Damned bulkhead connectors.

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Pawned

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I finished rewiring the Duster, finally. The one thing that still bothers me is having to reuse the firewall connectors. But that is what I had to work with.

The last couple days I have been upgrading my burglar alarm system. I removed some plastic wire connector strips I added at the last upgrade, at least 15-20 years ago

I have been thinking of cutting out the firewall connectors and installing these connectors. It would sure as hell make future wiring and trouble shooting a bunch easier.

I would source waterproof enclosure(s) to protect these from the elements

What do you think?
 

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Might work- or you could leave the look of the factory connector by just drilling through it and running solid wires. I did that with a few of mine.
 
DON'T DO IT !!! I used terminal strips just like them a few years ago and it was a pain in the *** when something went wrong , and believe me something will go wrong. They don't take well to vibration and jerking around on the wiring. Plus as you mentioned water proofing is another matter. Best bet if you can't afford the right bulkhead connector (they are rediculous priced) go to a junk yard and get one from 80-90s or later car. (you just gotta look for one that will work for you). I ended up with some hi-fi waterproof connector I found on the internet (they advertised NASCAR used them) and they sucked too. Next time I rewire my car I'm gonna take my own advice and go to the junk yard.
 
take bulk connector as pattern.

cut out same size sheet metal patch with punched hole and grommet

re-install patch using original clips and new gasket. now you have "big hole" covered up but you can snake entire harness back through if you need to remove

use one connector to connect wiper
 
Eliminate the sumbitch.
 
if you just want to replace the factory ones they are Packard 56 series terminals. napa, oreilly's etc carries them or ebay etc. for cheaper bulk
 
Why on EARTH would you waste money replacing the connector with the SAME THING that fails miserably? I fail to see the logic.
 
I got lucky and got a scrap warranty harness from work that melted one plug. The rest of it was good and had some nice Deutsch 24 pin bulkhead style plugs. Ended up rewiring the entire engine bay with stuff I pulled from the scrap harness. Nice solid pins with a twist lock weatherproof connection. Made a sheet metal patch panel to cover the old square hole and put the new bulkhead in that piece.

The individual parts for those bulkhead connectors aren't exactly expensive, it's just when you add up everything you need and realize you have to double it because there are pins on one side and sockets on the other. A pin is maybe only 60 cents, but if you have 24 wires that's 48 connectors, so you're already near $30 for pins alone. Then add the cost of the bulkhead itself at another $20-40 and it adds up quick.
 
Well, the Packards are not all that bad if they last 30-40-50 years with no maintenance and no weather sealing at all. I bet dielectric grease on them would make the last 5-10 years longer.

The bad use of the Packards in these cars were to carry the heavy current loads (battery and alternator) and they weren't rated for that so it was really a mis-application. If you have the early A/B body with the screw lugs instead of Packards for the high current lines, you don't have that issue. It is telling that the ammeters used some big ring lugs and the small Packards were used in the firewall for the same high current levels.

I would not use the plastic strips that are shown; they are not plated with anything as good as the original Packards, and will tend to corrode if exposed to moisture. They are pretty cheap parts. There are better terminal blocks if you go that route.
 
Duetsch connectors and don't look back.

Terminal strips are NOT for automotive applications!
 
agreed, I like the packard connectors. Nearly all US manufacturers use/d them for years and years. I am perfectly fine with getting 30 to 40 YEARS from an engine wiring harness. I normally replace because the wire is suspect not the connectors. Repair the ammeter issue and you'll generally have a trouble free harness for what it is.

I scour swap meets all the time looking for old harnesses mostly for the bulkhead and connector that are good. I can score dash harnesses with excellent bulkhead for the 5 to 10 range. That is a lot cheaper then the 70-80 for new ones.



nm9stheham said:
Well, the Packards are not all that bad if they last 30-40-50 years with no maintenance and no weather sealing at all. I bet dielectric grease on them would make the last 5-10 years longer.

The bad use of the Packards in these cars were to carry the heavy current loads (battery and alternator) and they weren't rated for that so it was really a mis-application. If you have the early A/B body with the screw lugs instead of Packards for the high current lines, you don't have that issue. It is telling that the ammeters used some big ring lugs and the small Packards were used in the firewall for the same high current levels.
Click to expand...
 
Dodge motorhomes appear to have used the same or similar bulkhead connectors (and others) into the 1980's & 90's. They aren't picked much in the yards. I used an interior fuse box from one, which was identical other than a few labels. The 1963 & 1965 bulkheads don't have the melting problem since they have dedicated lugs for the big ALT & BAT wires. But 1965 only works for early cars since a 3rd connector for the wiper was added in 1966 or 1967.

Most cars I have seen since the 1990's run the wires straight thru the bulkhead w/o a connector. They just got too many wires to make connectors cost-effective. The connectors were probably used to speed factory assembly, not for easier maintenance though that is a side effect, and a mixed blessing.
 
If you install an under-hood relay/fuse box from a newer car like I did, most wires thru the bulkhead can then be small (24 awg) since they then simply turn on a relay. You could then use two connectors, one for small wires and one with bigger pins for the remaining loads. The only ones that carry any power in my cars now are the thick ALT & BATT wires, and the turn lamps. If you do the "MAD Bypass", you can eliminate the ALT wire.
 
I have spent the last couple days rewiring Natalie (my Duster). I researched quite a few connector and did not like what I saw.
I decided to go with my original idea of the strip connectors, in a plastic enclosure.
So far I have almost finished (2 wires left) wiring the engine compartment. I will start on the behind the dashboard.

What I expected to find and did, was the wiring I did when I first got her and am ashamed of myself. But at the time I was trying to just get her running. Thankfully I did not let my temporary fix become permanent. It was terrible.

Here are a couple pix of the strip connectors and the plate I fashioned to plug the hole it left. I will tie wrap all the wire looms later.

Although you can not see it in the pictures, I do not believe in Solderless Connectors, I solder and shrink wrap (usually 2 layers) each and every connector I use.
 

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jos51700 said:
Duetsch connectors and don't look back.

Terminal strips are NOT for automotive applications!
Click to expand...

THIS MAN KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!WHAT HE SAID!!!!!!!!!:cheers:
 

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Well, this is what I wanted. I am from the old school and want to be able to do my troubleshooting easier than the connectors where you can not get access to the conductors.

I have a heck of a time trying to get at the connectors with it running the way it was. Now I can just pop off the top and everything is laid out nicely and can see it all at once

If I have problems with the strips, I will think of something else.
 
hope this does not look like it looks like it looks like, juz sayin.......are those wires running out of a metal plate or is that plastic?

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my suggestion would be to install some grommets in that plate
 
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