49WINDS Posted July 14, 2020 Report Posted July 14, 2020 Part of the fun of working on this car is discovering all the things that were done wrong to it. Thanks to this forum not only did I discover that it was grounded incorrectly (negative instead of positive), but also that the battery cables were probably not the correct gauge for 6v systems. I'd seen you could buy reproduction cables for a hefty price but I'm not looking to make this a show car. After doing some searching I came across BatteryCablesUSA.com and was very impressed with their selection. You can choose the gauge of wire, length, and type of connections you want on the ends and all for a decent price. I ended up getting some 1/0 cable for about $37 with tax. Definitely worth the money as they look much better and after switching back to positive ground and correct cables the car starts like a dream now! 1 Quote
keithb7 Posted July 14, 2020 Report Posted July 14, 2020 Good job...The photos say it all...12V cables are not adequate! 1 Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted July 14, 2020 Report Posted July 14, 2020 glad you retired the cheesy battery clamp also... 1 Quote
DJK Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 Don't forget the one from the relay to starter!!!! 1 Quote
49WINDS Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 21 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said: glad you retired the cheesy battery clamp also... Haha yeah those clamps were terrible! Quote
49WINDS Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 38 minutes ago, DJK said: Don't forget the one from the relay to starter!!!! Damn I didn't even know that was there! Guess I'll be diving back down under the hood this weekend to see if that one has been messed with too. Thanks! 1 Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, 49WINDS said: Damn I didn't even know that was there! Guess I'll be diving back down under the hood this weekend to see if that one has been messed with too. Thanks! Yep, you need three cables, a fourth one for chassis ground is good, too. It is the second cable on the negative post in the photo below and is connected to the body. My BatteryCablesUSA set (my car is negative ground): Edited July 15, 2020 by Sam Buchanan Quote
greg g Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 You can save one of those 12 v cables and use it as a ground from the body to the engine or bell housing. Usually a fire wall bolt will do or you ban do a new hole and bolt. Quote
Sniper Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 RockAuto sells 6v cables as well. Though they are 1 gauge. I didn't go as fat on my cable to chassis ground as you did. 1 Quote
49WINDS Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 4 hours ago, Sam Buchanan said: Yep, you need three cables, a fourth one for chassis ground is good, too. It is the second cable on the negative post in the photo below and is connected to the body. My BatteryCablesUSA set (my car is negative ground): Hmm I think my starter may be different from yours. It looks like mine just goes straight to the solenoid, or at least that's how it was wired when I got it. I wouldn't be surprised if more things were done incorrectly on it though, if you look close enough at this picture you can see the high quality wire repair with bare wires showing everywhere. Think I'm gonna have to break out the shop manual and double check that wiring diagram because I'm not even sure it's hooked up to a relay. Quote
49WINDS Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 Actually if I'm looking at my wiring diagram correctly it seems like I do have it wired correctly. I mean it at least starts and runs fine so that's usually a good sign right? Quote
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