That’s easy to answer, in the 30’s Fords were better, in the 50’s and 60’s Chevy’s were better, today Fords are once again the better car.
And I don’t use suitcase connectors either - for all the same reasons as Chuck. But I don’t skin insulation off wires mid run and solder “drops” on to them either. Being an industrial control electrician by original training, such “rats nest” practices are simply not allowed to enter my thinking.
Yes my layout is wired like a piece of process machinery in a factory - no wiring failures or problems tracing wires here. Everything is carefully labeled and documented.
No, its opinion, as are the suitcase connectors debate. I’m not sure sure how you have seen the connectors used, but it doesn’t equate to to a “rats nest of wiring” in my case.
My 96 C1500 has 235,000 miles on it, original except for alternator, starter and a fuel pump, how ever I discovered I need to replace the drivers side ball joint. And this isn’t a grocery getter, its a truck, and I use it as such.
My 2004 Ford Explorer with 135,000 has gone thru a set of ball joints, an alternator, a fuel rail pressure sensor, heater blend door (front and back), starter, water pump, passenger power window motor, windshield wiper motor and a power brake booster.
My 2004 Cadillac CTS 3.6 liter with 90K hasn’t gone thru anything besides a battery.
My 1993 Lowe 21" Deckboat used 3M’s from the factory, the electricals are all work, 20 years later, with 100% Louisiana humidity, in a marine environment.
I rewire my 1978 Skeeter bass boat about ten years ago, guess what I used?
You can keep your Ford, I have had my last one, and I still use 3M suitcase connectors, with no failures.
We will agree to disagree. But what do I know? I’m just a redneck with pickup, and a gun, been there, done that, got the T-shirt and the scars to prove it. [swg]
And my 2000 F150 has 193,000 miles and just as good a service record as your Chevy - but it does not rattle like every Chevy I ever kept for 10 years - so what?
The four Explorers our family has owned since 1995 never had those kinds of issues - so what?
GM builds good cars and trucks, but currently I’m not sold on turning off cylinders, or front wheel drive, so they won’t get any of my money any time soon.
The two Crown Vics we owned (1997 & 2002 - both with the high performance package) where two of the best riding, most comfortable cars I have ever owned - never a service problem - and way less expensive than a Caddy.
Our 2012 Ford Flex with its all wheel drive and 365 HP twin Turbo Ecoboost 3.5L V6 is however the best car I have owned since I owned a Checker Marathon - fast, comfortable, upright seating, loads of room and good fuel economy.
But my 1995 GRAVELY 16-G garden tractor has out performed all of them so far - still going strong and looks brand new.
As for suit case connectors, well I’m glad you have good luck with them. But we would have never used them to wire the robots in the GM plant that was here in Baltimore, and I don’t have any use for them on my equipment or model railroad.
The car comment was really meant tongue in cheek, sorry you took it so serious.
My buddy converted me after I put my “nolix” up and realized how much soldering I’d be doing. #22 to #14 will work (I use the blue ones) if you put two #22’s into the appropriate spot, make sure to press down hard with pliers and do a continuity test. He’s done this years ago on his layout and all are still working just fine. Once I have any continuity problems sorted out (occasionally its easy not to press down hard enough with the pliers) I haven’t had any problems with this set up.
For the double #22’s to work, I solder every Peco 55 flextrack at the joints (many are isolated using the plastic rail joiners or inserting styrene between the track) then suitcase onto my #14 bus wires. So lets say there are four Peco 55 flextracks along the mainline, I’ll solder the ends of the first and second track, then go to the ends (where they meet) of the third and fourth track and solder, and suit case connect those.
I was sceptical at first when I heard about this method, but necessity being a mother, I re-evaluated my doubts and all has been fine.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’m sure what ever you drive is likely ugly by my standards, since I think most cars built in the last several decades are either ugly or boring, or both.
Here is a good looking car:
And this is really just a modernized version of it:
But I don’t buy cars based on looks, I buy cars that meet my functional needs, comfort and ease of entry/exit for my wife who has rheumatoid arthritis being one of those needs. I have no use for cars that have you sitting on a boat cushion inches from the road.
As for cars that look good, the 1958 Chevy Impala is my all time favorite.
And, back to the issued of suit case connectors. I don’t need them on my layout because I don’t have or need a “feeder buss”. All my rail joints are soldered and each isolated track section is fed with a single drop that runs directly to terminal block on a relay board that it used in by push button controlled Advanced Cab Control system.
That is still 3 to 5 times as much as Sta-Kon crimp on connectors bought in bulk, and reuseable is simply not an issue for me. I have terminal strips and don’t plan to “scrap” this work and try to reuse its components for the next project.
All my wiring terminats at terminal strips for neatness and easy troble shooting. I don’t wire stuff wiith splices just “floating about”.
I think Flexes are pretty cool, and are beasts with the ecoboost. I’d definitely consider one, but they sure are pricey things, and my explorer still runs like a champ. Maybe in a few years…
Too bad Ford never really promoted them like the edge, explorer, or escape.
