Guest slacker1965 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 have any of you used plastic media or soda to lightly blast the contacts & fuse holder on the main wiring connectors? I have my whole harness out for a test/detail session & I don't want to even think about sanding all those contacts & fuse holder terminals clean before I slather them w/dielectric(sp?) grease & reinstall...my OE harness was very corroded due to a w/s leak, so I am switching to a parts car harness that I know is good......thanksks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) I use walnut shells on anything related to the wiring harness. I use plastic media extensively on other things but feel it would be too agressive for the bakelite around the terminals. With shells you'll still need to use lower pressure and proceed with caution. Neither is great at removing real rust though. If its just a very light surface rust no problem. Sometimes nothing beats old fashioned hand work to insure no collateral damage. In addition to a piece of sandpaper attached to a small screwdriver or a fine grit polishing stone, I also use a dremel with a small wire wheel to clean electrical terminals. These terminals originally had a thin plating on them so you don't want to be any more agressive than necessary and remove the plating. Edited March 11, 2014 by JZRIV (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Have you considered letting it soak in some Evapo-Rust? I soaked a bunch of stuff in it and those parts came out rust free. I used a plastic tub to contain everything. The plastic was unharmed. The nice thing about the Evapo-Rust is that it is environmentally friendly. No fumes, doesn't irritate your skin, and can be poured down the drain to dispose of it.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog93 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Everything i touch electric-wise on my 64 turns to dust if it is plastic. I have just about given up trying to save connectors. Garage is garbage and i plan on replacing all the wiring and plugs/connectors myself. Even the ones i salvaged i do not feel good about from a safety/common sense point of view. 50 year old connectors are going to be junk and likely need to be replaced right? Yea i'm sure rewiring the whole car is going to be a blast, but the electrical is not something i would want to half-ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I have had the harness out of my '64. I replaced a few of the damaged terminals with Belden replacements from NAPA. Any copper or brass terminals are best cleaned using a lead pencil eraser. They polish right up and work fine.Lisle tools makes a great tool: http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-56500-Terminal-Tool/dp/B0009OR906/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_text_z. You can take all the connectors apart, clean the plastic with lacquer thinner, and repair damaged ends.There is one lying on the table in this old picture: http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/Riviera/2011-02-27/035.pngBernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Radio Shack DeOxit contact cleaner works well, too.Make sure you get one that is "safe for most plastics".I have had great success with this:http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=29392326 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slacker1965 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 TYVM group! that is exactly the kind of info that I needed. I will document & try all suggestions & report back. I will put in a temp simple harness(I was gonna do it anyway with water & oil gauges) to move the car around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 TYVM group! that is exactly the kind of info that I needed. I will document & try all suggestions & report back. I will put in a temp simple harness(I was gonna do it anyway with water & oil gauges) to move the car around.Any results to report yet?David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlbraun Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I bit the bullet and sent the whole under dash harness to YnZ in Redlands, CA after seeing what it looked like and how many connectors may be questionable. they now have the underhood, underdash, console and rear light harnesses available for the early RivsExpensive but boy was it sweet when it showed up...all wires tagged and supplied with a cross ref sheetCarl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 It's definitely better to be safe than sorry…if u don't mind me asking, how much is expensive? No worries if that's too personal, I can always give them a call. What kind of turn around time did where u faced with?Wait did u say they have them available as in they have the harnesses in stock??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlbraun Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 It's definitely better to be safe than sorry…if u don't mind me asking, how much is expensive? No worries if that's too personal, I can always give them a call. What kind of turn around time did where u faced with?Wait did u say they have them available as in they have the harnesses in stock???Good luck with the "in stock" angle...I waitied close to 8 weeks for my underdash harnesses. I think the engine and front lighting harnesses may be in stock though.YnZ took my original under dash harnesses and reproduced them using a few of the original connectors and probably the firewall plugs. Here is their breakdown...1965 RivieraFirewall to Under Dash*....................................709.00Fuse Box to Under Dash*..................................499.00Console Cluster (Extension)*............................142.00** Original Connector Bodies Needed. Inquire.Engine Harness................................................273.00Forward Lamp Harness.....................................305.00A/C Harness......................................................247.00http://www.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/pdfs/Buick.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slacker1965 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Any results to report yet?DaviddavidI have the walnut media but have not had time to try it out on my fuse panel & wire ends. paying work comes 1st..... I got the small blaster & media @ harbor freight for under $30....I'd give that a go before spending hundreds on new wiring if yours looks intact....JMHOks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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