OEM Electrical connection and tools

I need to repair some wiring harnesses and they have tools on eBay ranging from $4 to $400 to remove the terminals from the plastic connectors. The spades are easy but I need to remove some of the round ones in the ignition harness. I would also like to know where you can buy the factory style brass connectors. Anyone bought these that can give advice? Any thoughts on where you can buy the correct colored wires? Especially the ones with the tracer color. Thanks

I have a set of tools from Packard that my brother had.He had like 20 sets at one time and sold a bunch on Ebay.They were toss outs as new stuff came out.They work great on almost all connectors.They do come up on Ebay at times from a few bucks to 40 or 50 depending on how many in a set.IIRC one company makes OE type connectors.I used to use some small scredrivers etc at work before i got my OE type tools.Rocky

NAPA has the common "packard 56" type male female terminals for the bulkhead 725145/725147 but they are pricey (99 cents ea). there are companies that sell em in bulk for way less (eBay likely). Yes you absolutely want to keep the same colors as OE including colors with tracers & there are companies out there who sell specific lengths of em & on some circuits you may want to go larger (as you know a smaller gauge). I dont have a specific company(s) but you might Google it.

i've always used jewelers screwdrivers to pop them apart. dollar stores usually has them or drug stores where they sell cheap reading glasses.

Try Terminal Supply Co - they have several locations, plus I-net sales. Also Lectric Limited has a website. I've had good success with both.

Adding on to what others have said.
The Terminal styles are Packard 56. If you find some are larger, they are probably Packard 58 or 59.

Crib sheet to ID all sorts of automotive terminals & connectors:
http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/automotiveelectricalconnectors.htm

Tools:
The crimpers needed are for "open barrel" terminals from 18 to at least 12, preferably 10 or 8 gage. The larger gages can come into use with smaller wires when joining two at a terminal. For example at the ballast resistor.
* American Autowire sells a set of proper crimpers, slightly less expensive than the real thing.
* Astro sells a nice compound action crimper but the jaws are too wide for the male terminals. The little wings at the bottom of the terminals (seen below) are in the way.

Terminal removal tool. Seems silly when a cotter pin or small screw driver will do, but they do save time and minimize damage. I think they are worth it. Best in use is the single prong version. Multi-prongs sometimes interfere with the adjacent terminal cavities.

Materials
Wire: My preference is from a marine supply center. Slightly more copper for any given gage size, tinned surface, and insulation suitable for engine compartments. They also have a ton of colors and can cut what you need. Second preference for engine compartment is wire with insulation for that environment (heat and oil) such as GXL or (IIRC) THWN rated insulation. Otherwise GPT (general purpose primary) is fine.
eg https://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Selection-Guide-_ep_29.html
Another source for colored & trace marked wire: Rhode Island Wire http://www.riwire.com/

Terminals Sources:
Waytek Wire 56 series are catagorized under metripack here
Del City Del City
Terminal Supply Co.
Repair Connector store
Electrical Depot


I found with my jeep, which also used a lot Packard 56 type connectors, not all the terminals were like the original. Not just whether they had a tin plate, but the shoulder stops and lengths varied on some of the replacments. The one on the far left lacks the little wings at the bottom. How important is that?

Terminal Supply Co. was awesome to deal with. They don't mind working with hobbyists, so you can order just one or two terminals where everyone else wants to sell them 25count at a time. They'll have both the packard 56 tools and the round ones.

When I ordered some of the Packard connectors they included a catalog with what they have. It is amazing how many different wire terminals they carry.

I use GXL or TXL wire from The Wirebarn. They have many colors but I don't know if they have the "correct" color or wire with the tracer.

What company did you get you catalog from?
I found the American wire website and found out the one mostly used appears to be the Packard 56. I still have not found the round ones like go in the ignition and turn signal switch. I have not searched for wire yet. Thanks guys. This will help. I’ll get digging on the net. 👍👍

If you order anything however small (but Mopar specific) from www.classicindustries.com online then in several weeks their comprehensive $12.95 Mopar catalogue will arrive unexpectedly in your mailbox for free & it is a treasure trove of pics of many varieties of items including electrical. it is a must have reference manual.

