Diana and Jackie Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 First attempt at remanufacturing the headlight conduit on our Ferret... How will come later! Diana and Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana and Jackie Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 The Electrical conduit on our Ferret is in a bad state. Layers of paint and worse still rotten because the galvanised conduit under the braid was totally rusted. Here's how to renew the conduit. Bear in mind the conduits can be a different size. This excercise was to renew the conduit on the headlamps and side/turn indicators on a Ferret Tools - Heat Gun, tube cutter (22mm), pipe wrench, screwdrivers, junior hacksaw, vice. Stores :- Brass tube 9/16 x .014 (ebay), SLEEVING BRAID MBS 95-7.5mm 10M REEL (rapidonline), metal conduit sleeving, nickel plate on brass - 10mm bore, (vintagecarparts) electrical cored solder. Screw on ferrules (pack of 6 on ebay, military surplus) Note - do not use plumbing flux, if the brass parts are cleaned properly the solder wil flow with very little problem. Galvanised steel flexible conduit can be used but in time it will rust again, it will also cause a problem in soldering, the flexible metal conduit sleeving of brass will take solder easily. The original screw fitting will most likely be of brass, if the fittings are under the mudguards or body re-use brass, if they are on the top surface of the vehicle then new screw fittings maybe used. Take care not to damage the brass end fittings inside the old conduit. I have been unable to source new ones. There is no reason why with care they cannot be re-used, along with the screw fittings. Next the photos :-.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana and Jackie Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Remove the old conduit, take care not to damage the wiring, it is preferable to disconnect the wiring, pull it through the old conduit and then remove the conduit. Mark the wiring as neccessary If the conduit goes through the wings or body of the vehicle cut through the conduit as most likely it will pass through a rubber grommet. Grommets can be removed and reused if neccessary and it is a lot easier to remove them without the conduit in the way. The Grommets on our vehicle were probably 50 years old and in good condition. Here is a picture of the old conduit cut in half. The Grommet it passed through was saved. We need to keep the end fittings. This is the new conduit, cut ready to length using the old conduit as a guide. A junior hacksaw will cut the conduit, better still an abrasive cutting disc for a cleaner cut. The next stage is to unsolder the end fittings. The Ferrules which fit over the braid are not going to be reused. On the first conduit we did the end fittings dropped out easily after we appplied heat. On the second headlamp conduit the brass ferrule had to be cut off before the end fittings would drop out as we unsoldered it. Here you can see the roll of braid, new ferrules, a new and old screw fitting and the fittings which are soldered inside the flexible conduit. Here the braid is slid over the new conduit. Make sure the braid is longer (about 30mm at least) than the the conduit underneath. Cut the brass tube which will become the ferrule over the braid, with a tube cutter. Use the length of the old ferrule to determine the length of the new ferrule. Tube cutters often close up the ends of tube. make sure that the end of the ferrule is not reduced in diameter, if it is use a rat tail file to open it up. Clean up all parts to be soldered. kitchen scourers work wonders! If the flexible conduit is new and clean inside very little cleaning will be neccessary. Do not attempt to clean the braid unless it is dirty/corroded. Slide the new brass ferrule over the braid and conduit, the reason for leaving extra braid will now become apparent, as it makes it easier to slide the ferrule, ensure that the end of the ferrule and the end of the new conduit are flush. Cut the excess braid, a sharp kitchen scissors is good, trim it back as close to the end of the conduit as possible. Stray ends can be tucked down inside the conduit, slide the recovered end fitting inside the conduit and tight against the ferrule. Warm the end assembly and flow ample solder into the joint between the ferrule and end fitting. Capillary action will cause the solder to flow inside the assembly. NOW THE IMPORTANT BIT.... FIT both screw fittings onto the new assembly, ensure that they face the correct way - screw ends out. If any grommets need to be fitted now is the time to do it. Repeat the process of fitting the ferrule and end fitting on the remaining end. Make sure the braid is tight over the length of the flexible conduit before ffinally completing the soldering on the last end. A neat job can be done of soldered joints by wiping with a damp cloth or towel roll, take care not to burn yourself. Finally refit the conduit to the vehicle. Job Done Diana and Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Note - do not use plumbing flux, if the brass parts are cleaned properly the solder wil flow with very little problem. No it won't, the purpose of flux is to prevent oxides which the solder can not bond with, what you have done is just filled the void between the braid & the brass ferrule without the solder actualy bonding to it.. Trust me I know, I solder 1,000's of joints every year.. You may get away with it if you used cored solder as used on PCB's not correct for the job... Edited January 8, 2011 by Marmite!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana and Jackie Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 The solder We use will as it is electrical cored solder - As We stated do NOT use plumbers flux as it will cause corrosion. it is specifically designed to remove corrosion and that is not something you want mixed in with electrics. As stated make sure the parts to be soldered are clean Diana and Jackie (and I have soldered billions of joints too!) No it won't, the purpose of flux is to prevent oxides which the solder can not bond with, what you have done is just filled the void between the braid & the brass ferrule without the solder actualy bonding to it.. Trust me I know, I solder 1,000's of joints every year.. You may get away with it if you used cored solder as used on PCB's not correct for the job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 We stated do NOT use plumbers flux as it will cause corrosion. it is specifically designed to remove corrosion and that is not something you want mixed in with electrics. Incorrect ,the primary purpose of flux is to prevent oxidation of the base and filler materials, not all fluxes are active & most active fluxes now are only active while the heat is applied. Good practice is to wash the flux residue away after soldering anyway. It's important to give accurate information, someone reading this who has never soldered before may think that flux is not needed in soldering & get themselves in a right old mess.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrettkitt Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Nice one thats a cracking job:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Superb job R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Have to side with Safariswing on this one, always use flux on a soldered joint, and always clean off the joint afterwards. However, your new lead looks quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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