Good to see you are still working on with the restoration. I can fully understand the need to take a break when things get a little frustrating, and that is probably the best thing to do and come back to it when you are ready, rather than end up hating the process. Well done and I will wait patiently for the next update.
Great to see you back and that the TR7 hasn't been sold on as an unfinished project! I've never had the courage or patience to do what you've done. Pretty inspirational, to be honest! Thanks!
Nice to see you back, I for one had given up on you which is a shame as I find you logic and work methodology totally engaging, you have a relaxed and unique approach to solving issues and problems which I really enjoy. Keep up the excellent work, more TR7 please 👍😊
Ive missed your video updates, so glad you're back! I rewired my Austin 1300 31 years ago wire by wire with the proper connectors but adding more modern features such as Mini style column stalks, 2 speed wipers, electric washers, hazard warning lights and modern stereo wiring all done in the proper colours. It all worked! Wrapping the loomnproperly is an art in itself! You can still get the Lucas multiplugs and the terminals to go in them, I got a bunch of them when upgrading the wiring on my TR7. Glad to see you are using a proper ratchet criming tool and not using those horrible "squeeze and hope" pre insulated blue terminals!
Thanks, good to be back! Yes, I'm going to be adding in a few little extras myself (to come in a future video), but I just wanted to get the basics back to original spec first and get rid of all the old bodged wiring. Yes, the lucas plugs are still available but pretty expensive for what they are! As there was nothing really wrong with the plastic housings on mine I opted to just replace all the pins and reuse the housings. I might go back round and swap all the bullet connectors out though, can't say I'm really a fan of those! And yes, none of those pre insulated terminals are going anywhere near the car! No idea why they're so popular, they look naff and don't crimp properly half the time...
Watching this restored some confidence in my electrical work. Nice to see other people do make bonehead mistakes had to replace wiring behind the dash on mine. Getting it back together nice and tidy was very difficult.
So glad your back! What a job on that wiring, great work, great patience. Looking forward to more of this project - can't wait to see where the engine is at! Keep up the great work.
Thanks! Don't worry, I'm trying for more frequent updates this year - I'm working on two new vids already - plus another two (non-TR7) vids are wrapped and ready for editing...
The flat ribbon cable part of the loom was called Fabrostrip and was a way of automating harness manufacture. It first appeared on Allegros and won a Design Council award in 1974. The wires were welded to a PVC backing. I'd replace it with a conventional loom though!
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. I just assumed they stuck it to a bit of plastic! It does need to be a flat ribbon where it goes along the sill (there's no recess for it, it just goes underneath the carpet there), but yeah, the rest of it I'll just wrap like a normal loom!
Good to see you back and working on the TR sometimes you need to take a break from a big project especially when you’ve done so much work and you have a life alongside it been there myself looking forward to seeing your next update all the best 👍
I did consider that, but for all the looms it's almost £700! I thought this would be more fun to make one myself (and mostly, it was). Plus, this way I can add a few extra wires of my own into the loom.
More excellent, methodical work! Nothing seems to faze Red! Coincidentally I wired a new alternator plug onto my TR7 this week - my thin brown wire had come loose and the battery wasn’t charging. I really struggled with crimping the right angle connectors with pliers and I’m not very happy with the result, but it’s working for now. 🤞
Oh, plenty fazes me! I just tend to turn the camera off for those bits 😆 I found a small pair of pliers for the crimping really helped to get everything sitting right, then properly clamping it down with a bigger pair worked best. Not sure how my alt ever worked, it does look like that thin wire was hidden in the loom right from the factory! But the engine wiring was all kinds of weird anyway, hence the push to put it all back to standard - I was tying myself in knots trying to figure out what some previous owner had done!
Hi Red, nice to see you back! The ballast resistor wire is also known as the 'eureka' wire. This wiring is shorted out when changing to electronic ignition, using a 3 Ohm 12V coil. Early TR7's had a 6V coil with points etc and the yellow & white wire was shorted out on initial ignition start on the turn key to boost for cold starts. When the engine started and you released the key the extra wire (eureka wire) was brought back in, basically the eureka wire is shorted out on initial start. Some of the early fires I believe on the TR7 coupes back in the mid 70's may have been caused by this eureka wire, crazy it's in the loom! Great work. Are you going to be putting on electronic ignition? I hope Henry (from Henry's garage) will enjoy this one :)
Thanks! Yes, I had no idea about the resistor wire, it confused the hell out of me when it went all the way up the loom for no apparent reason - I initially thought (BL build quality being what it was) that someone at the factory messed up the wiring and just buried it in the loom rather than cutting it back properly! She did have electronic ignition (I actually put it in myself, many years ago!), which might explain the 12v coil now I think about it. But the ballast resistor was there when I bought the car, so who knows what sort of mess some PO had made (I seem to remember finding a wire from the coil negative to the starter motor?). Part of why I remade the loom from scratch in the first place. I'm not planning on fitting electronic ignition just yet (keeping things simple and original for now!) but now I think about it, I might just add another wire into the loom for a 12v feed so it's there if I need it.
