I have a fully stock 1954 F100 and its time for new battery cables - I know nothing about battery cables. I’m using a bare strap for ground. For hot, should I use a 2 AWG or a 4 AWG cable?

Yes, it is a 6 volt positive ground system.

 

Everything I've read suggests 00 aka "double aught" cable for 6 volt systems. That isn't necessarily what the factory used, but manufacturers have always treated copper wire as if it were a precious metal weighed in troy ounces. There's some good vendors online that specialise in making "custom" cables for not too much money. That's what I'd use if I had a 6 volt system, which I don't. They use good quality terminals and ring ends and crimped properly, which is also important. A local truck repair shop should be able to do the same, or a tractor supply.

 

My local Interstate All Battery center has built several sets of cables for me. They have been very reasonably priced.

 

If you can make your own cables, this would be the very best.

 

I bought a 2/0 battery cable from Mcmaster Carr for less than $20.

 

what does the 2/0 mean?

 

Your local welding supply will have 2/0 welding cable that will work nicely. Welding cable is much more flexible than automotive electric cable. They will also have the proper crimp on eyelet for 2/0 cable. I would solder the battery clamp onto the cable.

Hobo

https://www.grainger.com/category/el...&filters=attrs

 

My cable will be 20 inches long and will need to take 90ish degree turn through the frame to the solenoid. The cable from solenoid to starter is a straight run at 38 inches.

Does this info change anything stated by others?

 

2/0 is double ought or 00

 

00 welding cable from Mcmaster is pretty flexible. It’s what I made our cables from. I bought a hydraulic lug press, the correct size lugs and terminals on eBay, a good battery cable cutter, and some heat shrink for 00. Nice to mock up your cable and Mark the lug orientation before you crimp to keep the cable from having to twist to hit the studs. I also soldered my connections after crimping.

JB

 

2/0 or 00 is great, but if you want an inexpensive off the shelf solution, I have used this very successfully with my stock 6V systems:

https://www.autozone.com/batteries-s...70485_309923_0

 

There have been some good options offered. With the lengths needed, the OP (Original Poster) would likely be best to either have a local supply house fab the needed cables or have Rhode Island Wiring (riwire.com) or similar make them. The bends in the routing don't seem unusual for a stock truck.

 

Thanks all! You schooled me up on battery cables for 6 volt system - I appreciate it!

while I’m at it... my battery has 650 cold cranking amps. Is that too much?

 

Just another suggestion. I have had 2/0 cables made at NAPA where they can also sell and crimp whatever terminals you need.

As far as the CCA of your battery. 650 not a problem, especially if you have good cables.

 

The AWG (American Wire Gauge) goes, a 12 gauge wire is larger size than 14. As the number gets smaller, the wire gets larger. 2 gauge is pretty hefty. 0 gauge is even heftier

Then it goes backwards. "00" is bigger than 0 gauge. Called 2/0 or "double aught". 3/0 or 4/0 is the largest.

Remember with amperes, one can't have too big or too much of a battery. Think of it this way. Voltage is applied. Current is drawn. So a 2000 CCA battery would be just fine. Just don't try to pull 2000 amperes through the wiring. It might be a bit slow on the uptake to charge back up.

It's getting a bit more difficult to find decent 6 volt batteries, some say. I dunno. Recall that a generator equipped system ideally needs a physically large, heavy battery with lots of reserve capacity. Fat cables will help with starting, buy the biggest battery you can find that will fit, one that meets the factory ampere hour Ford specified. I don't think they used CCA then to rate batteries.

The reason for such a large heavy battery is because when at low RPM or idle the generator is completely cutout, unlike an alternator system no charging at all occurs at idle. So at times the entire electrical system must be supported by the battery alone - lights, ignition, and accessories.

So a balance between both CCA and Reserve Capacity Minutes is what you're looking for. Maybe an Optima does that, I dunno, but they are expensive and they look alien. I'd think maybe a Golf Cart battery or something like that would be the ticket.