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I'm in the middle of restoring some of the wiring harness for my 68 442. I purchased some male Packard 56 terminals and a pair of Delphi crimpers that were recommended. The problem is the terminals aren't crimpimg worth a hoot. I have some luck with the 14-16AWG size, but the 12AWG are impossible to crimp successfully.
Has anyone else run into this sort of issue? Can someone recommend a crimping tool that they have had luck with?
Open to suggestions...
Last edited by 1968_Post; January 15th, 2016 at 05:18 PM.
There are a lot of crappy crimp tools out there. I finally got a ratcheting crimper with replaceable jaws and bought the correct jaws for the Packard connectors. Even then, I have problems getting the crimps started. I often need to pre-bend the ears on the terminal to get them going the right way. I suspect that part of this is due to crappy repro terminals. I've found a wide variation in terminal quality on the market, from thin brass ones to expensive plated steel ones like the factory.
I've run into the same thing, Joe. You DO have to pre-bend the top of them, otherwise it tends to push the terminal down under the rounded part.
And you need a crimper with the "W" jaws to make it work. I got one from Strap-On.
January 15th, 2016, 04:53 PM
