was the one and only part of the build that I wasn't taking ownership of and didn't have an intimate knowledge of (I'm colourblind, wiring isn't my forte!) I wanted to make sure that it was up to the quality of all the work I'd put in up to that point.

[slacker.cam]

For what it's worth DTM connectors are 200 times better than Weatherpacks. Weatherpacks can handle more current (can't remember how much, maybe 18A vs 11A or something) but they're also way bigger and a pain to remove pins from when need be. For general plugs DTMs are the way to go. You need a special crimper but there are low cost OK ones available. You also can't heatshrink onto the back of a weatherpack which is required for waterproofing and/or strain relief. For high current work (main power feeds) you can swap to larger DT connectors.

 

While I'm no expert I spent 4 years building mil spec (or high end motorsport spec if you want to keep Dave happy) looms for our FSAE cars. Happy to answer any questions if anyone has anything specific they want answered.

[slacker.cam]

Rookie, you're right. Same with stuff like MoTeC, the price tends to be the price. I was happy in the end with my wiring/ECU install, because at least it was all being done by one bloke who'd stand behind his workmanship, and I was happy to pay for that. Given the wiring was the one and only part of the build that I wasn't taking ownership of and didn't have an intimate knowledge of (I'm colourblind, wiring isn't my forte!) I wanted to make sure that it was up to the quality of all the work I'd put in up to that point.

 

Did Richard @ MSEL do your loom George? It looks amazing.

 

I so badly want to buy some Motec gear but I just can't bring myself to spend half the value of my entire car on a dash.

[Spencer]

Yup in hindsight I would have gone with different connectors, diesel mechanic mate has bags and bags of DTM connectors which I found out after the fact. Still the water proofing and strain relief on weatherpack connectors is done by the grommets and the clamp that squish the grommets tight around the wire. They are used by GM in everything and apart from their bulk they are legit.

[Rookie]

For what it's worth DTM connectors are 200 times better than Weatherpacks. Weatherpacks can handle more current (can't remember how much, maybe 18A vs 11A or something) but they're also way bigger and a pain to remove pins from when need be. For general plugs DTMs are the way to go. You need a special crimper but there are low cost OK ones available. You also can't heatshrink onto the back of a weatherpack which is required for waterproofing and/or strain relief. For high current work (main power feeds) you can swap to larger DT connectors.

 

While I agree 100% that DTM connectors are better, for me they aren't worth the extra cost, and Dave asked what wasn't going to cost him a nut ( lets be honest, he really needs both of them), so I answered with weatherpack.

 

Also Spence is on the money.

[NaN]

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[Esprit]

Did Richard @ MSEL do your loom George? It looks amazing.

 

I so badly want to buy some Motec gear but I just can't bring myself to spend half the value of my entire car on a dash.

My work was done by Glenn Suckling at GDS Automotive. He's as methodical as they come, takes his time (which costs money) but he took the time to get it exactly how I wanted it, even when the way I wanted it was confusing/illogical/difficult because I was trying to achieve a certain look or feel. MoTeC stuff is nice and I'm glad I've got it now that I've spent the money, but in hindsight, I think I could have saved a buck or two here It's lovely to use and customise though, I've added all sorts of nice little tweaks to my control, and know that I'll never run out of I/O as I can just expand as necessary. Not that this car is getting any fancier than it currently is, it's just nice to have the option

[slacker.cam]

I was thinking about keeping water out of the loom rather than keeping water out of the connector.

 

Sources for connectors:

 

Many people on here including myself have dealt with diyautotune before. They're a good company, stuff always shows up and good customer service. For weatherpacks they have two big kits available both of which are great value, a big 755 piece kit, and a smaller 460 piece kit. Note that these are total item count - not number of connector assemblies. You'll also need a crimper (don't even bother trying to do it with pliers/whatever other ghetto way you can think of).

 

DTM kits are available too. You can either get one from Motorsport Electronics (MSEL) here in Auckland, link here. MSEL are hugely experienced and are pretty much the go-to people for high end looms in NZ. You can also get DTM kits from the US like here for example. When you include shipping the MSEL kit probably isn't much more expensive. You'll have to do some hunting around for a suitable crimper.

 

DTM or weatherpack connectors will sort you out for the large majority of your inline connections. Take your pick on what type is best for your budget and application. For higher current work you'll need to go to something else. Maybe the DT series. If you want to spend lots of money on bulkhead connectors then have a search for Autosport connectors.

 

For things like injectors, temp sensors and others that don't have flying leads you'll need to track down some new connectors. MSEL once again has most of the common types, or you could try NZEFI.

[cletus]

[NaN]

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[KKtrips]

Crimped with these and you have me sold Clint.

 

[KKtrips]

From the likes that is getting - I'm willing to bet that it's more than just me that has done this when it's come to the crunch.