I have in hand a braided cable NAPA part number 711622. It is a 2 gauge -16 1/2" cable that is 13/16" wide with a tip for a 3/8" ground bolt to block or frame.

Julie: why do you have 3 grounds?

 

Eric. Personally I add them for insurance/convenience of doing them when I install each part (cab, bed, block, battery) on the frame. Each part has something electrical that requires a ground that goes back to the negative battery ground. I use the frame as a common and attach all grounds to the frame. Over time the cab, bed etc attach bolts rust and corrosion causes electrical resistance. I would rather have grounds that I can easily replace if needed after the truck has been completed. They don't cost much. It's not required. chuck

 

Thanks for the reply Chuck. Perhaps that is why I need to replace the ground strap and need some additional protection.

 

There's actually only one ground but three cables joining the truck together electrically.

It may be a little redundant, but bad grounding is the source of most electrical problems. Sometimes you may have rubber shock absorbers in aftermarket mounts that may impede electrical flow. Corrosion, grease, or dirt build up and can also occur in the older trucks where once there was a ground contact point making that ground marginal or weak.

Plus with the amount of power you can use in a modern truck (say 40 amps for an electrical fan alone today, when the original 51 generator is only rated at 35 amps), can be more than when originally built. Deliberate and healthy grounds from the engine, frame, and body are a must. I use the cables to ensure that solid grounding, not wanting to leave it to simple contact.

On the full front tilt I have the only metal to metal contact point is in the hinge pins. They being oiled and not a hard contact will cause my headlights to flicker. So on a full front tilt a dedicated grounding strap to bridge the week ground is a must.

 

I would take the time to organize your harness before starting to wire so you don't end up with a wiring job that resembles a bad macrame project and/or a bunch of extra wires under the dash. First unroll the entire harness someplace where it can lay out flat i.e. down a hallway or down the center of the garage floor. Start at the fuse block and check the labeling on each wire. Seperate them into groups by where they will run to: front of the chassis, such as headlights, running lights, turn lights, fan, fog lights, horn, etc.(any other electrical needs that are located near the front of the truck) rear of the chassis, such as tailights, brakelights, turnlights, license light, backup lights, fuel sender, etc. engine/charging system wiring, cab wiring such as all the interior electrical needs.
temporarily tie each bundle together with twist ties, string, masking tape, whatever you can easily remove or change. Now identify and pull out of each bundle and group together whatever wires you know you're likely to not use such as power seats, power windows, electric door locks, electric fan, etc obviously this will depend on future plans you may have for your truck. do a second seperation of this group into will use in the near future, and will never use.
Now, trace back one ot the "never use" wires to the fuse block. Pull the fuse that connects to that wire and with a strong light and possibly a magnifying glass examine the metal connector the wire attaches to at the fuse block from the top and the back side. Look for a locking tab that holds the connector into the plastic block. Try releasing the tab with a very small screwdriver or a straightened paper clip while gently pulling the connector and wire. Work around until the connector pops out. The first one will be the tricky one, once you have one out it will be easy to figure out how to release the rest of the "never use". DON'T cut the wires! never now may be gotta have down the line. Roll up those extra wires and put away where you can find them in the future.
Now take one of the remaining bundles and roll up and twist tie a single wire in a 6" diameter roll. After likewise rolling up each wire in the bundle again retie the rolls together into a bundle. Repeat until you have rolled up all the wires and tied them into their original bundles. Now slip each bundle into a ziplock bag and zip the bag closed around the tails going to the fuse block. Write the location for that bundle on the outside of the bag with a permanent marker.
After determining where and how you are going to mount your fuse block, take the time to plan where you are going to run each group of wires considering appearance, protection and support. If you need to drill holes for the bundles to reach where they are going do so at this time and insert a rubber grommet in the hole to protect the wires from chaffing on the metal. (a step drill bit such as made by Irwin and available at your local DIY store or Sears is the best tool for drilling holes larger than 1/4" in sheet metal. They are a bit expensive but well worth it! Avoid the "no brand" made overseas ones sold by the tool importers, they are cheaper, but are soft and often off center. The bit looks like a metal xmas tree and will drill a nice round hole as large as each step, just keep drilling until you reach the size you want. A MUST HAVE tool!) Work with one bundle (or bag) at a time. That way you will only be working with a few wires at a time all going in the same general direction. Bundle the wires in corregated plastic tubing or electrical tape along their length and support every little ways with a plastic loop and screw (I like to use self drilling metal screws with a hex head, the end of the screw looks like the end of a drill bit. Use a hex driver in your drill to drill and drive them in all in one operation). Leave a little slack in the wires for movement.

 

Man that is a huge help. Thanks for the info AxRacer. I don't feel so intimidated by the job now. Now if I can just get about 3 days off in a row....I'll be in business!

 

One more suggestion that is a little "above and beyond" but really helps. I actually drew a Power Point Wiring Diagram that was exactly the wiring I installed in my truck.

I started out flowing this out in the planning stage before running the wires and updated it with color and routing changes as they occurred.

This will do two things for you: First and most important, it will make you completely familiar with your harness and wiring "signal flow" BEFORE you even start. You will get into the wiring and already know exactly where each wire goes. There is a certain logic to that flow path that building a picture of will help tremendously. It's like a wiring dress rehersal on your computer.

But also, it will result in a custom color wiring diagram specifically for your truck that you can change or add on to at a later time. A drawing that you know and can read easily. Plus if you ever have to trouble shoot (say you nick a wire working on something else) it makes tracing SOOOO much easier.

Look at my #4 gallery (electrical conversion) and you will see pictures of mine and the ones I have made for folks here!

If you would like my PP files to use as a template, I'd be more than happy to send them to you - send me a PM with your real e-mail address.

Just a suggestion. (Do it at work, your boss will think it's ok - trust me)

 

No, you didn't Julie ,I did. I guess I was focusing on the mention of the 56 switch and not the fact it was a 54 he was working on, me bad. I'm going to blame it on the night shift thing

 

Yep that night shift thing kills me too. But it's that guy I work late with, Sam Adams, that really messes things up!