I was having trouble with consistent starting of my 1952 F2 with 239 flathead. Also, the battery never seemed to recharge completely even after some long drives. I finally "broke down" (literally, while going on a short cruise with my brother) and decided to get better battery cables as suggested by many posters on this forum. The first wire I replaced was the negative from the battery to the starter solenoid. It only took about 2 spins of the starter and it was running. When you see the pictures of the wiring that was installed when I got the truck, you'll wonder why It took me so long. Poor battery terminal connections, cracked cables and insufficient wire gauge - this truck had it all. The other two wires (positive ground and starter cable) will be changed tomorrow. All of the new cables are 00 gauge and appear to be at least one and a half times the size of the cables that were on the truck when I bought it. Some photos of the wiring are attached for your viewing pleasure. I hear most of you like pictures.

Thanks to the helpful and informative posts on this forum, my truck is improving each day.

Negative battery terminal


Battery to solenoid cable


Quick disconnect to positive battery terminal


Old/new size comparison

 

I haven't seen any of those quick connects that are really rated for 500-600 amps like our 6v trucks draw on a cold morning.

 

Well done! That corroded cable could not have been carrying much juice!

Have we seen pictures of your 52? I guess if I'm not sure you should show some again!

 

Here are a few pictures of my truck (since Abe asked). My wife took these in our front yard.

 

Very nice! Thanks. Do you run a B & B? Your truck fits right in.

Have you thought about coming to the Central PA Mountain Truckstock? You are only 130 miles from Howard, pa and the Bald Eagle State Park. A lot of old trucks will be there.

 

That is something I need to do. Did you get the cables locally?

 

My wife and I run a B&B (Brick House on Main) in Gnadenhutten, OH. Since you didn't have to take Ohio history in 7th grade, the village is one of the original Moravian settlements in Ohio. It is also famous for a massacre of Christian indians in the late 1700's. The Village was established before Ohio became a state.

I am thinking about coming to the Truckstop, but in order to bring my truck I'd have to start now. If I come, it will be in more modern transportation.

FTE is a great site with lots of resources. Thanks for the friendly forum.

 

That would be awesome if you could come!

The town in PA near where I grew up, Lititz, was a Moravian settlement, founded by Count von Zinzendorf. Pinto plumber, Dennis, lives there now.

If you don't want to drive your F2 that far you could trailer it. I plan on a couple of neat drives through the mountains of central PA that your truck would enjoy with the rest of our old trucks.

 

I got them from Batterycablesusa.com. They made them per my order length with all of the appropriate connections. You can specify your preferences on their web site. They got to me in about 3 days from my order date. The company is located in Kentucky.

 

Interstate Battery has made up my wires for each of my trucks. Looks and work good and prices were very reasonable.

 

I have things broken down for painting front fenders and changing turn signal connections, so it might be a good time to change cables. Your cables look great and so does your truck. Thanks for the retailers and for the posts. Would never have thought of cable replacements without the recent posts.

 

I get mine made at the local auto electric shop.

 

I make my own. Surprisingly easy and satisfying. I can't speak to what somebody charges to make them, but as projects come and go, it's nice to have the option of making them without a lot of expense or waiting.
If interested, here's my experience:

"McMaster-Carr" as a source for many of my fab projects. From them:

1/0 Gauge Black and Red "Welding" Cable. They sell by the foot, even if you just need a foot. Welding Cable is fine stranded which allows easy bend and routing when you install.
"Solder / Flux Filled" Battery Terminals. They are marked and sized for Pos / Neg post diameters. I know you 6 Volt Folks need the big 'ol Gauge. 1/0 is as large as they make these terminals for I think.

Then:
Heavy-Duty Heat Shrink with Hot Glue innards.
Cable Cutter. I used the big $15 Harbor freight (Pittsburg) unit. Soft Jaws are useless, but copper cable is soft, it makes a nice cut, and I don't use it for anything else.
I prefer a heat-gun to a torch for the Shrink. There's a lot of material that needs to heat-soak before the glue melts. A torch can easily burn the surface while waiting.
Propane Torch - Of course you have one.

Process:

Strip Cable Sleeve accordingly
Test Fit the Strands beforehand. You don't want to be wrestling around with it while the solder is molten.
The Terminal Barrel is half-full of solder which will fill to the brim once the cable is inserted.
Face Shield, Leather Gloves, Cover Up. Space Suit?
Terminal in Vise with Cable Barrel facing up
Heat the Strands briefly to outgas moisture, and minimize thermal shock.
Heat the Terminal until Solder is molten (usually less than 10 seconds)
SLOWLY insert the Strands (no splash!) until wicking occurs, remove heat, and hold Cable very still until solder hardens which happens quickly because the cable draws the heat out.
Be advised, the sucker gets really hot. Copper is insanely heat-conductive. So let cool, clean off Flux Residue
Install Shrink Sleeve with good overlap. The reason I like Hot-Glue-infused Shrink is because Copper + Weather = Fast Oxidation. Hot Glue melts and then upon cooling, creates a hermetic seal of sorts.

For what it's worth

Dawg-ah-Roo