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TR2/3/3A tr3 wiring harness

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sp53

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tr3 wiring harness

Hi all, I just purchased a wiring harness from British Wiring for my 61 tr3. I was wondering if anybody knows what color the original ends were/are for the push on connectors. Their harness came with clear ends and that does not seem right, but I do not know. It was made in England with cloth covering and looks like it is of very good quality. In addition, does anyone know where I can get some of those little bullet ends that go on the rear lights?
Steve
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Steve, don't your friends at BW sell those? I know that MOSS does....
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Hi Steve, the clear rubber covers that go over the electrical connectors on the wiring harness are correct.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

sp53 said:
In addition, does anyone know where I can get some of those little bullet ends that go on the rear lights?
Click to expand...
I don't know where to get the hokey ones where you poke the wire through the bullet and fold it over. But TRF carries both solder and crimp type bullets, which are much better IMO.
https://www.zeni.net/trf/TR6greenbook/38.php?s_wt=1680&s_ht=1050

The crimp type can also be soldered, which is what I do (since I've never bought the proper crimping tool). The tighter fit between bullet and wire makes for a better solder joint, IMO, than the 'solder' type.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Thanks for your help all. And yes Randal it was the hokey ones I was looking for. I wanted this thing to be totally original and had actually forgotten that the rear lights had those hokey fittings. Like you said Randal I converted my other car years ago to a more suitable connector. I really had to think back and remember what the fitting looked years ago. In fact, I had actually thought that the PO of the one I have had for 35+ years Mickey moused the thing. How did they every produce such a hillbilly way of doing it. Did they think they needed to change them out often or something? And thanks Geo for the AH cross-reference, you the man.
Steve
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

I'm not totally convinced that Triumph did use those hokey bullets. It may be that, since Triumph did not connect the ground lugs for the rear lamps, the empty bullets were just left in the lamp holders, and later pressed into use by various DPOs.

Anyone know ?
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Perhaps those are from Lucas and supplied as part of the lamp assembly.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Seeing as the Lucas L549 lamp was used in one form or another by probably half of the British manufacturers of the era and was also readily available as an "add-on" or "update" taillamp unit, I'm sure it was as easy to install them and leave them in place as it was NOT to!? These "terminal sleeves" (Lucas 555910, I think) were used on a number of other lamps, too.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Andrew Mace said:
These "terminal sleeves" (Lucas 555910, I think)
Click to expand...
I couldn't figure out if 555910 was the 'bullet' portion, or the sleeve that the bullet goes into. If it is the former, as you think, then they are available from TRF under P/N LU555910.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

'Twas a bit hard to tell from my Lucas catalogues, as I couldn't find a picture of just 555910. However, since the catalogues list them as a separate piece (which would not be the case with the part on the lamp that the wire "connects" to), I'm assuming that "sleeve" refers to the part that slips over the wire (like a shirt sleeve slips over your arm).

OTOH, my one catalogue describes that particular sleeve part number as being around 3/16" diameter. I'm too lazy to go measure any lamps in the cold barn, but that's about the size I'd picture it being!
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Well, I suppose now we need someone to drop a whole $1 and buy one to see what they get :laugh:
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Thanks all for looking. What got me wondering about the tail lights is that the new harness from England did not have any connectors for the rear lights; the harness is bare on the end. I ask them about it at BW and they said that is the way they have always been and that they could not find the larger bullet inserts anymore. They suggested I solder something on the end! Not what I wanted to hear. But, clearly, I could buy some crimp on bullet connectors at Radio shack and just open them on the end a little and they will fit in the larger hole. However, I am doing this purist thing out of curiosity and hobby because I always wanted to have a car that had not been improvised. In the final analyzes, I am thinking because the bullet holes are bigger on the light frames for the early front lights also that perhaps the wiring harness were made for a kinda generic application and not just specially for Lucus lights ? kinda what Dave is saying.
Steve
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

sp53 said:
In the final analyzes, I am thinking because the bullet holes are bigger on the light frames for the early front lights also that perhaps the wiring harness were made for a kinda generic application and not just specially for Lucus lights ?
Click to expand...
Steve, I think it's more a matter that those particular connectors were pretty much always supplied with the lamp units rather than with the harness. For example, here's a picture (from Holden UK) of the L594 lamp base:

https://www.holden.co.uk/getImage2008.asp...H=w&max=300

Note that the terminal sleeves are there.

And, of course, one has to feed the wires through rather tiny holes in the rubber base. Again from Holden UK:

https://www.holden.co.uk/getImage2008.asp...H=w&max=300

I realize it's not quite the same with the L549

https://www.holden.co.uk/getImage2008.asp...H=w&max=300

but those connectors are used there as well for somewhat similar reasons.

Oddly, I can't find a listing for the terminal sleeves on Holden's web site, but they probably have them as well!

OH WAIT: Here they are!

terminal sleeves, aka earthing sleeve !
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

I think the reason they used the "loose" bullet connectors, and bare wire ends on the harness, is for assembly and service. The lamps all have a rubber back that the wire must be poked through to get to the terminal. In order to keep the hole small so it seals (ha, ha) around the wire, the bullet is left off until after the wire is poked through. The bullet is not crimped nor soldered on in order to facilitate future dis/reassembly for service.
 
Re: tr3 wiring harness

Ever since I can remember, my 1958 TR3A came new with the loose (empty) bullet connectors for the rear tail lights. The wire is slid into the bullet in the usual manner but then the copper wire strands are folded outwards and back about 1/4" to 3/8". Then the loose empty bullet connector is inserted into the connector base on the rear side of the lamps in the same way if they had been soldered. But mine never were - nor are they now - soldered in.
 

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