When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Seems to me the negative cable on my 64 went to the firewall? I installed a heavy cable directly to one of the bolts on the starter. Seems to work OK but if that's a no-go...
Just joined the forum but have been researching things for a few weeks for a daddy/daughter project - 1973 F100 (390) 'fix'up' for her first vehicle. Thanks to all in this post (and others) for their unknowing assistance. Truck has a lot of little things to remedy - one being the negative battery cable being fastened directly to the alternator bracket.
The photo from mikeoOoOoO was spot on. All the cables in the store have lugs which are too small as noted for the 1/2" bolt. I was able to order one based upon the information contained in this thread from AC/DC Wire and Supply for $15.99 + $3.00 S&H. Took a while to find one that would mimic factory as best as possible.
Aw geez guys, all you have to do is go to an electrical supply store and pickup a lug with the right size hole made for the size of wire, they are common as can be. I use them all the time. You can get them in copper, tinned copper and aluminum.
There's a feller on that auction site who will make up custom cable lengths with whatever end ring terminations and terminals/sizes you want. Good stuff, 4, 2, 1, 1/0, 2/0 etc AWG pure copper stranded. A tractor supply store should be able to do the same.
The parts store generic cables commonly available in blister packs are not really that much cheaper in dollar terms although are of generally poor quality. Once you have to throw them away for being a POS you won't have saved any money anyway. They are adequate in smaller 4 or 6 cylinder applications maybe. The battery terminals will soon fail after tightening a few times and become permanently loose. The manufacturers of these elcheapos even like to use super thick insulation to make it look on the outside like thicker cable.
Crimping is the superior method though not when done incorrectly as these generally are. Good quality terminals are also made of tin plated copper. Do not use those junk cables for your truck!
Pure copper is good stuff for electricity though notice it is always plated in the automotive environment. There's a reason for this.
"To avoid galvanic corrosion, we do not want two metals with significantly different electro-chemical rankings in contact in the presence of salt and moisture. Materials choice varies with the environment and application, and is far more than material resistivity alone! Bare copper is generally a poor choice for a bolted ground connection point in a car. Copper in direct pressure contact with steel will erode the steel, and form insulating oxide layers. We are much better off using proper stainless or galvanized fasteners, even though material resistivity is higher."
The above is from a guy with a wealth of info on his pages about vehicle grounding and RFI also wiring in general etc. A mobile HAM enthusiast.
I was always under the impression that soldering large connections like this was never needed nor effective. Crimping is much more effective. I mean, the amount of current that goes through these wires - it could melt solder in seconds if it got hot. So it's pretty useless to be honest.
