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Tips

Crimping Bullet Terminals

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Tinkerman

Tinkerman

Darth Vader
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So I was humming away on my heater for the TR3, and was putting the finishing touches on the motor wires. I soldered a ring terminal for the ground wire. Hunted up my bullet terminals and the crimping tool and realized I have never used one! My question is where in the attached picture do I crimp?

Would appreciate some sage advise here.

Thanks, Tinkerman
 

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I have actually seen them crimped both places.
If you crimp the shield (on the left), it may not fit easily into an attaching sleeve.
If you crimp the recess (to the right), be careful not to over-do it.

That said, in all these decades of auto electric and restoration, I don't crimp only, I solder and crimp.

Crimp is okay for mechanical, but in the long run, not so good for electrical due to vibration and corrosion.

We used the same type of connectors (but not Lucas) in old Fords to extremely good success...except for aftermarket replacements, which sucked.

I think in these bullet connectors I would avoid the possibility of distortion and just solder (which is exactly what I am doing with my LBC).
 
Hmm, one of those that I think I know instinctivly until I think twice. I would measure the depth and if the stripped wire will go clear through the fitting, then I would crimp at the smaller part of the fitting. If the wire only goes in to the larger part then crimp there.
 
The stripped wire should go all the way through (otherwise you are using the wrong size bullet for your wire), and the crimp should be done in the reduced neck. The round body is where it makes contact with the connector, so you don't want to distort that.

As Dave says, the best procedure IMO is to both crimp and solder the wire at the tip.

If necessary (because you don't have the right bullet on hand), the bore can be opened up with a small drill until it will just slip over the stripped wire. But the fit needs to be snug, so the crimp actually deforms the bullet around the individual strands of wire to form gas-tight joints.
 
One of the things you will find is using the standard, everyday crimper won't work well on these, hence my prediliction to solder.
The crimpers I have available are too wide for the groove,
The original bullet connectors I have seen are crimped with something much finer, and often in more than one place (like it balances the crimp load around the recess to keep from distorting the bullet).
I've been doing this since, oh, 1965 and haven't find a better crimper yet.
 
TOC said:
The original bullet connectors I have seen are crimped with something much finer, and often in more than one place (like it balances the crimp load around the recess to keep from distorting the bullet).
I've been doing this since, oh, 1965 and haven't find a better crimper yet.
Click to expand...
British Wire sells the proper crimper, which makes those fancy hexagonal crimps. Not cheap, though.
https://www.britishwiring.com/CAT28_29.PDF
 
TR3driver said:
TOC said:
The original bullet connectors I have seen are crimped with something much finer, and often in more than one place (like it balances the crimp load around the recess to keep from distorting the bullet).
I've been doing this since, oh, 1965 and haven't find a better crimper yet.
Click to expand...
British Wire sells the proper crimper, which makes those fancy hexagonal crimps. Not cheap, though.
https://www.britishwiring.com/CAT28_29.PDF
Click to expand...

<span style="color: #990000">Randall is 100% correct. I've crimped hundreds of bullets with the proper tool.
Then I soldered them as well. I inserted the wire so it came out the bullet end,
made the hexangonal crimp, trimmed the end of excess wire and soldered.
Afyer a few you'll get the hang of how much wire to strip. You CANNOT over-crimp
with the proper tool.

Edit: The wire will suck in the solder with the wire is at correct temp.
I used a mini-butane torch.

regards,


dale(Tinster)</span>
 
BobbyD said:
When I installed my new harness many years ago, I bought the crimping tool from BW which makes the perfect crimp. Being a bit paranoid I also soldered every bullet connector. I also wish I had bought the bullet connector tool.

BWTools.jpg
Click to expand...


<span style="color: #990000">BobbyD- you get the award for glutton for torture!! You installed
an entire wire harness without the bullet pliers? That's some awful task there buddy.
I would have guessed after about 5 connectors you'd have called BW and had the
pliers sent next day Fed-X.

You know, that BW crimper is a handy tool in general. I use it for all
kinds of things.

best regards,

Dale(Tinster)</span>
 
I bought the crimping tool but never gave a thought to the connector tool. Guess I need to call BW and order it. Thanks for the info. Ya gotta love the Forum!

Cheers, Tinkerman
 
Tinkerman said:
I bought the crimping tool but never gave a thought to the connector tool. Guess I need to call BW and order it. Thanks for the info. Ya gotta love the Forum!

Cheers, Tinkerman
Click to expand...


<span style="color: #990000">Tinkerman: here's another tip. Purchase a butane mini-torch and some
thin diameter solder . Crimp the bullet on the wire, trim the end and use the crimping
tool to hold the bullet vertical. Heat the bullet with the mini-torch and the solder
will be sucked into the wires. Torch can be had a Radio Shack or Home Despot. $15
here on the island so probably $10.00 in the States.

Best of luck.

Dale(Tinster)</span>

torch.jpg
 
Now for another potentially expensive senior moment. I know that I ordered and received some new bullet connectors and the twin connectors that they fit into. I know that I read Dale's original thread about these tools and I THINK that I ordered the two tools, but after packing all of my spare parts and moving, I can't find the connectors or the box they were in that had the receipt in it. Looks like I better call BW and ask about what I had ordered before duplicating the tools.

I do like that little torch better than my old trust Weller gun or even my pencil tip station unit.
 
Solder is almost mandatory, especially for cars that sit a lot.
Prince Lucas may visit you sooner than later if you just crimp.
Also, ALWAYS tin the wire first, or the wires with "collapse" with vibration and "dim, flicker and off" will become norm.

I don't crimp.
I solder only anymore, as I can insure solid connection, no electical failure, and the ability to remove and reuse if needs be.

On the older Ford bullets, I dig out the old wire, clean the hole with the appropriate numbered drill bit, and solder new wire into the old conector.

Works for me, and has not only on my vehicles, but those I have repaired/restored for over 40 years.
 
Besides soldering and crimping, I always added the appropriately sized little piece of shrink tubing just behind the connector and slightly overlapping the little jewel. That way the connection becomes a bit more moisture resistant and it gives you a little more to grab onto when pulling them apart. Doesn't hurt to occasionally twist all connections every year to deglaze them. Part of being OCD.
 
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