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MG MGB Technical - Bullet connectors

I've just put solder bullet connectors on the new power feed to the relays at the front of the car to allow an inline fuse to be added. I was expecting them to be a very secure fit to the inline connectors, also new, but I find they are relatively easy to withdraw. I had put on some vaseline as recommended. I'm thinking I might start again but use spade terminals.
The bullets and the connectors are from a reputable UK source and have the normal OD/ID. Am I missing something? How hard should it be to disconnect them when new? Gentle pull or a bit of a struggle?
Richard Coombs

The metal tube inside the connector is split so you can squash it a little to get a tighter fit. A gentle squeeze with pliers will do the trick.
Mike Howlett

I tried that but with no real improvement. However, I just tried an old inline connector with the new bullets. The bits went together with an audible 'click' and they are much more difficult to separate, so I guess it's a tolerance problem with the new connector tubes and a lack of positive fasening. I'll have to look closer at the build of them both next week.
Richard Coombs

I haven't bought any for a while, but the last batch came from Autosparks. Very positive fit.
Dave O'Neill 2

More than a gentle pull. Are you sure you pushed them in far enough? They go so far then seem to stop, but the head of the bullet needs to be pushed past a pip inside the sleeve i.e. it should click positively into place. When fully seated the wire end of the bullet should be flush with the end of the split tube. Even with Vaseline it can take a bit of effort to push them fully together, which is why I made my own tool. This was nothing more than cutting a couple of notches in the ends of the handles of a pair of pliers, *just* wider than the thickness of the wire insulation. The notches fit over the insulation and press on the backs of the bullets, and simply squeezing the handles pushes them in easily. Two at a time if you have wires on both sides, but it also works with only one wire i.e. three wires in a 4-way connector by pressing on the end of the split tube of the 'empty' hole. Make sure the distance between the ends of the handles when fully closed is *less* then the length of the split tube.
PaulH Solihull

Paul,can you post a pic of your"Bullet connector tool"Thanks,Rich
rich osterhout

Autosparks sell a tool for the job

http://www.autosparks.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1014

although, as Paul says, it should be easy enough to adapt some pliers.
Dave O'Neill 2

Paul, Haven't got round to making your tool yet but I I will. They were pushed well into the sleeve and there was no positive click as with the old ones. With one connection it was so sloppy that a bullet with 15" of 65/0.3 just fell out when shaken gently as I was attemting to work on the other end!
Tonight I pushed new and old tubes from their sleeves and the problem was immediately obvious. The 'pips' on the old are broader and deeper than on the new. See photo. The old have a much wider gap along the length of the tube as well, though I'm not sure if this is better or worse. I looked at a couple more of the new ones and the pips were very variable, and none as good as the old. It just goes to show that when you buy new stuff you have to be very careful, even at the 'small' end of the parts list.

Richard Coombs

Some (not terribly good, taken with my old low-res camera) pics of the 'tool' here http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/bullet.htm

If the new one is at the top, Richard, and there is very little gap, then you aren't even going to be able to close them up. The best you could do is crush them into an oval, but that limits the surface area for contact and so is not ideal. And if the pips end up being in the wider part of the oval then they won't be doing anything at all as far as retaining the bullet goes, so even less ideal.

I've not got any new singles but I do have some doubles with exactly the same sharp-edged depression as the top one, and some old ones with the more rounded dimple as per the bottom, but a new bullet is a tight fit in the sleeve of both of them to start with, i.e. even before it gets to the pip.
PaulH Solihull

Thanks for the photos Paul. I had already seen them on your website. Yes, the new ones have very little gap and I'll probably be binning them. In the meantime I'll continue the build with old ones, which are actually in a surprisingly good state. A light rub with emery and then some vaseline should see them through for many a year yet, certainly until I see some new ones. Next time I get to see some connectors at a show I'll test them with a bullet before purchase!
Richard Coombs

Subsequent thought, you are using the all-brass solder bullets with them aren't you and not the red and blue crimp type? These latter either too big or too small for the original connectors.
PaulH Solihull

Oh yes! Can't abide those new prefabricated things. All appears well at the moment. Cleaning and squeezing the old connectors works a treat. By the way, I've made your 'squeezing' tool and can't believe how I managed without it! Thanks, as usual.
Richard Coombs

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2010 and 28/10/2010

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