When it comes to the wiring your classic car, hopefully, you are making sure to use the proper-gauge wiring, and that all of the connections are soldered and sealed. That is standard procedure when it comes to wiring a car. But many times, no actual thought is given to protecting the wires you route to various parts throughout the car. I can’t count how many times I’ve found a long length of of taped-together wires running through a car. In fact, it used to be that way from the OE. Let’s face it, a lot of magazines and websites have shown how to wire cars, but none of them seem to address wire protection (are they just running wires throughout the car without any protection)?

Knowing what is available to encase those wires and hoses can sometimes be confusing. To clear the air, we got in touch with Steve Crane at WireCare for some professional insight.

Insultherm is an extremely high-temperature sleeve commonly used as thermal protection for wires, cables, and hoses that are subjected to continuous and extreme high-temperature environments. Insultherm is braided from fiberglass yarns and saturated with high temperature resins that improve the product’s stability and minimize irritating fiberglass dusting during cutting and installation. The sleeving is tough and durable, maintaining its tight structure under extreme vibration, abrasion, mechanical stress, and temperature variations. Insultherm is available in a wide range of diameters. It cuts cleanly with scissors and installs easily over a variety of applications to either deflect or retain heat in environments up to 1,200 degrees.

There are a lot of various styles of wire loom, and the myriad of choices even breaks-down to the protection needed. “We carry many different sleeves and wraps for many different applications,” says Steve Crane of WireCare. “Protecting wires that run through the engine bay are just one of those applications.” The engine bay wiring is accustomed to temperatures the will melt an unprotected wire – especially if it would get against a header, so heat protection is crucial.

For general wire protection throughout the car, Flexo F6’s unique split, semi-rigid braided construction is an ideal solution for situations where ease of installation is of primary importance. The lateral split allows the tube to open up to accommodate a wide variety of bundling requirements, and the semi-rigid braid configuration simply closes around the entire installation. The 10 mil F6 braid is lightweight, quiet and flexible. The overlap (at nominal diameter) allows coverage around inline plugs, connectors, and splices. F6 will bend to a tight radius without distorting or splitting open, and, unlike full rigid tubing, will not impair or affect the flexibility of harnesses.

“We offer a number of high-temperature sleeves for this purpose with continuous temperature ranges from 250 degrees, all the way up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit,” Says Steve. “For example, if a wire, cable, or hose is running close to the headers, then a good product would be our Insultherm line. This high-temperature-resistant sleeve is braided from fiberglass yarns and saturated with high-temperature resins, and comes in sizes ranging from 1/4- to 2 1/2-inch diameters.”

Not only do wires near the engine need protection, but even those in the passenger compartment can get damaged if not protected. Cable and wire coverings provide a needed layer of insulation and protection from abrasion. If not protected, that grouping of wires going from the fuse box throughout the car can chafe, and that could cause a short. Tracing a wire that has shorted is no fun.

The more you understand the environment the wire harness is placed, the better choice you can make about selecting the right protective product for the job. The materials used in each loom-design construction are chosen because they address particular concerns. When selecting a wire loom, make sure the product you decide to use is right for the environment for which it is going.

Concerned about fire? WireCare does carry fire retardant products. These come in in the form of sleeves and wraps.

For instance, WireCare’s Flexo F6 is a split, semi-rigid braided covering that makes it ideal running wires throughout the area of a car not exposed to extreme heat. for situations where ease of installation is of primary importance. The lateral split allows the tube to open, to accommodate a wide variety of bundling requirements, and the semi-rigid braid configuration simply closes around the entire installation without the need for any additional fasteners.

It doesn’t matter whether your wires are near the header or running throughout the car body, they need protection.

You can find a multitude of wire protection options on the WireCare website, and they make selection easy by checking out the “Shop by Interest”/Automotive/Motorsports tab. “These links will show exactly what products we offer to the automotive/Motorsport enthusiast, which include the different wire, cable, and hose protective looms,” says Steve.

Enthusiasts all have their favorite go-to company for their wiring needs, but if serious thought is not given to the protection of those wires, what’s the point? With the help of WireCare, protecting those current carriers is just a mouse click away.