1935 LA 10/11 electric cables

[DPC159]

Hi chaps,
after a long period of oblivion, I hope to start my restoration project.
Now I need to replace the electrical system.
I have the wiring diagram but I don't know which type (and colour) of cables to use.
Could someone help me?
Do you have some pictures?

Thank you very much!
Adone

[sp250boy]

Adone,
If you get the circuit diagram the colour of the cable are listed in a table. The colour codes are standard so should be able to google.

To be honest I did think about rewiring my Lanchester La11 but I opted for a new wiring loom which I'm glad I did now. The wiring loom was approx £350, from https://www.autosparks.co.uk/finder

Good luck..

[Sydsmith]

Making a wiring loom is on face value fairly straight forward if you have the old one that can be copied and with a clear wiring diagram and good DIY skills. Cost around £130-150 for materials plus a sheet of ply and some panel pins, time 25-30 hours.

Chances of success depends on your DIY skills, chances you will make at least one mistake very high, quality of finished item, depends on the care you take and the extent of your skills.

I have the skills and experience to make my own loom, I was very tempted to make my own for the last restoration but frankly if you are doing a ground up restoration you have better uses for your time, don't waste it on something you can buy from Autosparks which I can say from experience will be exactly right, will have the correct thickness of cable in the correct colour with the correct fitting on the end and will have all tails at the correct length, it will fit exactly and wire up without any problem.

I promise I don't have any connection with Autosparks but I do know their custom made looms are superb, go for it and save yourself a lot of time and heartache. Syd

[JT7196]

Yes, absolutely right Syd, I also purchased the wiring loom from Autosparks when I restored my LA 11, I also took the opportunity to send them a copy of a wiring loom , which I had modified to incorporate additional wiring for a N/Side rear light, and also provision for a second mechanical dipping headlamp.
I also sent them the old loom and asked the to incorporate the Armoured Cable that is situated by the Brake and Gear change levers
The end product was absolutely superb.

Cheers Al

[DPC159]

Hi chaps,
thank you very much for the useful suggestion.
Stay safe!
Adone

[DPC159]

Hi chaps,
I think that my two "fuse boxes" (on the right in the photo) are missing.
where could I find a spare part?
Thank you very much!
Adone

[Simon Hyslop]

The one box is a fuse box and the other is the regulator/cutout. Finding a good original unit can now be a bit difficult as the ebay/autojumble units that were in the best condition tend to have been bought up and what's left may require attention (but maybe not...?). However, the good news is that if you do find one they can be reconditioned, assuming you want a mechanical regulator rather than something electronic.

Does your dashboard light switch have four settings : Low, High, Side ,Head - or three : Off , Side , Head ?

If it has the first, you need a cutout only under the one cover, a single bobbin only. If it has the second, you need a cutout and a regulator: two bobbins. If it is the first type, something along these lines would possibly do :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUCAS-12V-CF ... SwPDtfzOJM

This particular one may not have enough connection points to join some of the wires in your Lanchester's wiring, such as the oil pressure light to sender connection, but that is easily enough fixed with a connector.

Had your car been a year or so newer, this :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-LUCA ... SwoB1fcj-M

might have been a possibility but you can see from the price how much more sought after nice examples of these are. This has more fuses and more contacts than you probably would need though and is physically a much bigger unit.

The Lucas part number for a 1935 Lanchester 10 is 337570, which is an RJF2/L17 (Regulator Junction Fusebox) but don't go by the RF or RJF designation only. Lucas supplied these for many different cars, most of which were superseded onto different parts even before the war. That's why it's difficult to find an exact match for a particular car like a Lanchester because very few cars needed the oil light connection terminal, as an example, so everything that is otherwise the same for a contemporary Austin doesn't have that terminal, but there would be at least 20 times the quantity made. You'll find plenty of RJF2 units (well, you used to be able to...) but that L17 suffix is important if you want the right, right one as originally fitted. Some level of compromise may be needed.

Going by that part number, it should be the two bobbin type you need. The cheapest non-original solution is to buy three components : an RB106/2 regulator, a fuse box with two or four fuses and some reasonably neat looking connector box. This isn't the best but just as an example :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trailer-Ligh ... SwE7JacaI7

I'm sure there's better to be found. The point is, with these three components your car can be wired together and made to work. After that, you can find the best original unit you can and prior to that have identified any problems in any other components.

[Petelang]

What you will need to look for, assuming you will be using an original 3 brush dynamo, is a Lucas CFR2 Fuseboard and cut out. The bigger cover is for the fuseboard/junction box, the smaller cover is for the cut-out. Modern conversions can be fitted to replace the original cut out by such as, Dynamo & Regulator Convesions Ltd. However, finding originals are very rare so you may be looking for alternatives or a long wait on ebay.

Establish your dynamo requirement first so whatever you get will be compatible. There is a company in Shirebrook in Nottinghamshire that restore all this type of equipment and may be able to supply original or converted units. I'll look up their card as they're not on the Internet.
Peter

[DPC159]

Hi chaps,
I ordered a Wiring Harness set from Autosparks.
Do you have some pictures to help me with the assembly?
Thank you very much!
Adone

[osl185]

hi,
Autosparks did mine .well over 20 years ago.still as new today.
easy to fit ,good luck with yours
simon