The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay what guage for rewireing 6 vol;t

I need to replace the existing tail and turn signal wires do to deterioration.What would be the right guage of wire to buy a spool of?

6V system min 16 ga better 14 ga

I agree on the gauge, but would buy some rolls of different colors. It's tough trying to chase down a problem with all the wires one color. I had to figure out an old jeep that had been wired with all black wires, took me forever!

The previous owners of my dad's 1930 Fjord AA rewired the entire truck with orange wire, then just twisted and taped the connections. Luckily, a proper restoration harness was very cheap, or I would still be cussing at that electrical system!

Thanks for the info.Ive managed to get the stop and tail lights working.Next is the blinkers.Ihave power to the flasher but nothing comeing out.I get no power comeing out of the flasher so im asuemeing it is bad.I do not have the blinkers hooked up but i dont think that should make a difference should it?

The wiring on a vintage vehicle is very simple, you guys make it difficult You can use one color wire,as there is many more terminal points than colors. just keep track of it.Go to the electrial section of your Homeless Depot, buy a book of stick on numers.Number every termination and record it in a directory. You can buy wire at the same place,stranded thhn/thwn building wire is oil and gas resistant and far superior to the usual pvc insulated wire found in reproduction wiring harnesses.14 guage is easy to work with,can handle 10-15 amps without a voltage drop , 10 guage to the amp meter and charging system.Go to Radio Shack to buy termination barrier strips, use the Euro style, stick in the stripped end of the wire and tighten down the screw.Buy good quality crimp on electrial terminations(Panduit, T&B), use a quality crimping tool , not those made in China junk tool that comes in the cheap terminal kit.Buy a good sharp dedicated wire stripper, the small ones with the 10-18 guage stripping holes will last for years .Wiring is nice, no grease ,not heavy, no expensive tools and mistakes are inexpensive.

You need to have it hooked up to the bulbs. or something to draw current through the flasher. Make sure you have the right flasher for the number of bulbs. Two or four bulbs. I think it is the resistance of the bulbs that heats the flashers to make them flash.

Thanks for that info.I would have wondered why all the flashers id buy were bad. When i started on this truck it had no motor and none of the engine ,tail light or turnsignal wires were conected.I curently have every thing working exceppt the turnsignals.If i remove the flasher and run a wire from the hot terminal to either side it should run curent through so i can find wich wires are directionals? Are the three prongs on a flasher one hot,one left and one right?

I would add that it is a good idea to use tinned wire. This wire has a coating of tin over the copper. It really helps for corrosion protection, the wire only costs a little bit more. If you have trouble finding it you can order many sizes and colours from Digikey - digikey.com. Great people to deal with.

I have an Alpha Chart, Rough gauge sizes vs amperage, note this is when the insulation melts.
30 ga 2-3 amp
24 ga 6-8 amp
18 ga 15-18 amp
16 ga 19-25 amp
14 ga 27-33 amp
12 ga 36-45 amp
The amperage difference depends on the insulation.
These are single conductor in free air ratings, for a bundle of 2-5 derate x.8, 6-15 derate x.7.
Hope this helps
David