There are alot of ground wires. So what i did today was make a ground bar. Took a 1/2 copper tubing and beat it flat. Selftapping screws in a line for all the grounds. Looks good and every thing has a good ground. Ground strape to the cab then to the frame.

 

That's a good tip. A ground buss is never a bad idea. The only thing that i would do slightly differently is add a #10 ground wire from the buss directly to the negative post of the battery.

 

Well, there shouldn't be any ground wires on a 51 OEM or rewire set-up. Power flows out from distribution to each peripheral - which in tern is grounded directly to engine frame or body- sending units, light housings, etc.

But, If you have lots of ground wires in your set up, and making a seperate ground bus bar, which in turn is grounded to the frame works for you - then super!

 

as a retired elect. I know the importance of a good ground.For my rewire,i used a ground bar for elect.panel available at the big box stores,homedepot ect.tapped holes,all different sizes avaiable,easily mounts anywhere,I used a #10 wire to connect to a good ground,set screw terminals make life easy. F250 RED

 

I used a stud to create a ground point on both sides of the firewall, eliminates running wires thru the rubber grommet. Remember the cab and bed are both rubber-mounted, the only real connection from the frame to the cab is at the front radiator support springs and the running boards.

 

That's why you need to attach grounding straps from cab to frame (and probably one from bed to frame)

The battery cable for grounding should attach to your engine on the starter mounitng bolts and a grounding cable (like a battery cable) running from the same bolt to the frame.

Same in principle I guess.

 

good idea. where is this located? you might want to consider using battery protector or some kind of protection to prevent corrosion of copper. just a thought.

 

Its inside under the dash.

 

Wellllll.... That's kind of a matter of opinion. Not to be derogatory to Fred, but the trucks were designed to have the body/frame act as a contunious ground. It's low voltage and direct current.

To each there own and everyone is welcome to wire their own truck as they choose - you're the one who has to fool with it.

When you add an isolated bus bar for grounding, you are wiring your truck like a house (which is alternating current and ten to 20 times the voltage) with individual neutral or ground wires for each appliance. Folks who do this also tend to not maintain the natural (built in) ground bond between the body, engine and frame, they just add another wire to make a ground - and that can cause quite a few problems - especially if you are trying to trace a fault - because now you have to find and test the ground wire as well as the power. That doubles the amount of wiring and doubles the potential for problems.....foooey. You need to keep your wiring to a minimum and "clean."

Some of you guys who have just bought trucks that need to be rewired to function correctly are experiencing some of that "creativity" from the Previous Owner understand what I'm saying completely.

And for the newer folks looking for electrical solutions and rewire processes, I highly recommend that if you are wiring or cleaning up your ground path, that you so so in the fashion that the trucks were designed - by the manufacturer - to operate, and that is with a grounded frame and body. and power flowing to ground via that path - not a seperate grounding bus (bar). That cuts the amount of wiring in half and elliminates the potential problems associated with poor connections cuts or breaks of individual ground wires.

In short, if your grounds are correct and clean in the first place, there's no need for extra wiring and extraneous devices (like a smashed copper pipe) to have your electrical system relying apon. Wire it right!

 

Looks like i have started quit a buzz about wiring. LOL LOL LOL I will be the first to tell you all AM DUM AS DIRT. But i put a alot of weight in what Julie has to say about these old trucks. I'm not just saying this because i need her help with my Fulton visor. lol I was looking at it this way. I have added alot of things to my 51 and everything has a ground wire on it so i just put them in one place instead of trying to find a screw to hook it to. I put a abs inside firewall liner in my truck for insulation so all the metal is covered up. Got to add i have gave myself a A+ FOR NEATNESS. Not to bad for a welder. PIC. SOON

 

I got your e-mail about the visor Dale - be there in a minute!.

And hey, again, not trying to be derogatory, I'm just REALLY **** when it comes to wiring - clean and simple - kind of feel like you have to be!

Redundant ground wires have there uses but still not my cup of tea - "beauty is in the eye.....". Just be sure to maintain the grounding straps from engine/body and frame too.

You don't want your truck welding itself on it's own!