wiring question

[shaune]

Is 6 volt wire going to be a larger size than when using 12 volts on the same load ?
I am doing some rewiring of the Ply and converting to 12 volts neg ground, i have removed some of the old damaged wire. Looks to be 12 ga, i bought 14 ga wire for this run............will it be okay ?
I thought i read somewhere that 6 volt cars used larger dia wire compared to a 12 volt car but i can't find that article now.

[Ford_Fellow]

Is 6 volt wire going to be a larger size than when using 12 volts on the same load ?
I am doing some rewiring of the Ply and converting to 12 volts neg ground, i have removed some of the old damaged wire. Looks to be 12 ga, i bought 14 ga wire for this run............will it be okay ?
I thought i read somewhere that 6 volt cars used larger dia wire compared to a 12 volt car but i can't find that article now.

That is correct that six volt wireing has a heavier guage wire....I do not know how much you can downsize the guage of wire...If you run the same as original guage then you will not be driveing down the road worrying what the burt plastic smell is....error on the side of saftey when not know exactley what the load will be......running twelve guage it must have been carrying a fair load and are you going to add more items to it now that you will have twelve volt and can add goodies.....

Hugh...........

[dumprat]

Larger wire = less amperage loss over the length of the wire. Higher voltage = less ampereage loss over the length of the wire. So you could go with smaller wire,but I don't know why you would.

[Davey_Joe]

yer right shaune,... but if yer lookin' all the new kits are 14ga wire fer most o' the regular circuits.... an' all later cars are usually 14ga..... i'm thinkin' even lighter with a lot 'o the new stuff.... go heavy duty where ya know ya should, thats all................

[bct]

double the volts = half the amps

[bct]

6 or 12 volts, Part 2
One P15 owner who made the switch to a12 volt system shared his experience. First he replaced the wiring, using a homemade harness. The generator was replaced with a 60 amp chrysler alternator which bolted to the original generator bracket. It did require some home made bushings as spacers. A external voltage regulator replaced the stock regulator. The original oil and temp gauges, being non electrical, required no changes. An inline voltage reducer was used on the fuel gauge. The original amp gauge, to date, has not caused any problems. It was wired only into the charging circuit. Nothing else runs off of the amp gauge. Also upgraded was the electrical service by adding a fuse panel with nine fuses. The radio and clock were upgraded to 12 volts. The heater motor was exchanged for a 12 volt motor with the same dimensions and shaft size. An extension was used on the heater motor shaft. Turn signals were installed and the original brake light is used as a "third brake light". The P15 ovwner would definitely do this conversion again as the car was very easy to re-wire.



stole this from another site....hope it helps

[34ford]

Shaune :DYour best bet is to rewire the entire car. The old cloth covered wire rots in time .The new wire today is a plastic temperature rated wire which will not rot and will last a lifetime as long as it is crimped correctly to connectors.You can buy connectors that have heat shrink as part of the connector which makes for a more rigid end and water resistant If you are joining to an existing wire twist the wires together as you would join rope together, solder it and use heat shrink tubing. As said #14 wire is used for currents up to 15amps bare in mind a 15amp circuit is should not draw much more than 11-12 amps .Always leave a safety zone. On circuits like lighters use #12 wire .Now a days we fill our cars with A.C., power windows, power seats, heated seats, power trunks, door releases, remote entry, air bags, electric fans, stereos, fuel injection and on. The use of 140 amp alternators are needed just to keep the battery charged. So getting to a wire from the battery to the starter four 0T wire is necessary. The wire from the alternator to the starter should be a minimum of #8 wire depending on its length. If you use the wire that comes with most kits they give you an extra wire to double up the one that comes with the kit when you use higher than 60 amps.I suggest to use the big heavy wire that the guys use for the monster stereo systems .Do not use solid wire as it does not handle the same current as same size wire and cannot be crimmped very well .When wondering what size alternator to use ,add up all the currents of devises you will be using .You will be surprised.

Bob

[Digger_Dave]

As Bob says below; older wire (cloth covered) was insulated with RUBBER.
Rubber insulation breaking down and shorting with other conductors beside each other in a harness, is the MOST common cause of automotive fires.

Shaune :D Your best bet is to rewire the entire car. The old cloth covered wire rots in time .The new wire today is a plastic temperature rated wire which will not rot and will last a lifetime as long as it is crimped correctly to connectors.You can buy connectors that have heat shrink as part of the connector which makes for a more rigid end and water resistant If you are joining to an existing wire twist the wires together as you would join rope together, solder it and use heat shrink tubing. As said #14 wire is used for currents up to 15amps bare in mind a 15amp circuit is should not draw much more than 11-12 amps .Always leave a safety zone. On circuits like lighters use #12 wire .Now a days we fill our cars with A.C., power windows, power seats, heated seats, power trunks, door releases, remote entry, air bags, electric fans, stereos, fuel injection and on. The use of 140 amp alternators are needed just to keep the battery charged. So getting to a wire from the battery to the starter four 0T wire is necessary. The wire from the alternator to the starter should be a minimum of #8 wire depending on its length. If you use the wire that comes with most kits they give you an extra wire to double up the one that comes with the kit when you use higher than 60 amps.I suggest to use the big heavy wire that the guys use for the monster stereo systems.

Do not use solid wire.

The main reason for NOT using SOLID WIRE, is it can crystallize with movement and break.

When wondering what size alternator to use ,add up all the currents of devises you will be using .You will be surprised.

Bob

[shaune]

I do some wiring at work (aircraft maint) and we are very particular about crimping and using proper crimping tools.
We never solder wire connections. The joint is too strong and the wire can break either side of the solder joint when the wire flexes. If you can't run one full length then we use wire connectors. Also all wires have numbers stamped into them for identification since all aircraft wire is white.

I will be using these same principles when i start my wiring project. Instead of wire numbers i will use the name of the item, ie: horn, starter relay
I keep thinking that i should buy a wiring kit from a reputable shop but after looking at the circuits in this car i think i will use bulk wire and make my own :eek:. Most the connections are round terminal ends and i will install an aftermarket fuse block.
Sigh......yet another job to do before spring comes.