Wiring loom

[ivan the tent]

Hello
I have just got hold of an 85 Roadster with Marina TC 1800.
Currently the wires have been brutalized and to give me a fighting chance, I want to invest in New/second hand loom.
Does anyone know the best place to start.
Cheers Ivan The Tent in Cornwall

[A_Hogg]

Re: Wiring loom

Autosparks, Nottingham or Stafford vehicle components for new item spring to mind.

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Wiring loom

Welcome to the club Ivan.


I used a generic kitcar loom from Autosparks to rewire mine (they could probably provide a pukka Marina loom if you ask nicely)...good quality and nicely documented. With any generic loom you will almost certainly have to adapt it if you still have the Marina clocks with integrated plug and circuit board...but it is going to provide more fusing and relays for peace of mind.


Second hand & NOS Marina looms do come up on eBay (there are several available at the moment) but the risk is they may not be much better than your old one.


There is always the option of building your own, using the original as a template and adapting/improving as appropriate...make sure you use the correct gauge wires though as the Marina had few, if any relays, so wires and switches have to be OEM-spec or better to cope.


As with most things it depends on your budget, technical skills and available time.

[meverett]

Re: Wiring loom

Hi Ivan, I was in the same situation with my original loom, it had been butchered.
I purchased a new loom from Premier Wiring Solutions PWS, gave them my spec and what I am running and they made a loom to suit, all Lucas colours, installation guide and email support for questions.
I have it wired in to the point of turning the engine over but my battery was way past it to survive a couple of cranks of the engine.
Where in Cornwall are you?

[danny_nelson]

Re: Wiring loom

I have a Marina loom, boxed, as removed from the donor available.

[boustrophedon]

Re: Wiring loom

With the benefit of hindsight, I say Make your own. The multiway connectors used on the original Marina (Church window style.) are not reliable and are prone to corrosion in an open top car.

Buy the wire in bulk in one colour and two thicknesses, it really doesn't need to be very thick for things like indicators brake lights and the such. Use a label making machine to label the ends of the wires. Take it one circuit at a time. This is much cheaper than using multi coloured wires. Car builder solutions do a fuse box or a modular fuse box system. I stuck mine in a waterproof housing off Ebay.

Wire up the dash off the car and connect the whole thing with good modern multi way plugs. Heat shrink, self-amalgamating tape and a multimeter are your friends. You will need a crimper for the plugs and sockets.

If you need to join wires use the crimps that come with built in glued heat shrink.

[jon_wilkinson]

Re: Wiring loom

If you do go down the make your own route this is a useful guide: http://www.lbthosting.com/dutton/others/ReWire.pdf