I know many of you have had the bad experience of using the autozone plastic wire covering known as wire loom on your engines. You, no doubt have noticed that it melts very easy and even if it is 3 inches away from exhaust. I have the solution for you.

A few years ago, I picked up some wire loom from a guy at a swap meet. He sold me the "green stripe" factory wire loom in all different sizes from 1/4" -up. This stuff is awesome and I have routed it as close as 1 inch from an uncoated header in my GTA and it has yet to melt after years of service. He sells this stuff by the foot and prices are resonable. He also sells various electrical components such as GM weatherpac connectors and terminals so you can replace the bad ones on your car. BTW, he also accepts credit cards. Here is the info from his business card that he gave me:

Larry's Electric
Specializing in:
Electronic Fuel Injections
Electrical Wiring Components
Wiring Harnesses
Fuel Injection Systems
Bought, Sold, and Traded

Ruma, IL 62278
(618)282-2852

Just thought I would pass this along since I have had a good experience with this gentleman.

------------------
Fiero-related Conversions Performed:

1985 SE 3800 Series 1 SC 4T60-E
1987 Coupe 3800 Series II 4T60-E
1987 SE 3.4 TDC 5-speed
1984 Coupe SBC V8 non-OD to 4T60 OD swap

http://dtcc.cz28.com

[This message has been edited by Darth Fiero (edited 02-17-2003).]

Excelent, this might be of great service to me. Thank you very much!

------------------

F-ing A! I've been trying to find the high temp stuff for hundreds of years!

quote Originally posted by TK: F-ing A! I've been trying to find the high temp stuff for hundreds of years!

Shouldn't you be a... Dead by now then?

------------------
1985 Fiero GT is sold. In search for a 1986-1988 GT Fastback.

I think Painless Wiring also sells a 105C rated wire for use in engine compartment. Summit sells it.

The stuff I would like to find in the convaluted tubing that is as good as the OE stuff. It has a white stripe and can withstand very high temps. You can buy from Packard, you just have to buy 2500' rolls @ a dollar a foot, or something like that....Paul

Does this wire wrap have a split in it? All the high-temp stuff I've seen is solid and therefor nearly useless unless you take the wiring connector apart to feed the wires through.

Yep, has a slit in it. If you look at the factory stuff, you will notice a white stripe which indicates it is high-temp. They also have one with a green stripe that is used in the front for AC wiring and anywhere where high heat is not a factor.......Paul

yes! not all wire-loom is created equal!
took me awhile to find good loom. NAPA actually carries some also. and yes, look for the stuff with the green or white stripe. I found the larger dia. looms at a electrical supply shop. you want to avoid the plain glossy black stuff. it does melt pretty easily.

I have been trying to get some of the Russell wire wrap(http://russellperformance.com/automotive/index.html) it is made of a nylon webing (I think)with a split in the middle. I can't find it near me anywhere!

------------------

quote Originally posted by Pyrthian: yes! not all wire-loom is created equal! took me awhile to find good loom.

Absolutely correct. Wire is the same way. The wrong wire, even with the right loom covering it, can be dangerous as well as annoying.

Most people will use any wire off the shelf. This is usually ok for stuff inside the car but often a problem in the engine bay.

105C rated wire is hard to find in parts stores. One place to try... home improvement stores. Home Depot and others often have 105C wire because it is required by national electrical and fire codes for many applications. Your selection of sizes is limited but it's better than using the wrong type of wire.

You can also look for a company called GrayBar in many areas. They are a national distributor of electrical and telecomunications wiring supplies. They are likely better if you need allot of wire. They tend not to sell short lots of most wire/cable. They are on the pricy side if you don't have an account.

------------------
RIP Crew of Columbia. 01-Feb-03

Painless Wiring sells what they call "extreme condition" bulk wire through Summit. All I could find was 10 and 14 gauge. The 14 gauge sells for $10.95 for 50ft. It is rated for 275 degree F, and Painless claims it meets OEM underhood requirements. Now just don't wrap it in that cheap convaluted tubing that melts at 100 degrees.......Paul

Better yet, just go a a junkyard and grab a few junk wiring harnesses if you don't need any really long sections. I usually find most GM harnesses contain stuff in excess of 5 or 6 feet, depending what car it came from.

Interesting thought on the white stripe wire loom. I have never seen it but it sounds like something I will have to look into. This green stripe stuff is good but it will melt if you get it too close to the exhaust. I would say the limit is about an inch or so. Way better than most of the cheap stuff I see out there. Oh yea, you can buy as much or little of it as you need from this guy (within reason) and it is split loom so getting it onto the wire is not hard.