@@RedsGarageUK Electronic ignition requires a 12V 3 Ohm coil, your coil you measured had a measured value of 1.8 Ohm ( near enough to 1.5) and with the Eureka wire gives you the 3 Ohms. It looks to me that the previous owner used the original 1.5 Ohm coil and added a ballast resistor of 1.5 Ohms not knowing either about the eureka wire. I have seen this before. It is imperative that this eureka wire is permanently shorted out (usually by shorting white & white & yellow) if electronic ignition is added.
@@ChrisFEJacksonOddly enough though, the car just had standard points ignition when I got her. So no idea what the extra resistor was doing there! The wiring around the coil pretty much fell apart when I took it all out so I'm not sure what the setup actually was now.
@@RedsGarageUK Maybe electronic ignition was tried using the same coil and adding the 1.5 Ohm ballast resistor, not knowing of the eureka wire. It didn't work so points were put back in and it worked! Once the extra ballast resistor was removed and left in situ cuz it looked good :)
With my Accuspark electronic ignition on my TR7 I have used a normal 12v non ballasted coil with a 12v ignition wire (white) and it works as it should. The ballast/eureka wire has been bypassed.
Can you fly you to California to sort out my one headlight and back up light issues ? one of my headlights will not go up but if I manually crank it all the way up with the switch turned off it will come down on it's own. I've ran a battery to test the motor at the plug behind the headlight and it works both up and down.
Good to see you are still working on with the restoration. I can fully understand the need to take a break when things get a little frustrating, and that is probably the best thing to do and come back to it when you are ready, rather than end up hating the process. Well done and I will wait patiently for the next update.
Yeah, I needed the break - I just never meant for it to be for this long! Back on the case now though 👍
Excellent video mate
Thanks!
Great to have you bACK RED. And a typically great episode. And nice to see you using the Mini switch as I did.
Thanks! Yeah, I think I'll be doing the same with the indicator switch, too. Why pay TR7 prices when mini ones are the same but cheaper?
Great to see you back and that the TR7 hasn't been sold on as an unfinished project! I've never had the courage or patience to do what you've done. Pretty inspirational, to be honest! Thanks!
I've got way too much work in her to sell her now!
Nice to see you back, I for one had given up on you which is a shame as I find you logic and work methodology totally engaging, you have a relaxed and unique approach to solving issues and problems which I really enjoy. Keep up the excellent work, more TR7 please 👍😊
Thanks for sticking around! I never meant to be away this long... I'm already working on two more '7 videos, so don't worry 👍
Ive missed your video updates, so glad you're back! I rewired my Austin 1300 31 years ago wire by wire with the proper connectors but adding more modern features such as Mini style column stalks, 2 speed wipers, electric washers, hazard warning lights and modern stereo wiring all done in the proper colours. It all worked! Wrapping the loomnproperly is an art in itself!
You can still get the Lucas multiplugs and the terminals to go in them, I got a bunch of them when upgrading the wiring on my TR7. Glad to see you are using a proper ratchet criming tool and not using those horrible "squeeze and hope" pre insulated blue terminals!
Thanks, good to be back! Yes, I'm going to be adding in a few little extras myself (to come in a future video), but I just wanted to get the basics back to original spec first and get rid of all the old bodged wiring.
Yes, the lucas plugs are still available but pretty expensive for what they are! As there was nothing really wrong with the plastic housings on mine I opted to just replace all the pins and reuse the housings. I might go back round and swap all the bullet connectors out though, can't say I'm really a fan of those!
And yes, none of those pre insulated terminals are going anywhere near the car! No idea why they're so popular, they look naff and don't crimp properly half the time...
Watching this restored some confidence in my electrical work. Nice to see other people do make bonehead mistakes had to replace wiring behind the dash on mine. Getting it back together nice and tidy was very difficult.
That many connections, there was inevitably going to be something go wrong! I'm just happy I didn't set anything on fire 😁
So glad your back! What a job on that wiring, great work, great patience. Looking forward to more of this project - can't wait to see where the engine is at! Keep up the great work.
Thanks! More to come, the engine has taken a slightly new direction... video on that coming soon!
Welcome back, glad your back at it again
Thanks!
Well done! And great to see you back, thanks for posting :) And as and when, life does get in the way!
Thanks! Don't worry, I'm trying for more frequent updates this year - I'm working on two new vids already - plus another two (non-TR7) vids are wrapped and ready for editing...
Good job as ever. It is job I would hestiate to take on (and I qualified as an electronics engineer)
Thanks! It's been a lot of work but not actually too complicated. Just one wire at a time. Glad I had the old loom to refer to, though!
