This page will be an effort to record concours originality of the MGA wiring harness cloth braid covers including the weave pattern, tracer colors, and number of threads for each woven braid. I am hereby soliciting for pictures of wiring harnesses from all models of MGA. Since early cars had individually wrapped wires, I would also like pictures of those harnesses showing the wrap pattern and colors and threads on individual wires.

The first two pictures are taken from one MGA Twin Cam (photos compliments of Larry Miller in Muscatine, Iowa, USA). The Twin Cam harness is slightly different than for the pushrod engine cars, as the ignition coil is on the opposite side of the engine bay. If the colored tracer stripes identify the harness model application, then the Twin Cam harness may have different colors than the pushrod car harness. Being so far only one car, I am not sure yet if this is correct (or if it may be an incorrect replacement part). Also not sure if the plain white stripe part of the harness is original issue.


Photos compliments of Larry Miller in Muscatine, Iowa, USA

Notice in close up pictures the braid consists of six side by side threads. Each braid is woven over two other braids, then under two other braids. This makes the colored dashes to be rectangular. The color patterns repeat every 12 braids. This might be 1 color braid and 11 black braids, or 3 color braids and 9 black braids. The color braids are commonly referred to as stripes. So the picture on the left shows one white stripe and two red stripes with the pattern repeating every 12 braids.

A complete wiring harness may have many branches from the main trunk. The main trunk will commonly have many wires (thick harness), while the side branches will have fewer wires (thinner branches). Thickness or size of the trunks or branches will depend on the number of wires running together. As the branches vary in thickness the width of the over wrap has to change accordingly. Counting braids around the circumference of the branch may yield fewer braids for smaller diameter branches. The wraps in both pictures above have a double spiral for the colors, so the wrap is 24 braids in circumference, and the thread pitch (for one full revolution) is also 24 braids.

Addendum April 1, 2015:
These cables are from MGA (c)102721, dash harness at right and main harness in two photos below.

These appear to have 1 red and 2 white stripes, repeating every 12.