American Auto Wire questions

[Hatzman]

Morning folks,

I am getting ready to purchase AAW part # 510089. Before doing so, I wanted to speak directly with them and find out what quality their ignition switch, light switch, etc.. are. American made? Cheap Chinese crap or what?

Well, I have been trying to call them for two weeks and no answering machine and no answer. I'm hoping it's because of this COVID-19 lock-down and not that they are going under or anything like that.

Can anyone answer my question? I noticed many good reviews about the wiring harness itself but I am not finding much info on the components. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, 190 bucks for their crimping tool? Has anyone found a tool that works just as well without breaking the bank?

Thanks!

[sprint_9]

I switched most of the switches out to AC Delco, the included ones didnt have a name that I saw, but when comparing didnt look too bad either. I had trouble with the light switch due to my own fault and when I tore both of them apart they both looked to be of equal quality.

I used a combination of tools to crimp, but my two main ones were.

-Metri-Pack and Weather-Pack T-18 Crimper
-Open Barrel T-11 Crimper

You can search google for them but they are roughly $20-$35. The T-11 I used is here. The T-18 I used is out of stock but there are a bunch of them.

You might get away with just the T-11 style but I did find the T-18 to come in handy on the 56 series ends from time to time. The T-18 has two seal crimps that worked good crimping the wire insulation crimp depending on the wire size. I converted some stuff to Weather or Metri-Pack, so both were a must.

You will want to solder everything anyhow for the best connection. These cheaper crimpers get things looking nice, but is by no means a finished long term product without the solder. I used this soldering iron and for the price was super happy with it. It gets nice and hot.

Couple pictures of the results, one just crimped before solder, and another Metri-Pack fully completed.

[tim_mc]

Originally Posted by Hatzman

Also, 190 bucks for their crimping tool? Has anyone found a tool that works just as well without breaking the bank?

Thanks!

Not the correct tool, but I managed with my D-sub pin crimp tool. I made solid crimps and soldered all of the connections. The trick is to have an iron that heats up quickly. I used a Weller 9400PKS:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weller-Elec...Kit/1000395569

[NorCalC20LWB]

Originally Posted by Hatzman

Morning folks,

I am getting ready to purchase AAW part # 510089. Before doing so, I wanted to speak directly with them and find out what quality their ignition switch, light switch, etc.. are. American made? Cheap Chinese crap or what?

Well, I have been trying to call them for two weeks and no answering machine and no answer. I'm hoping it's because of this COVID-19 lock-down and not that they are going under or anything like that.

Can anyone answer my question? I noticed many good reviews about the wiring harness itself but I am not finding much info on the components. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, 190 bucks for their crimping tool? Has anyone found a tool that works just as well without breaking the bank?


Thanks!

I'm in the middle of putting in the 510089 Classic Update kit now. They must be closed due to the Coronavirus deal since I spoke to them a couple weeks ago and bought/rented the two crimping tools. Tried calling yesterday with a tech question and same as you got no answer. The crimpers are $85 each plus shipping then when you send them back within 30 days plus a grace period, 1 or 2 weeks I think, you only end up paying $25 for each tool. Obviously, your out the shipping charges though.

On a side note, the crimps look fine to me, and I don't even own a soldering iron, so I hope they hold without solder.

[flashed]

I cant help with your question but MCB Matt , a vendor here has the best prices on these wiring kits . I just bought mine from him .

[NorCalC20LWB]

Originally Posted by flashed

I cant help with your question but MCB Matt , a vendor here has the best prices on these wiring kits . I just bought mine from him .

Same here, MCB Matt was very competitive.

[REDROCKER652002]

My son and I used the AAW Classic update on his 69. I used their switches and they worked out fine. There customer service is excellent as well. I rented the crimp tool and it worked out fine. I had to call them a few times for issues that were more me than them. I needed to keep the crimp tool a bit longer, called them, no problem. All in all, I would recommend them for anybody who is a novice at wiring and needs a fairly simple setup. And for what it is worth, we took every wire out of the truck and started from there. RR

[mygmctruck1]

I have to agree with all the comments , I was missing a small part and they sent it out no questions ask. There customer service , great . There switches are also good stuff.
The one thing I did notice was there dimmer switch connection fits there dimmer switch . I had a brand news eklin from napa and it wouldn’t fit it. So I just used AAW switch .
Like I stated before unless your color blind and can’t read, this harness is the cats meow !
I bought mine from Matt to , great pricing.

[99_Sierra]

I used their classic update kit on my 1970 Nova. I thought everything in the kit was quality parts.

I could not bring myself to spend all that money on their crimping tools. I just used a cheap set of craftsman crimpers and soldered and heat shrinked every connection. I took my time and made the nicest looking and most durable crimp I could on each connection. I believe I did not need to solder, but it was good insurance and the heat shrink really made it look nice and professional.

[landarts]

I have done three AAW classic update kits and bought this set of crimpers when I bought the first wiring kit. Here is the link if interested.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Hatzman]

Originally Posted by flashed

I cant help with your question but MCB Matt , a vendor here has the best prices on these wiring kits . I just bought mine from him .

Thank you for the referral! I am ordering it through MCB Matt as we speak.

Originally Posted by landarts

I have done three AAW classic update kits and bought this set of crimpers when I bought the first wiring kit. Here is the link if interested.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you! Ordered it today!

Thank you to everyone who responded. Made my decision easy. AAW it is!

[my kids toy]

Originally Posted by landarts

I have done three AAW classic update kits and bought this set of crimpers when I bought the first wiring kit. Here is the link if interested.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Landart,
part # 18922 is what you used and they were not too thick to be able to crimp both crimps without any problems ? I would guess because you keep using it is this correct ?