I bought my 71 442 with the motor rebuilt and laid back in the engine compartment. The entire harness was all there except for damage to a few wires that got pinched and cut off. I repaired three of them, two to the transmission switch for spark advance, but the thick purple wire to the solenoid is missing the last six inches or so. I have found a piece of a slightly thicker gauge wire with the correct terminal for the solenoid. This damaged purple wire goes from the solenoid back to the fuse block and then to the neutral switch I believe. Is it OK to slice a slightly thicker gauge wire to this purple wire? I would solder and heat shrink the connection.

Secondly, there are two brown wires 5.5 inches long coming out of the harness at approx where a voltage regulator would be in a Cutlass. These two wires end in one terminal connector. I can't see what would attach to it. Is this just part of the harness if you had another option, ie., electric defroster etc. The car does not have air.

 

Splicing is ok, the best way is to solder the wires and then cover splice with shrink tube but tape will work. If it shows make it neat. You should be able to find the proper gage wire. Look close as sometimes it is just the insulation that makes the wire appear thicker. Slightly thicker wire is ok but may look not so nice.

 

For engine compartment environments, the above is the only safe reliable way to do it. The metal crimp things without the insulation are fine for use to hold the wires together while soldering. Use a hot iron and flux core solder - make it flow into every nook and cranny!

 

Brown wires are usually associated with the lighting circuits on Oldsmobiles.

Examples:

gen light at the dash( which is the #4 terminal of the voltage regulater)
under hood lamp
side marker lights
license lamp etc.

 

Small wire to Big wire = always okay.
Big wire to Small wire = usually bad.

Note that a bigger wire with larger strands may not be able to withstand vibration as well as one with finer strands.

And, as others have already drilled home, always solder, and if at all possible, use shrink tubing instead of tape.

- Eric