I've lit a lot of stuff on fire in my lifetime, and not all of it was intentional. In fact, my old Tacoma came to be known as the Burnt Taco because I lit it on fire accidentally while working on it in the shop. One of the easiest ways to burn up your own truck is by failing to properly insulate 12-volt power wires in the electrical system. No matter if you butt-connect wires together or solder them together, you still need to protect the connection and the best way is with shrink tubing.
Shrink tubing is a god-sent tool that slips over wires and then shrinks around the wire when heat is applied to form a weather-tight seal. Most of us have used cigarette lighters as a source of heat that burned our fingers. A hair dryer works in a pinch, but it's not powerful enough to really work well. In addition, most industrial-size heat guns are too big and bulky to get into the tight spaces under a truck dashboard when duty calls. At just $42.95, the Ico-Rally Mini Heat Gun II (MCM part #95-810) solves that problem, and if you buy it where we did it comes with an assortment of colored shrink tubing. Check it out.
1.This power lead is about...
1.This power lead is about to be extended with a butt connector. The yellow shrink tubing will make sure it's safely insulated.
2.After crimping the connector...
2.After crimping the connector tightly onto each end of the wire, the shrink tubing is slid in place over the exposed joint.
3.The heat gun is fired up...
3.The heat gun is fired up and beginning at one end of the joint, we heat up the tubing until it shrinks.
4.Holding the joint about...
4.Holding the joint about an inch away from the gun yields the best results. The heat from the gun shrinks the tubing without burning it, which will happen if you hold the gun too close or too long to the tubing.
5.Once the tubing is shrunk...
5.Once the tubing is shrunk from end to end, you'll have a weatherproof connection that will prevent the wire from corroding. The tubing will also keep the wire from touching any exposed metal in your truck, shorting the circuit, melting, and catching on fire.