I'm looking for the correct yellow crimp connector style originally used at the solenoid and at the ammeter connector stud. There appear to be many styles of the plastic covering the connector in today's market and I want to make sure I get the right style.
I believe the original connector has a bell shape at the wire entry. It also appears to have a bit of a flare at wire entry too. See pic.
For extra credit, is this style of connector tool correct that appears to poke hard into the insulator?
The terminal you have pictured was not crimped by factory tooling. In all probability, the correct terminal would've been an AMP PIDG #12 AWG terminated with their tooling which crimped at the wire barrel and the insulation barrel. Underneath the yellow insulation is a copper sleeve which aids in supporting the insulation crimp. If you'll send me a PM with the diameter of the studs and your mailing address, I'll check and, if I have some, I'll send them to you. As for the tool, that's another thing. Sometimes, they show up on eBay or you may find one at surplus/salvage stores. Better yet, if you have a major company nearby (like BOEING) that manufactures items with electrical apparatus, they may have the correct tooling.
The picture shows a correct SA installed terminal on the 10 gauge amp gauge wire. It is crimped with the typical terminal crimp tool. At least the not special ones I have make the same indentation. I have observed literally hundreds exactly the same on 67 Shelby's over the years. One additional note is that they also appear to have been heated to shrink the insulation some more then others. The wires do not get hot enough to do that in use and the same goes for under hood heat. I am puzzled but I am only left to assume that a heat gun was used on the finished installed terminal sometimes more so then others.
Thanks for the verification, Bob. I just wanted to make sure someone didn't mess with the rest of this harness.
That was a bad example I showed as it was broken.
The end at the gauges uses the same style of connector and punch style tool indentation. See pic.
SAI did not appear to have the electrical division at Ford approve of their design, what with 3M "snap" connectors used in a wet area on the break into the main harness, no circuit breaker or other means of protection at the alternator connection on the Lincoln stud post and the way the taillight harness was constructed.
Also shown is a cropped pic from the Concours Mustang Forum of an unrestored car showing the connection at the Lincoln isolator. I just now found that one.
Off to try and find that style of connector.
I again offer the information that the pictured ring tongue terminal is, in fact, an AMP PIDG yellow for #12-10 AWG range. Obviously, SAI chose to use the improper tool to terminate same and I would venture to guess that, over the years, various problems were caused because of that, perhaps the heat described above. I worked for AMP Incorporated for 28 years in various sales, marketing and corporate communications positions. I just checked and a solenoid stud takes a 5/16" ring tongue. The largest I have is for #10 studs. Best check distributors that carry TYCO Electronics. They bought AMP a few years back.
Here is a picture if the terminal block and solenoid on #2339, May 23, 1967 build at SAI. The black wire appears to have black heat-shrink over the terminal connector. Hope this helps.
Quote from: greekz on May 25, 2022, 03:23:42 PM
Here is a picture if the terminal block and solenoid on #2339, May 23, 1967 build at SAI. The black wire appears to have black heat-shrink over the terminal connector. Hope this helps.
That one looks to be modified. The 68 amp gauge wires do have heat shrink but it is different then that.
I should have specified my car is a 1967 GT-350.
Quote from: greekz on May 25, 2022, 03:39:22 PM
I should have specified my car is a 1967 GT-350.
I assumed you were talking about your 67 GT350. I was addressing that the heat shrink on the connector in your picture looks odd for a 67. 67 didn't typically use heat shrink tube on the connectors . 68 Shelby amp gauge wires did use heat shrink tube over the connector however it looks different then the heat shrink in your picture.
Good to know. The wiring could have been modified sometime before November 1987, when I first bought the car.
I was curious about the PIDG terminal type that NC TRACKRAT mentioned.
A guy on youtube posted a tutorial about the PIDG and the right way way to crimp them. That is pic one and shows how the wire insulation end has a "butterfly", as made by the other side of the crimper. It appears to offer strain relief.
Pic 2 is after I took apart the connector in my first post which shows no strain relief.
However, the inside of the yellow portion of the connector has a copper sleeve! Is this iteration "1967" of a PIDG connector?
On edit -- and just when I thought I was done I noticed that the wire entry point on the yellow inside portion of the connector has a funnel, which produces the bulge on the end of the connector.
It appears that in this early version of the PIDG the ring connector portion is of standard design but the yellow casing when properly fastened with the correct tool will offer the strain relief.
Who knew?
Photos of two different crimpers. Panduit CT-550 which will crip yellow, blue, and red solderless connectors. And the AMP PIDG 12-10 or 16-14 HD #59239. I used these when I worked at Pullman Standard to build the double decker new ( at the time) Amtrak Superliners.
Neither of these leave the rectangular boxed opening.
These will leave the square crimp as pictured like the original crimp. Can't remember if these are Knipex or not, name worn off long ago.
These are a pretty typical field crimp tool used across various industries, automotive included. The nib part of the jaw (closest to the hinge) crimps the wire in the connector/terminal, the middle die crimps the "insulation support" if the terminal is so fitted (a metal sleeve between the plastic insulation and the wire barrel), the end is a wire cutter... the worst ever conceived. The cutter is essentially a single cutting edge mating with a flat surface - bad, bad, bad.
I'm pretty sure these are still widely available. This pair is made by Burndy.
I can't imagine how many hundreds of thousands of terminals and connectors I've squeezed with this and other pairs now lost to time... and the sea lol. I started using them in the 70's and I'm fairly certain they would have been around when these cars were built. Can't comment if used by SA or not.