Battery Cable Recommendations?
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Trailering
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 21
Likes: 6
From: Carlsbad, CA
Battery Cable Recommendations?
My 65 F100 battery cables are looking pretty sad, exposed wire and crusty post connectors. I was thinking of purchasing some made-to-order cables so I can get the right guage, length and connector ends...
Does anyone know off the top of their head the connector end size needed to put on the starter solenoid post and the grounding post on the engine block? When I shop online, nowhere is it mentioned. Was thinking about here:
https://www.batterycablesusa.com/4-g...ble-with-endsI think this is correct info I found in the parts catalog for length and guage (doing my best NumberDummy impression here):
Thanks,
Tim
Does anyone know off the top of their head the connector end size needed to put on the starter solenoid post and the grounding post on the engine block? When I shop online, nowhere is it mentioned. Was thinking about here:
https://www.batterycablesusa.com/4-g...ble-with-endsI think this is correct info I found in the parts catalog for length and guage (doing my best NumberDummy impression here):
- Battery to starter relay (positive) 64/66 F100 Universal - 16” long — 4 gauge
- Battery to ground - 64/66 F100 Universal - 34” long — 1 gauge
Thanks,
Tim
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Any good cable should work for the feed. I have found that grounding is a major issue with these older vehicles. Scraping paint off where ground wire is connecting is a must.
John
John
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 1,899
Likes: 236
From: Southern California
What I did is got a length of 4 ga welding cable, a roll of braided copper ground wire, the 1" wide stuff, a couple of solder on battery terminals, a box of assorted copper terminal ends, and a spool of solder. Made custom cables with the welding wire and custom ground straps for the engine to the frame, frame to fender, to core support, to dash, hood, bed... Basically overkill, but there is the other end of the spectrum.
Thread Starter
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Trailering
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 21
Likes: 6
From: Carlsbad, CA
I think that definitely exhibits a set of skills I don’t have!
saw on an auto-parts store package a cable with 3/8” lug, so think I’ll go with that and a 4 gauge positive and 1 gauge negative.
saw on an auto-parts store package a cable with 3/8” lug, so think I’ll go with that and a 4 gauge positive and 1 gauge negative.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 1,899
Likes: 236
From: Southern California
That will work.
Thread Starter
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Trailering
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 21
Likes: 6
From: Carlsbad, CA
Just as an update and to close out my own thread, I bought some "Extreme Copper" cables from Battery Cables USA. For the record, a 5/16" lug worked fine and on my truck (352 CI) the bolt in the engine block appeared to be 7/16". They didn't have a 7/16" lug so I had to get a 1/2". So, ended up with a 27F battery, a 16" long 4 gauge positive with a 5/16" lug and a 27" long 1 gauge 1/2" lug negative. I wouldn't go shorter than 27" for negative, anywhere between 27" and 33" is probably good and of course if your battery terminals are reversed, you'd need to go longer. Cables seem pretty nice quality, solid, but flexible.
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