Made in USA Primary Wire

[par4tom]

I'm an old car-audio guy from a long time back and I've been working on restoring my 61 chevy truck for almost 3 years.

I finally got to the point of rewiring the truck (headlights with relays...new wires throughout the engine compartment and to the taillights) and instead of buying harnesses from a 3rd party vendor I decided to just make and replace what I needed. I already had the strippers and connectors anyway...

So...I went to the local auto parts store and bought a couple of rolls of primary wire and let me tell you...boy is it tough to strip and work with!!! I also questioned some of the quality as I had been using Stinger and Scosche wire for years.

Frustrated, I did a little search on ebay for "Made in USA" Primary Wire and came across a company called OcapoIndustries on the East Coast offering primary wire in different gauges and in 50 foot rolls for about the same price I was spending on 25 foot rolls at the auto parts place...

The wire finally arrives and let me tell you...the difference was immediately noticeable! Not only does the wire itself seem to have a bit more copper and be more flexible, but the jacket is very pliable and easier to work with without tearing up my hands.

I don't normally do a "shout out" for a vendor or product...but I recommend this wire highly to someone who does a bit of their own wiring...

[VonDog]

Good info and thanks!!!

[gmachinz]

What you need to look for are companies that offer j1128 rated wiring. If they don't list it or don't know what it means, chances are its cheap and probably offshore sourced. J1128 means its rated @ 257 degrees thus making it suitable for under hood use. This is a modern typenof wire and exceeds the older, acrylic based jacketing used on automotive applications well into the 80's. Also, j1128 means its resistant to oils, most solvents and acids. And, since heat builds resistance and that resistance adds to voltage drop issues, its important to try and pay attention to the heat rating of the wiring you choose.

For example, I use j1128 SXL and TXL wiring which basically refers to the thickness of the jacketing-and its USA made wiring. If you've ever tried to solder cheap parts store wire only to have the jacketing melt before even applying solder then you know what I'm refering to. J1128 wiring withstands a lot of heat and as far as resistance, that's a good thing.

[SilverMiner]

Originally Posted by par4tom

...Frustrated, I did a little search on ebay for "Made in USA" Primary Wire and came across a company called OcapoIndustries on the East Coast offering primary wire in different gauges and in 50 foot rolls for about the same price I was spending on 25 foot rolls at the auto parts place...

The wire finally arrives and let me tell you...the difference was immediately noticeable! Not only does the wire itself seem to have a bit more copper and be more flexible, but the jacket is very pliable and easier to work with without tearing up my hands.

I don't normally do a "shout out" for a vendor or product...but I recommend this wire highly to someone who does a bit of their own wiring...

Got a link or other source so we know where to buy it?

[benwah]

Originally Posted by SilverMiner

Got a link or other source so we know where to buy it?

I just typed j1128 on ebay search. Good selection of colors with different color stripes in 25' rolls for 9$. Thats a lot cheaper than NAPA! Good thread!

[68c10airstream]

I too have been frustrated with poor quality wire. Living up north still doing a few repairs wiring usually comes my way. Recently i was out of old stock and was on a dead line so i went to a marine repair shop and got anchor brand and it was made in the usa and also it is pre-tinned. Very expensive but sure was nice.

[gmachinz]

I recently got some parts for a mockup from a popular wiring supplier/vendor and was not impressed with the wiring. Granted its geared towards the "restoration" crowd but personally I don't care for the quality of OEM type acrylic jacketing-I use 1000-ft spools of SXL/TXL automotive grade j1128 wire which is a far superior wire for use in all of my harness builds.
I prefer to build OEM style but I upgrade all aspects of an old harness design to modern performance wherever possible.

[dirtyjim]

gmachinz, thanks for the info on the wire spec's. like a few others here i'm planning on rebuilding some parts of my factory harness. I recently bought two 100ft rolls of 12 ga wire, compared to the parts store stuff it looks great. i've emailed the manufacture to get the spec's hopefully the come back as j1128, if not i'll find another use for it

[dirtyjim]

I've also found several sources for any wire I buy in the future.
I spent the money on Packard crimp tools and the correct terminals so it doesn't make sense to skimp on the wire.