>
>The other thing you didn't mention is that to get it "right" you need to
>look up the list of what colour wire does what, and buy wires of all manner
>of pretty colours...
>
>either that or do it like the aircraft and have all the wires the same
>colour identified by those little numbers and letters... but the pretty
>colours route is good 'cos then you can take the colour scheme from the
>wiring diagram and replicate it.
>
>I can rememeber a few of 'em: lighting supply is white/blue, main beam is
>blue/white, dip beam blue/red for example. however, on the newer stuff, the
>blue/red only goes as far as the fusebox then it splits into 2 colours for
>LH and RH dip.
>
The old Lucas/British wiring color scheme was quite logical, up to a
point. Modern cars tend to be a nightmare, with different
manufacturers using different colours for different things, or lots of
the same color for different things, or bastard ideas like one wire of
one colour that dissapears into the loom, with a hidden joint half-way
down and emerges as two completely different coloured wires at the
other end.
This is a pretty good guide to old British wiring colours, but it is
by no means the definitive - some of the colours are not what I've
found on old cars, but you have to start with something.
http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/file_uploads/Colour_code_for_vehicle_wiring_-_new_order_2.pdf
As for lots of wires of different colours, when I made my loom I
re-used old wire from half a dozen (modern) vehicle looms, thus
avoiding the need to go out and buy 100 different reels of cable. The
other alternative is to mark the colour codes using different coloured
cable ties - Maplins do a pot of 1000 little ties in 10 colours which
i make much use of when sorting out wiring on old vehicles where the
wires are all black with age and dirt
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=19527&criteria=cable ties&doy=16m5
And only a fiver.
Alex
