What do I need for soldering?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,904
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From: Kern County CA
What do I need for soldering?
Will need to extend speaker wires from the door tweeters to the amp/crossover location, in the hatch area right behind the seats. I've never done any soldering, so please tell me what parts I need. After the connection is made, is it ok to wrap it with electrical tape, or something else?
Thanks,
Thanks,
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,401
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From: Norman OK
Will need to extend speaker wires from the door tweeters to the amp/crossover location, in the hatch area right behind the seats. I've never done any soldering, so please tell me what parts I need. After the connection is made, is it ok to wrap it with electrical tape, or something else?
Thanks,
Thanks,
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,904
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From: Kern County CA
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Chicago Illinois
St. Jude Donor '12
The nicest connection would be one that is soldered. For the record, none of my connections are soldered.
An easy and effective connection would be one that is crimped. To join two wire you can use a butt connector. If you are going to crimp wires, then get yourself a ratcheting crimper, which costs $20 - $25 and makes very solid connections.
An easy and effective connection would be one that is crimped. To join two wire you can use a butt connector. If you are going to crimp wires, then get yourself a ratcheting crimper, which costs $20 - $25 and makes very solid connections.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Augusta, SC
If you end up soldering, buy the solder with flux inside it. "Tin" the end of each wire you're going to connect (with just the one wire there, heat it with the iron and melt solder all over the ~3/8" stripped wire). Do that to both wires, then all you need to do is hold them together and hit them with the iron for a few seconds. They should magically become one solid wire right before your eyes 
Since you remembered to put the heat shrink over one of the wires before joining them, all you need to do next is slide it into place and hit it with a lighter for a few seconds.
Having said that, here's how I do it.... I use butt-splices
However, I twist the wires I'm connecting together like I was going to use a wire nut, then I crimp on a butt-splice over the twisted wires. Haven't had a failure yet, and I splice a lot of wires
Since you remembered to put the heat shrink over one of the wires before joining them, all you need to do next is slide it into place and hit it with a lighter for a few seconds.
Having said that, here's how I do it.... I use butt-splices
However, I twist the wires I'm connecting together like I was going to use a wire nut, then I crimp on a butt-splice over the twisted wires. Haven't had a failure yet, and I splice a lot of wires
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Kern County CA
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St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
been there, done that 
Le Mans Master
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From: Norman OK
This is a very inexpensive set but works fine, you can always spend a little more and get a better crimper.
http://www.harborfreight.com/merchan...kit-67684.html
This is better crimping tool, just get this and a bag of splice's
Red, Yellow and Blue sizes, you will use the red ones the most.
Strip the ends of both wires about 1/4 of a inch put the end of one wire in one end of the splice and crimp it, then put the other wire in the other end of the splice and crimp it. All done. You can wrap it in black tape but if you are spliceing several wires be sure and stagger the length of the wire's so that all the splices are not at the same point in the wire bundle. Wrap all the splices with black tape and you are good to go.
http://www.harborfreight.com/merchan...kit-67684.html
Butt splice's work but inline splices are better for putting two wires together with out a big bluge in the wiring harness.
I worked as a aircraft electrican for 25 years and we used crimp connections most of the time they are fine for all automotive work.
http://www.harborfreight.com/merchan...kit-67684.html
This is better crimping tool, just get this and a bag of splice's
Red, Yellow and Blue sizes, you will use the red ones the most.
Strip the ends of both wires about 1/4 of a inch put the end of one wire in one end of the splice and crimp it, then put the other wire in the other end of the splice and crimp it. All done. You can wrap it in black tape but if you are spliceing several wires be sure and stagger the length of the wire's so that all the splices are not at the same point in the wire bundle. Wrap all the splices with black tape and you are good to go.
http://www.harborfreight.com/merchan...kit-67684.html
Butt splice's work but inline splices are better for putting two wires together with out a big bluge in the wiring harness.
I worked as a aircraft electrican for 25 years and we used crimp connections most of the time they are fine for all automotive work.
Last edited by okie08vette; Nov 7, 2011 at 07:57 PM.
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From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I just extended some 10 guage speaker wires at work using adhesive filled, heat shrink butt splices.
Easy install and maintains the integrity of the cable.
ADC makes a crimper with interchangeable jaws that let you crimp a wide variety/sizes of connectors.
Easy install and maintains the integrity of the cable.
ADC makes a crimper with interchangeable jaws that let you crimp a wide variety/sizes of connectors.
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For the price of a cheap soldering iron, I would opt to solder the wires together and then a piece of shrink wrap tubing over the solder joint.
I can buy a cheap soldering iron for less money than what those fancy ratcheting crimpers cost ... and a solder joint is better than 2 wires cripped together with a butt-splice.
Just my opinion.
I can buy a cheap soldering iron for less money than what those fancy ratcheting crimpers cost ... and a solder joint is better than 2 wires cripped together with a butt-splice.
Just my opinion.
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From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I never recommend that anyone buy cheap tools, including soldering irons.
Cheap irons are almost always too hot for the task, and unless you have excellent skills and can perform the operation quickly, you will burn the site and surrounding wire/insulation creating a brittle connection that is weaker than it's crimped counterpart.
I have some ridiculously expensive mil-spec crimpers and if I didn't make part of my living using them, I would never own them. But I also have a fairly expensive variable-temp, iso-tip soldering iron that still is not the best choice for high power/high amperage connections.
Almost all of the high-capacity speaker connectors I use have clamping contacts as do the portable power distribution systems.
I have soldered literally tens of thousands of audio connections and for high integrity using small wire, it is hard to argue with a long history of success.
But for a novice tackling heavy guage speaker cables, crimp connectors are better, even if you can't afford the professional tool.
An inexpensive crimp tool costs about the same as an inexpensive soldering iron.
Just another opinion.
Cheap irons are almost always too hot for the task, and unless you have excellent skills and can perform the operation quickly, you will burn the site and surrounding wire/insulation creating a brittle connection that is weaker than it's crimped counterpart.
I have some ridiculously expensive mil-spec crimpers and if I didn't make part of my living using them, I would never own them. But I also have a fairly expensive variable-temp, iso-tip soldering iron that still is not the best choice for high power/high amperage connections.
Almost all of the high-capacity speaker connectors I use have clamping contacts as do the portable power distribution systems.
I have soldered literally tens of thousands of audio connections and for high integrity using small wire, it is hard to argue with a long history of success.
But for a novice tackling heavy guage speaker cables, crimp connectors are better, even if you can't afford the professional tool.
An inexpensive crimp tool costs about the same as an inexpensive soldering iron.
Just another opinion.