Wiring identification preference?

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Señor Ding Dong

Señor Ding Dong

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Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
I’m looking at trying to clean up the wiring in my 66 Dart, but only a few circuits need new wiring. I’m just replacing a few wires, removing a few suspect spliced-in wires, and just trying to route and bundle them in a more logical fashion. I’m wondering what everyone’s preference is regarding labeling wires? I’m hoping to label each end of each wire for future, and don’t know what’s the best way to go. Something small and unobtrusive but easy to read, (my 50 year old eyes aren’t so sharp anymore).

Thanks!
 
There is a heavy duty shrink wrap printer from Dymo. But not worth the cost if not using all the time. There is heavy duty P touch label cartridges. Or white electrical tape and a fine tip sharpie
 
The factory used color coding!

:rolleyes:

There are numbered tapes that you wrap around the wires
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And labels you print on a laser printer then wrap around the wire
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LOTS of options on amazon
 
If you use the factory color coded wires or their look-alike replacement, it's fairly Murphyproof if you have a factory wiring diagram.
 
cudamark said:
If you use the factory color coded wires or their look-alike replacement, it's fairly Murphyproof if you have a factory wiring diagram.
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Yeah, I’m going to stay to the factory colours, and I have the diagrams, I just feel like and future work would be made easier if I had clear labelling. That way I wouldn’t have to refer to wiring diagrams. My concern is that trying to write on 18 gauge wires is going to be microscopic, and I don’t want big obtrusive tags. My engine bay is already ugly, I’m trying to pretty it up some.

Well, maybe not pretty, but at least a little less cluttered, and I’d like the wiring to not resemble a birds nest.
 
How much fooling around with the wiring are you planning to do? Seems to me once it's wired, it's done.
 
cudamark said:
How much fooling around with the wiring are you planning to do? Seems to me once it's wired, it's done.
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Well, this is what I’m trying to clean up. A lot of sketchy splices and fires waiting to happen. And this engine is likely temporary, I’m planning on a mild build 360 in the future, so having everything labeled and safe for the next time I engine swap is kind of why I’m even thinking about this.
 
I think I'd go ahead and get a reman factory harness. Then all you have to disconnect on an engine swap is the coil, temp, a alternator wires. Easy to figure those out.
 
The neatest labels will be the ones Dana posted.
IMO they will not last that long. But just the process of labelling may help you remember how its hooked up. When you label, spend some time with the wiring diagram. That way you'll really learn how the circuits are connected up. The system is pretty simple once you get to know it. In fact that way you can use the wire codes rather than write out a description. R6 is alteRnator output, H1 is Horn power, etc

Señor Ding Dong said:
View attachment 1716247507Well, this is what I’m trying to clean up. A lot of sketchy splices and fires waiting to happen. And this engine is likely temporary, I’m planning on a mild build 360 in the future, so having everything labeled and safe for the next time I engine swap is kind of why I’m even thinking about this.
Click to expand...

We've seen worse, but yes fix it up. I don't think white is factory. Starter solenoid feed should be brown and shouldn't need the addition connector, etc.
I don't see the fusible link. You can buy that.

DMT has new foam seals for the bulkhead connectors if '66 is the same as '68+
There's been some threads on making good splices as well as selecting and crimping terminals.
 
A little on the costly side for one job, but if you have access to borrow....
I have a Dymo Rhino label maker from my home theater days. It only handles ½” wide label tape. I prefer the one we have at work which will handle the ¾” tape.
How many letters you can fit in the width of the tape is determined by the font size you select.
I added fuel injection, fuel pump, trunk battery, turn signals separate from brake lights, headlight relays, etc., so I needed more than just factory diagrams and colors.

I’ve used both sizes in my car, ¾” in places where it won’t be really visible, but ½” in places where I want to be more discreet. With less text available, I have to be a little cryptic with abbreviations sometimes.

Rather than flag type tags, I set it to vertical wire wrap. After I put the label on, I tried to use clear heat shrink over the label, until I ran out of clear shrink and didn’t feel like waiting to finish. To heat shrink, you have to be putting new terminals on as well, (not just labelling the old wires)
If you don’t want to see the label later, you can still overwrap the whole harness and unwrap a few inches of harness if you ever need to find the labels, then re-wrap it.

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KISS. Keep it simple stupid. This isn't an airplane where all of the wiring is the same color, then needs to be labeled. Arguing will ensue, buy factory replacement harnesses, why would you want to patch up 50 year old plus harnesses if you are worrying about fires?
New wiring will end up exactly where it needs to go, color coded to a FSM.
Evans or M &H wiring.
 
I have a new M & H harness with the Mopar electronic ignition conversion if that's something that works for you. I bought it by mistake a while back and would be willing to sell it. PM me if interested.
 
That conversion would change things for the alt, voltage regulator dist and ballast resister. Unless he has already done some of that.
 
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