Hi just want to confirm I am correct about grounding battery. I had an electrical short 6 months ago. When I we t to start it,
A: Repently turning over but wouldn't fire up. So got out check engine
B. Found my battery was smoking and positive cable melting and battery post. Quickly disconnected
c. Mechanic came tested etc said wasn't getting spark. OK why I asked didn't know. Waited for the approval for repair all this time then denied repair saying truck too old not worth it had surface rust parts too expensive etc. Nothing to do with mechanical I voice on needed repair or parts. B.S. my thought. So I finally said I'll look myself only reason I waited not touching it was because I was told it would be approved for work repair.
D. Immediately fou d likable fuse leading to dash blow ah reason there's no spark I imagine.trained service mechanic failed to find it. I was bothered because the cause was still u know. To me as to why it shorted.
F. When replacing the burnt cable I noticed what appeared to be a splice as it was shrink wrapped, thinking g it odd cause I didn't remember it being like that. I cut into it with tinsnips
G. Found the reason why it shorted. The cable had been stripped a d had tinfoil wrapped around it and the shrink wrap over it hiding it.
H. Thus someone deliberately caused my truck to short to render it inoperable to me.
J. REPLACED CABLE FULLY CHARGED BATTERY
REPLACED BLOW. FUSE
AND a bit gas I to csrb and she fire up

But the starting selinoid is arcing when running which tells me the battery needs grounding? Question is do I ground it from negative terminal to selinoid or to engine block or to starter or near the statter? Can anyone provide an the answer as I don't want to short stuff out again lucky Points coil and especially the starter and alternator are working g still Tha ks

 

Welcome to FTE

It would be nice if we knew what you were working on, year / motor, as things change from year to year.

So you asked about the battery NEG / ground side.
In general a cable goes from battery to the motor. Another cable from motor to frame. Older trucks and I am guessing new also have a ground wire (10 ga) from the motor to the firewall to ground the body.
Some battery cables have a small 10 ga wire that you can screw to the radiator support or inner fender for another body ground. Some also add a 10 ga wire from the frame to the bed to ground it as some tail lights ground to the bed and so the bed has a good ground a wire from frame to bed helps. Remember the cab is not grounded to frame as it sits on rubber mounts just like the motor & transmission sit on rubber too.

You can NEVER have enough grounds
Dave ----

 

1973 ford v6 300c breadtruck

 

1973 Ford v6 300 breadtruck

My engine
Below alternator to right in second ohoto
note starting selinoid is mounted on frame

 

Ok that is not a V6 but a straight 6.
If all the pistons are in a row looking at the motor from the front like yours, that is straight be it a 4, 6, 8 or 12, 8 & 12's are vary old school motors you might see a flat head straight 8 at cars shows.
A "V" motor is just that a "V" when looing at it from the front. They also come in 4, 6, 8 or 12, 8,10 & 12's.

So the battery NEG should go to the motor, factory 80's F trucks it went to the top starter bolt and because the motor and transmission are bolted together the motor is grounded.
There also needs to be a cable from the motor to the frame to ground it and more so if your solenoid is bolted to the frame.
You also need a 10 gauge wire from the motor to the trucks body to ground it or crazy stuff can happen like light not working or only working if other things are or are not working - just crazy stuff!

Now depending just where the solenoid is sparking, is it where the cables are bolted to or where the solenoid is bolted to the frame?
If cables then they may be dirty? Clean and put back on tight. If where it is bolted to the frame, remove and clean the frame and the solenoid so it has a good connection as it needs to be grounded to work right, and bolt it back down tight.

I had to go back and read what truck to see why the motor was so far under the firewall, bread truck
When I was a kid my dad bought a bread truck with a flat head Dodge straight 6 for the motor for his 5 ton flatbed truck.
Dave ----

 

OK smarty pants do yoy know what v stands for when used.in front of a engine number valves cylinder valves so a 300 has 6 cylinder valve thus is a v6 straight 6 if you want to nit pick.

Last summer before the electrical malfunction I had fuel start dumping into my crankcase. Thus you have to dump it change filter new oil etc right. Also pulled carb to clean made new gasket repla Ed it oil in filter on fired up ran better thanany of the time i had it. Drive a mile maybe idling smoothly dumby mechanic said idle was off adjusted it died wont start then jad difficulties after the adjustment which causes me to do the same thing dump oil change it pull carb ultrasonic cleaned didn't help pulled again myself inspected it and found a small pinhole in the chamber so I dunked it and it wasn't the jet hole either. Dumped oil third time still with fuel in it 1st 15 quarts of fluid came out of pan. Less this time but knowing what fuel oil mixture becomes and knowing what it does to cork paper gaskets it lubricated them or saturated them and the fuel dissolves the gasket sealer over time causing gaskets to blow possibly. That is why I myself hacked her up pulled the oil pan caked with gummy tar sludge obvious reasons why to clean it throughly make new gasket 4 pieces by using a traced outline of the pan edge for pattern painted it used the red high temp gasket sealer put it back on. Changesd valve cover gasket as well cleaned valves or rocker arms I should say as same gummy residue was on them just less of an amount than the pan had
made gasket pooped it up put the cover back on done. Also did intake manifold gasket and I stalled a brand new carburetor a Japan one with electric choke. New spark plugs etc. Pures like a kitten then yhe electrical short jappened . I am not ignorant I can and do fix my own truck as well as light work on yacht engines which are far more complicated usually cause there's 2 and salt water corrosion and heat exchangers and other problematic stuff that is normal for marine applications. So pls do not take to me like I'm a child. Thank you

 

Sorry if you took it that way, we also dont know how much if anything the person we are trying to help knows.

But you are WRONG on the "V" before the motor size as for valves. It is always looking at the motor from the front and the shape the piston rods run in. It is also the same way for in board boat motors too.
Look in any motor spec book it will list the number of pistons and show it in a V or straight and the number of valves if more than 2 in a cylinder is after the moto size.
V8 4.6L v4 = V8 block of 4.6 liters and 4 valves per cylinder.

I also posted it to help others that are new to working on motors to learn the right way to ID a motor.
It is bad enough the kids behind the parts counter dont have a clue then have the person needing the part does not have a clue can get ugly fast.
You can keep calling a 300 straight six a v6 if you want but is it not right.

Good luck on your short
Dave ----

 

Small addendum - usually when someone mentions valve count they cite the total number of valves - valves per cylinder times the number of cylinders. So a four valve per cylinder 6, whether straight or V configured, would be referred to more likely as a 24V engine rather than a 6 cylinder 4V. Me, I have only been fooling with cars about 60 years more or less and have never seen an in-line engine referred to as a v-anything. But hey, I am always willing to learn.

 

as Dave said, you can NEVER have too many grounds. i do battery negative to block. then a heavy braided or same size black cable as negative from battery from block to frame, and again same size cable from block to body.

as for the engine, usually the definition between a "V" and an inline engine is:
inline, all cylinders in a row like your 300.
a V6 engine has equal number of cylinders on each side of the "V" as in 3 cylinders on each bank.

but i have been seeing people miss identify the 300 inline 6 as a V6 for at least 30 years

 

Hey Huston,, 60 years, is that all.......lol I am about with you as my
First real engine project for me was a valve job on a 352 ford engine in about 1962......