Small Fire and Wiring

So a few months ago I accidentally had a short along with a small fire around my amp gauge. The gauge was destroyed and the wiring melted. As a temporary fix I just bypassed the gauge and connected the wires directly. The jeep runs fine but the wires get really hot. I am ready to put it back together but wanted to know the best way to handle the wiring. The wires were part of a relatively new harness and it is disappointing that it is not pristine but I am not getting a new harness. Should I just cut out all of the bad wire and splice in new stuff? What is the absolute best way to splice the wires back together and should I tape it all up to prevent any shorts. I believe i shorted it out by pushing everything out of the way to put in a new fuel gauge and an exposed wire shorted out on the body. 

Where can I buy wire by the foot that at least is similar to the cloth wiring.

Also make sure you are using the proper gauge wires. The amp gauge circuit carries a lot of amperage.

Yes, Walcks sells it, just tell them what you want it for and they will send the right size and color. Those wires aren't very long that run from the amp gage to the regulator and to the light switch, you could just have them made up with the terminals already on them.

   Jim

Thanks

Had just had a similar incident in our 54 Greyhound, if you can't get the insulation to come off the wire when stripping it, you need to cut farther back.

If the copper wire inside the insulation is blackish, you really need to replace the wire. The resistance will be higher than normal and heat the wires up.