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MG TD TF 1500 - 'Loose Sleeve Bullets'

While wiring parking lights for a friend's TF and also for my TF, I learned about "Loose Sleeve Bullets."

The parking lights have an expandable female connector riveted to the socket mount for a ground wire. A brass sleeve was inserted into the female connector. Unsoldered wires protrude from the end of the brass sleeve, fold over, and are trapped between the sleeve and the female connector.

A solder-type or crimped-type bullet will not fit inside the Loose Sleeve Bullet. The female connector is too large for a solder or crimped bullet.

My friend has a parts-drawer with new brass sleeves, so I will use them on his parking lights and mine.

Two photos of brass Loose Sleeve Bullets are on the British Wiring site:
http://www.britishwiring.com/product-p/c303.htm

Photos in this and the next post.

Learning something new every day.

Lonnie
TF7211

Top: Bare wires through Loose Sleeve Bullet
Bottom: Insulated wire entrance of Loose Sleeve Bullet






LM Cook

Two more photos of the Loose Sleeve Bullet in parking lights.

Top: Loose Sleeve Bullet pulled out of female connector.
Bottom: Solder-type bullet on left. Loose Sleeve Bullet on right.

Lonnie
TF7211





LM Cook

If you are doing the whole car you need 3 more. One for each tail light and one for the licence plate lamp.
L E D LaVerne

This is why I think Lucas might have falsely gotten a bad rap..to me the original Lucas components seem well constructed...the wiring connections however...🙄

Regards, Tom
tm peterson

Also include the two for the fog/spot lamps.

Frank
TF1414
Frank Cronin

In my opinion, original does not matter for this hidden part of the wiring loom. Reliability is a priority. The wires are soldered in the bullet for my car.

Laurent.
LC Laurent31

Never could understand why they incorporated such a fiddly/diddly grounding connection, almost seems like an afterthought prone to contamination and dirt. ??
PJ Jennings

The earth wire appears to go to the bullet terminal from under the base of the bulb holder. In my car, all three wires go through the hole at the rear, and then to their terminals. This way the bulb holder base goes flat against the (inside) bottom of the lamp shell.
R WILSON

You're right, the ground wire did go under the base. Don't know why.

We installed a parking light on a friend's TF today. I made a three wire pigtail with vinyl covered wire (turn signal, parking light, ground) and ran all three through the hole in the lamp base.

I ended up soldering the ground to the loose sleeve bullet and inserting it into the wrap connector on the lamp base because it was easier. Had to squeeze the wrap connector a little tighter to the bullet, because the wires previously spayed back and were trapped between the connector and the bullet.

FYI - we joined the parking light ground, the headlight ground, and the ground in the harness with a double snap connector. The snap connector can combine up to four wires. Looks like it came from the factory.

Lonnie
TF7211



LM Cook

This thread was discussed between 23/02/2021 and 27/02/2021

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.