The flat ribbon cable part of the loom was called Fabrostrip and was a way of automating harness manufacture. It first appeared on Allegros and won a Design Council award in 1974. The wires were welded to a PVC backing. I'd replace it with a conventional loom though!
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. I just assumed they stuck it to a bit of plastic!
It does need to be a flat ribbon where it goes along the sill (there's no recess for it, it just goes underneath the carpet there), but yeah, the rest of it I'll just wrap like a normal loom!
Wow I say, You have the patience of a Saint. May I ask how long the loom assembly took?. Another detailed video.
Thanks.
Good to see you back and working on the TR sometimes you need to take a break from a big project especially when you’ve done so much work and you have a life alongside it been there myself looking forward to seeing your next update all the best 👍
Thanks! I'm looking forward to actually having this as a car and not just a project though. It's been too long 😆
That looks monumental. If it were me, I would just get one made up by Autosparks.
I did consider that, but for all the looms it's almost £700! I thought this would be more fun to make one myself (and mostly, it was). Plus, this way I can add a few extra wires of my own into the loom.
More excellent, methodical work! Nothing seems to faze Red!
Coincidentally I wired a new alternator plug onto my TR7 this week - my thin brown wire had come loose and the battery wasn’t charging. I really struggled with crimping the right angle connectors with pliers and I’m not very happy with the result, but it’s working for now. 🤞
Oh, plenty fazes me! I just tend to turn the camera off for those bits 😆
I found a small pair of pliers for the crimping really helped to get everything sitting right, then properly clamping it down with a bigger pair worked best.
Not sure how my alt ever worked, it does look like that thin wire was hidden in the loom right from the factory! But the engine wiring was all kinds of weird anyway, hence the push to put it all back to standard - I was tying myself in knots trying to figure out what some previous owner had done!
great video, well done and welcome back !
Thanks!
Welcome back. Great to see you again!
Thanks! Good to be back!
Amazing video thanks and I still think it will be on the road before mine 😂
Thanks! I'm aiming to get her back on the road before the end of this year. But then again, I've said that several times before 😄
Hi Red, nice to see you back! The ballast resistor wire is also known as the 'eureka' wire. This wiring is shorted out when changing to electronic ignition, using a 3 Ohm 12V coil. Early TR7's had a 6V coil with points etc and the yellow & white wire was shorted out on initial ignition start on the turn key to boost for cold starts. When the engine started and you released the key the extra wire (eureka wire) was brought back in, basically the eureka wire is shorted out on initial start. Some of the early fires I believe on the TR7 coupes back in the mid 70's may have been caused by this eureka wire, crazy it's in the loom! Great work. Are you going to be putting on electronic ignition?
I hope Henry (from Henry's garage) will enjoy this one :)
Thanks! Yes, I had no idea about the resistor wire, it confused the hell out of me when it went all the way up the loom for no apparent reason - I initially thought (BL build quality being what it was) that someone at the factory messed up the wiring and just buried it in the loom rather than cutting it back properly!
She did have electronic ignition (I actually put it in myself, many years ago!), which might explain the 12v coil now I think about it. But the ballast resistor was there when I bought the car, so who knows what sort of mess some PO had made (I seem to remember finding a wire from the coil negative to the starter motor?). Part of why I remade the loom from scratch in the first place.
I'm not planning on fitting electronic ignition just yet (keeping things simple and original for now!) but now I think about it, I might just add another wire into the loom for a 12v feed so it's there if I need it.
@@RedsGarageUK Electronic ignition requires a 12V 3 Ohm coil, your coil you measured had a measured value of 1.8 Ohm ( near enough to 1.5) and with the Eureka wire gives you the 3 Ohms. It looks to me that the previous owner used the original 1.5 Ohm coil and added a ballast resistor of 1.5 Ohms not knowing either about the eureka wire. I have seen this before. It is imperative that this eureka wire is permanently shorted out (usually by shorting white & white & yellow) if electronic ignition is added.
@@ChrisFEJacksonOddly enough though, the car just had standard points ignition when I got her. So no idea what the extra resistor was doing there! The wiring around the coil pretty much fell apart when I took it all out so I'm not sure what the setup actually was now.
@@RedsGarageUK Maybe electronic ignition was tried using the same coil and adding the 1.5 Ohm ballast resistor, not knowing of the eureka wire. It didn't work so points were put back in and it worked! Once the extra ballast resistor was removed and left in situ cuz it looked good :)
With my Accuspark electronic ignition on my TR7 I have used a normal 12v non ballasted coil with a 12v ignition wire (white) and it works as it should. The ballast/eureka wire has been bypassed.
also this may be an odd question but could you share your spread sheet for the wiring loom / ordering list
Can you fly you to California to sort out my one headlight and back up light issues ? one of my headlights will not go up but if I manually crank it all the way up with the switch turned off it will come down on it's own. I've ran a battery to test the motor at the plug behind the headlight and it works both up and down.