1930's Rajah Crimper

[Private Lugnutz]

The name "rajah" has been channelocked into flat head hot rodder terminology as a popular period correct no-boot type of red wire kit connector on spark plugs, made by Green, Brillman, and others, in imitation of the originals from Rajah Auto-Supply Company of Bloomfield, NJ, who made and sold tens of thousands of spark plugs, terminals, and wiring harnesses in the Brass Era through 1960.

Rajah also came out with this crimper as an accessory to their main products in 1932. I was elated to find this example at the flea this morning. Those blades on the handle were for stripping insulation and the crimper was used to fasten ignition terminals.

The only reference I can find to them on GJ is 4.c's US Manufacturers' A-Z thread, linked here.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here's a closeup of the branding and patent (1,858,418/May 17, 1932), a NOS box, and some period excerpts for context.

 

[ttpete]

I still have some NOS Rajah terminals. They are for 7 mm cable. There's a later version that uses a screw-on plastic nut to secure the cable. They were popular in the 20s and 30s. I prefer Sparky plug caps, they're watertight and have no screws to loosen up and fail. They only take a few minutes to attach.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Rajah did later make waterproof plug caps and harnesses for marine use, but yeah, the old forked ones and the 90's with no boot kind of freak you out with the block right there!

 

[Provincial]

They made an unshielded (and uninsulated) terminal for aircraft spark plugs. I know it was used on Wright J-5 engines, and they got Lindbergh from New York to Paris, among other famous flights. These had a flat, spring steel clip that you had to lift up to clear the tip of the spark plug terminal in order to remove and replace them on the spark plug. It engaged the boss above the groove shown in Lugz fourth photo in his second post.

 

[thehorse13]

I have roots in Bergen County, NJ and many years ago I found a box full of Rajah stuff at a garage sale in Ridgewood. Had to have been the late 1980s. I ended up selling the entire lot to a guy who owned a 1936 Ford Roadster later on the same day.

Anyhow, seeing this stuff again took me right back to that day.

 

[steaks&anvils]

That is one busy crimper! How many working faces does it have?

If I squint, I think I can see a bottle opener in there too.