Weatherpack Connectors: Do You Guys Have A Preference?

[GoDadGo]

Hey Gang,

After I get past my 2nd / 1st start the game plan is to knock out the lights so with that said:

Do You Guys Have A Preference?

I'm specifically looking for "Brand" recommendations if you don't mind.

Steve

[wallace18]

I buy Summits brand. Good price and seems to be good quality Imo. You can buy a whole set or piece by piece. Make sure you buy correct crimping tool for them.

[edwardb]

I get them from DelCity.net. They have all the different cavities (2-wire and up), different sized pins, seals, etc. Not sure what brand specifically they're selling, but it's decent quality. Have used them on several builds. Do make sure you have the required Weatherpack specific crimper. It's possible to spend lots of money on one. But the $40 one DelCity sells works very well for me. Also get a pin extraction tool. It's simple and cheap. And nearly impossible to get the pins out once they click in without damaging something without it. Ask me how I know.

[Papa]

Steve,

I bought the crimper and bulk packs of 2, 3,and 4 port plugs as well as packs of 18-20, 14-16, and 12 gauge pin sets. As already said, don't forget the extractor tool.

[NAZ]

I use a lot of Weather Pack connectors and buy bulk from Del City or when in need of something I'm short of I'll hit up the local NAPA (local is relative when you're a country boy living in the sticks). I haven't a clue if I'm using a variety of manufacturers or not but I've never experienced an incompatibility issue and have always been satisfied with the performance of these connectors. That said, if planning to use connectors inside the car that don't need to be weather tight you may want to look at Molex as they have several types that can handle from small wire low current to wire and current capacities comparable to Weather Pack and are less expensive and have a smaller footprint.

[GoDadGo]

Thanks Gents!

I just looked at the Del City Website and it is really helpful.

[Papa]

Steve,

Another affordable option offered by one of our supporting vendors:

http://replicaparts.com/misc%20tools%20page.htm

[GoDadGo]

Steve,

Another affordable option offered by one of our supporting vendors:

http://replicaparts.com/misc%20tools%20page.htm

Thanks-O-Million!

[TexasAviator]

All great recommendations above.

You may have read my thread but here is some more detail on my kits.
I bought mine on ebay for 13 dollars shipped, I got 20 complete sets.
I soldered them rather than crimped them.
Much more durable and will last longer than the car.

[GoDadGo]

Hey Gang,

I ordered my connectors and tool kit from:

DelCity.net

It was an easy process and I was able to order exactly what I needed.

Thanks,

Steve

[2bking]

The Weather Pack connectors work very well and have spec rating of 20 amps per pin. A common practice for increasing the reliability of electrical devices is to derate the specification to half of its maximum capacity. So in this case, they would be used in circuits requiring up to 10 amps. While this may seem extreme, it helps to account for some manufacturing and assembly variables such as a little corrosion on the mating surfaces, crimps not quite fully formed, and some broken strands in the wire. The connectors can come with pin configurations that accept 12 gauge wire with more current capacity than the connector. The Weather Pack website explains this as the larger wire being better for signal integrity. Weather Pack has other connectors of the same form with up to 42 amps per pin. A lot of information about the Weather Pack Connectors can be found here.

[Straversi]

Del City is great but make sure you order everything at once. I needed two additional connectors and confirmed my order before I realized they charged me $16 for shipping and handling.
-Steve

[Mark Eaton]

Can someone give me a general estimate of how many and what type of connectors and terminals I may need for my MK4? i.e. I assume mainly 3-way connectors and 20-18 Ga terminals?

[GoDadGo]

Can someone give me a general estimate of how many and what type of connectors and terminals I may need for my MK4? i.e. I assume mainly 3-way connectors and 20-18 Ga terminals?

Great Question Dr. Mark & I'm Sure We'll Get An Answer Soon From One Of The Veteran Builders!

.......Note:...I'm just getting to my delayed build but won't do much on it until after Cruising The Coast is over.

[DavidW]

Another affordable option offered by one of our supporting vendors:

http://replicaparts.com/misc%20tools%20page.htm

You get what you need and a little extra, I did make some mistakes and ruined some pins but there were extra. You definitely need the ratchet crimp tool and the release tool. I also soldered the wire to the pin after crimping for a little extra confidence.

[2bking]

I used a three pin connector on each tail light and the front turn signals so they could be disconnected and removed from the body. I used several on the dash but my wiring is different from the Ron Francis harness there. I used several in other places where an item may need to be disconnected just to make future service easier. Basically, I eliminated all the spade single wire connectors so reattachment wouldn't need a schematic to identify what goes where.

[FLPBFoot]

Can someone give me a general estimate of how many and what type of connectors and terminals I may need for my MK4? i.e. I assume mainly 3-way connectors and 20-18 Ga terminals?

I used 9, 3 pin connectors on my build. 1 for each tail/brake light, 1 for each front turn signal and 1 for each headlight. The 9th one I used to connect my fuel pump wiring. Could use only a 2 pin on the fuel pump but since I purchased 10 3 pin I just used a 3 pin.

Steve

[Papa]

I recommend at a minimum:

3-pin for each light (14-16 gauge for brake and turn signals) = 6 connectoros
3-pin for each headlight(4 x 12 gauge and 2 x 14-16 gauge pins) = 2 connectors

I also used a few more connectors:

2-pin for my trunk's license plate light wires
3-pin for my fan connector
2-pin for my fuel pump

I bought a 10 pack of 3-pin (14-16 gauge), a 10 pack of 4-pin (14-16 gauge), a 5 pack of 2-pin (14-16 gauge), and a pack of 12 gauge pins and seals. I also bought the ratcheting crimper and a pin removal tool.

I originally used a pair of 4-pin connectors on my tail lights, but then switched to a pair of 3-pin connectors per side to allow me to remove the lights from the body without de-pinning them. So, ultimately I would say just get a 10-pack of 3-pin (14-16 gauge) and some 12 gauge pin sets to do your lights. Anything else, is nice to have.

[shark92651]

Slightly off-topic but related - If I were to go ahead and shorten the leads and mount the weatherpacks for the lights on all 4 corners, how long should the leads be as they hang off the corners of the frame? Without the body in place I don't want to make the mistake of cutting too short and having to add wire later. Thanks.

[2bking]

Slightly off-topic but related - If I were to go ahead and shorten the leads and mount the weatherpacks for the lights on all 4 corners, how long should the leads be as they hang off the corners of the frame? Without the body in place I don't want to make the mistake of cutting too short and having to add wire later. Thanks.

I shortened the wires so I didn't have much extra length but enough to get the plug through the mounting holes for connecting/disconnecting the lights. That makes it easier to get the plugs mated. I also kept the wire length and pin wiring the same on all the lights so they were interchangeable.