This thread is very informative,thank you!
Handy since I do a lot of mopar rewiring!

i use "molex" terminals [i think that's the name. there is nothing on the box i have.] for the ignition/turn signal connection. there are two sizes. .093 for the turn signal wires, and .125 for the ignition/accessory wires. these sure look like the OEM terminals.

You actually erased it from the post you quoted.

I ordered one of these (yes, its made and comes from China). Its very well made BUT the actual crimp heads are made from die cast and I broke one doing one of the male connectors (those suckers are pretty thick brass). I was probably a little over zealous too. Anyhow, I just ordered 6 more of the crimp heads (they're dirt cheap). I'd suggest if you order the tool, order extra crimp heads at the same time "just in case". And make sure you order the correct head(s)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wire-Ratchet-Crimping-Pliers-Terminal-Crimper-Clamp-Tool-0-14-1-5mm-JX-1601-08/322591910229?hash=item4b1bf9e955:g:whYAAOSwRvdZaIJe

Need to find a store (Harbour Freight maybe ??) . . that has these :

As I posted above, the double prongs can get in the way when working on a multi-cavity connectors. Go for a single prong version.

This photo from the Civilian Jeep forum shows the retaining tab the tool is used to release.

The company is Terminal supply. http://terminalsupplyco.com

The email here is from the person I was working with, very knowledgeable and knows what the products are----


Julie.Szefler@terminalsupplyco.com

Is there a special crim tool thats used for these terminals?

I picked one similar to the one on ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Made-Open-S...er/182588509911

Here are some links to the terminals and housings. You will find they are much cheaper than most sell them for.


https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-12033824-L
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02965510-L
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02965481-L
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02971962-L
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02973781-B
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02973385-B
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/829-02977253-B

PACKARD OPEN BARREL CRIMPER
USE W/ 56 & 59 SERIES ONE STEP

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Aptiv-formerly-Delphi/08913440?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuHCD5%2fnvq3PijwPhikI5zaRci464ud%2f0w%3d

PACKARD TOOL
2STEP CRIMPER FOR 12-10GA WIRE. UNSLD CNNCTRS ONLY

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Aptiv-formerly-Delphi/06285847?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuHCD5%2fnvq3PijwPhikI5zak1zxZVMW85c%3d

PACKARD REMOVAL TOOL
USE W/ MOST SERIES

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Aptiv-formerly-Delphi/12094430?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvlX3nhDDO4AMs0RBa484%252b0mvpaogUMKxc%3d

American Autowire makes crimpers for these. Got both units as one is for a pair of wires side by side. They work way better than my main unit that I got from Pertronix, which has several interchangeable dies.

I probably buy 1000-1200' of wire a year, and usually have 3500-4000'+ at any given time on hand - generally stock 12-14 colors 18-16-14 and 4 of 12-10.

For 20-22ga "signal" wire, I usually use Wire Barn. I order the 25' multi-color asst's on e-bay.

Del City has cheap small "put up" rolls whose roll lengths vary by wire size - usually 35' or smaller - works for most people doing occasional wiring. They also don't have line minimums for most items, so you can just order smaller quantities. Decent overall selection of electrical supplies, and decent pricing.

I buy most of my wire and supplies through Waytek Wire - probably the best prices for 100' rolls. I buy 100' rolls of GPT, unless a customer wants thinwall. They do offer custom striping, too. I buy the bulk of my supplies from them - switches, relays, Weatherpack connectors, breakers, etc., but they do have a $5 line minimum on most items. BIG selection of electrical stuff, tools, etc. You may save a few bucks shopping around, but Waytek has good prices and for most people is a 1 stop shop.

Hope this helps.