Weatherpack crimpers

[69fj4069]

Hi I am gathering parts and supplies before I re-wire my 40 and I am looking at terminating with Weatherpack connectors. I am not sure what type of crimpers I should get. I don't want to spend more than $40 or so. I found several different types when I searched "weatherpack" on ebay. Does anybody have any experience with any of these crimpers? I am sure that the big money crimpers are better but I will probably only use them a couple of times.

Thanks, Patrick

 

[Degnol]

Weatherpack Crimpers - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price - Review


Something there ought to fit your needs.

 

[pappy]

Personally, I would spend the big bucks and get the correct crimper. Wait, I did.

Anyway, the crimp on the terminal is just a roll-over crimp (u-barrel) and you can get pliers within your $40 budget that would probably do the job. The problem is the "crimp" that holds the rubber plug takes a different crip that I'm not sure you could replicate. If you don't use the rubber plug, you can just cut the metal off the terminal. Doing so would defeat the advantage of the Weatherpack connector.

I also have crimper #419 from Waytekwire.com. It does the u-barrel crimps and runs about $24 bucks. I do not use it for my Weatherpack, but instead for many other terminals.

If you plan on doing a lot of crimps I would recommend getting the correct tool and doing them right.

 

[terrx]

I ended up using a cheap crimper used for molex connectors, probably cost even less than the one above. The end of it had a flat section that I used to bend the seal crimp. Normally I spend the extra money to get the right tools, especially after dropping so much on various colors and gauges of SXL and GXL wire. In the end the cheap one worked ok. If I was wiring 100,000 cars, yeah I'd spring for the expensive one.

By the way, *do* get the right removal/extraction tools:
PICO WIRING 0660PT - Pico Pin Extraction Tools – SummitRacing.com
The clearance in the weatherpacks is so tight that any other non-weatherpack extraction tools just don't work

Do order all the various ga female & male contacts and use the right ones for the wire: esp 14-16 ga and some 12 ga (didn't use many 18 ga). Get the correct seals (green, gray, blue) and get some plugs (green)

One other gotcha: when I ordered from waytekwire, the order came incomplete missing one bag of contacts. They charge for orders less than some minimum, $50 I think, so it wasn't very cost effective to reorder the $6 missing item and pay the minimum plus another shipping charge. When I complained they said there's some way to tell if items are in stock when ordering online but I don't think it's obvious on their website. They can put your account on a "ship all items together" status if you ask. I ended up getting the rest off e-bay for about the same price, around $6 for a bag of 50 whatever (contacts or seals are about the same) - way cheaper than the lots of 5 or 10 contacts that summit sells.

Cheers

 

[Coolerman]

You can use the U-barrel crimpers to make the rubber seal crimp. You just have to STOP crimping before the tops of the 'ears' that hold the plug start to fold inward and down. It takes a bit of practise...

 

[69fj4069]

I am looking at these two sets of crimpers. Any ideas about witch tool will do a better job?

WEATHER PACK WEATHERTIGHT CRIMPER TOOL WEATHERPACK :eBay Motors (item 250364139578 end time Jul-26-09 10:14:07 PDT)

Ratcheting Terminal Crimper for Weatherpack Terminals:eBay Motors (item 190310701868 end time Jul-26-09 07:30:32 PDT)

I am leaning to the first ones because it has a place to crimp the seals. I am not sure if the second one does the seals as well.

 

[bsevans]

I started with a number of pivoting crimpers and was never that happy with the results. I bought the Wiha Crimp kit Wiha Tools from Waytekwire.com. This is the best system I've used. The dies make the best crimps I've seen. The other dies are also superior to my other crimpers especially for heat shrink terminals. This setup is pricy, but if you are doing a lot of connector and terminal work, it is well worth the money. You can find the frame and dies on page 30 of the Waytek catalog Waytek Catalog. The parallel jaw crimp frame and dies are made in Sweden. The price through Waytek is cheaper than buying direct from Wiha.

 

[69fj4069]

I ended up buying crimpers like these.
WEATHER PACK WEATHERTIGHT CRIMPER TOOL WEATHERPACK :eBay Motors (item 250364139578 end time Jul-26-09 10:14:07 PDT)

I am very happy with there performance so far. I have made a number of practice crimps and they look professional and I cant make them pull out. Also these crimpers don't pivot the jaws stay parallel at all times. First you crimp the wire then you crimp the seal.

 

[terrx]

Can they crimp 12 GA terminals? It wasn't clear in the photo.

 

[joeyg1973]

I ended up buying crimpers like these.
WEATHER PACK WEATHERTIGHT CRIMPER TOOL WEATHERPACK :eBay Motors (item 250364139578 end time Jul-26-09 10:14:07 PDT)

I am very happy with there performance so far. I have made a number of practice crimps and they look professional and I cant make them pull out. Also these crimpers don't pivot the jaws stay parallel at all times. First you crimp the wire then you crimp the seal.

Same ones I have... they work great.

 

[69fj4069]

Can they crimp 12 GA terminals? It wasn't clear in the photo.

Not really. The 12 gage terminals will crimp in the spot for 14-16ga it is probably not ideal but for me it will work.