Wire harness for a 1940?

[Groily]

A pretty beast! And obvs not a tank panel one!
You've got most of what was ever there - the dipswitch/horn (yes, originally Lucas I think) may or may not be the one it was made with but versions are available that will probably be acceptable, although quality isn't always what it was all those years ago.
You've got a main light switch and ammeter which will probably be recoverable - if so, they're better than the replicas - and you've got a really good guide for a remake of the harness if you have to go that way.
There are so few wires, hardly into double figures as you say, that it should present no difficulty - all dynamo wiring diagrams for all these machines are the same bar a very few details as the components are all bog standard. If there's a place where people get muddled now and then, it's at the switch, which has more terminals than one appears to need - but they are numbered and all diagrams show what goes where.
You might want a brake light for safety or legal reasons if you don't have one on the beast, in which case I think there are options, using LEDs if you wanted, that retain the original look.
You will need a decent voltage regulator, which could be hidden in the original box to which the strip with the wires going through attaches. Replica mechanical ones are of poor quality, a repaired original would be better (and a lot costlier!) if going that way, but most of us would use an electronic one I think.
Another useful site to look at for any bits you might require would be Paul Goff's m/cycle electrical site - http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/ and for the equipment spec for the machine, the Lucas parts lists may be useful too - page A22 of the pdf here may help: http://www.brightsparkmagnetos.com/libr ... achine.pdf
Your dynamo, if original, would be a Lucas E3AR, and the regulator an MCR2. The AR is the least good and earliest of the short 3 inch 2 brush dynamos and a better-constructed E3N from a later date - which looks 99% the same - would be a lot better (if you were starting without one at all). They are horribly inaccessible , so the less unreliable the better! The N1 magneto should be very reliable though.

[clive]

Quote
"The wires I have are all plastic covered and wrapped with black electrical tape then painted.
All the wires are old, brittle, and cracked. Only a few of them are marked with anything."

I think that the cables you have are unlikely to be original if wrapped in electrical tape, I would also expect them to be single colours rather than dual coloured.

A bit of searching on the archives and a wiring diagram from 41 shows there were dual coloured wires and it should be close to what you need. It's on page 91 http://archives.jampot.dk/book/Owners_m ... Manual.pdf

[Stuart Jenkins]

This has good overall wiring diagrams for the different years from page 34
https://oldthumpers.files.wordpress.com ... 9-1955.pdf
I ended up making my own, not to taxing, just remember the old saying "Think thrice, measure twice, cut once"!!!
Stuart

[jackstringer]

I made my own for my '61 as the loom I bought didn't work.

Just buy the wire, preferably in 2mm². A bunch of British Bullet Connectors and a soldering iron. I even sleeved mine.

https://blog.jackstringer.co.uk/my-vehi ... -delivery/
https://blog.jackstringer.co.uk/my-vehi ... -loom-mk2/
https://blog.jackstringer.co.uk/my-vehi ... k2-part-2/

[SPRIDDLER]

I made my own for my '61 as the loom I bought didn't work.

Just buy the wire, preferably in 2mm². A bunch of British Bullet Connectors and a soldering iron. I even sleeved mine.

The prudent 'ITMA' an ex AMC employee then dealer, (a past poster on here) used to get a wiring loom from a vehicle scrap yard to make his own.

[Mick D]

get a wiring loom from a vehicle scrap yard to make his own

Hi

Not many vehicles use standard 28/0.30 2mm let alone braided cable, I get all of my loom making supplies from here:

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/home

Tend to be a little cheaper than VWP.

Regards Mick

[Groily]

I get all of my loom making supplies from here:

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/home

Regards Mick

+1 for AES

[jackstringer]

I made my own for my '61 as the loom I bought didn't work.

Just buy the wire, preferably in 2mm². A bunch of British Bullet Connectors and a soldering iron. I even sleeved mine.

The prudent 'ITMA' an ex AMC employee then dealer, (a past poster on here) used to get a wiring loom from a vehicle scrap yard to make his own.

I have actually met the old fart at his shack in the woods. Not to bad a person. Helped me confirm that my timing was ok as I had a bit of a nightmare with all the information about for mine at the time.

I have a quite a few old looms that my dad kept for this same reason but for the cost I bought the bits. From VWP, it's nice to keep the same wire colouring but I took the time to upgrade the quality of the wire, I did add and extra earth to the headlight unit for good measure.

[Groily]

The man in the shack is a good egg. I hope he's going strong. More knowledge in his head than in any number of books and manuals.
He sold me a nice Motobécane a few years ago, in boxes, and it turned out to be a cracking little machine (Ken had done his magic on the motor but got no further) and it is the envy of many local afficianadoes of the marque.

[SPRIDDLER]

The prudent 'ITMA' an ex AMC employee then dealer, (a past poster on here) used to get a wiring loom from a vehicle scrap yard to make his own.

I have actually met the old fart at his shack in the woods. Not to bad a person. Helped me confirm that my timing was ok as I had a bit of a nightmare with all the information about for mine at the time.

I'm still in touch with the irascible but affable ol' devil and have dropped by his shack in the woods several times over the past 20 years for a brew and a highly entertaining natter littered with anecdotes of his time in the trade and foreign touring on his rigid 30's single. He gave up his South London AMC dealership, fed up with 'customers' taking up Saturdays picking his brains then cocking things up by doing what 'a bloke down the pub' told him then coming back for him to sort things out or coming back to tell him he'd bought the parts he advised somewhere else as they were cheaper. He always told things as they were in his posts. He's pretty fit although those who knew him on here will be sad to learn that his wife Sara passed away a couple of months ago from cancer.