All those are fine, and the braided line isn't necessary, if you are talking about one of these.

Any battery like cable like this is going to doe the exact same thing, but a different look, depending what you are after.

Brian

 

Make sure that you get good metal to metal contact - paint doesn't conduct very well. A large percentage of electrical problems are due to poor grounds.

 

On my stock '75 GM vehicle I know of these grounds:

engine compartment
- Negative battery terminal to block/alternator bracket (standard battery cable)
- Negative battery terminal to radiator support (about a 10 gauge wire)
- Block to frame (braided)
- Block to firewall (braided)

other significant grounds
- Instrument panel to body
- Rear light harness to body (one in the middle and one on each taillight)
- Front light harness to radiator support (one on each side)

Based on past experience, if one of these grounds loosens up I start to have problems with lights and accessories.

Bruce

 

Adding a block to firewall ground couldn't hurt.

DC current likes a larger number of finer wire braided into a cable rather than fewer, larger wires bundled into a cable. That's why you see the flat braided ground straps. They might be unsightly to some, but they're effective at what they do.

 

Very interesting, I do like the looks of the big braided cable actually, on a car like my Rambler or my truck with the theme I am after, they are perfect.
But on a more modern "Riddler" type look, the bound and covered cable would make more sense, looks wise.

Just how different could it's operation be?

Brian

 

The finer wire handles vibration better, and is easier to route since it's more flexible. I don't know the physics of fine versus coarse in handling current at low voltages, but have heard high voltages tend to travel more on the surface of the conductor than through it, which would favor the finer wires having more surface area. I used fine wire welding cable for my battery cables because of it's flexibility and better dealing with vibration.

You don't have to give up fine wire to get the cable look - use welding cable.

 

Good point, welding cable is an excellent example of the type of cable he could use if he didn't want the flat straps.

Someone said welding cable insulation wasn't rated as "good" as automotive cable. IMHO considering the conditions real welding cable must endure I'd expect it to not only be as good but maybe better.

Years ago I went to Skycraft in Orlando (surplus electrical and gadgetry of ALL sorts- the kind of place that you cannot just go in and pick up what you came for w/o taking at least an hour just plundering). There I bought a bunch of welding cable for my '81 Camaro, a friends '72 Camaro and another friend's '78 T/A. At the time I looked up the abbreviations on the cable and there were a lot of mil type specs covering the insulation's abrasion, chemical and temperature resistance that convinced me that the cable would be totally adequate.

But even if there were questions about that, there's flexible PVC conduit that can be used for protection, like if it were to be exposed under the car when mounting the battery in the trunk.

As for any real difference in how fine vs. coarse wire would be, as long as the routing (tight bends, etc.), the type of current (AC or DC), and the voltage/load is taken into account when the size/stranding of the cable is chosen, it matters not.

That said, you will notice a difference in the wire stranding and gauge between cheap cables and good cables, good favoring smaller gauge individual wires bundled into larger gauge cable.

 

Thanks for all of the help and information!

 

My sedan is a fiberglass car which means of course there is no grounding through the body. I had to run dedicated grounds for everything. I think I would have wired it the same if it had been a steel body. I ran 1/0 welding cable for both positive and ground from the battery (in the back) to the starter (+) and a bellhousing bolt (-). From that bellhousing bolt, I ran grounds to the chassis, fuse panel, and terminal blocks front and rear. All the grounds from lights, horn, fan, radio, et cetera all go to either the fuse panel grounds, or one of the terminal blocks. All were done with copper terminals crimped, soldered, then covered with glue-filled shrink tube. I also crimped, soldered, and shrink tubed the welding cable. Overkill, perhaps but I don't want problems with bad grounds or weak connections.

 

Is this a stock 50 ford 6v system ?! Guys isn't that a positive ground! I didn't see it stated or not! Is it converted or a street rod with a 12v system I must have read right by it?

Just wondering

Jester

 

The car has been converted to a 12v system. Sorry, should have mentioned before.

 

Ya, a stock 50 Ford was 6 volt positive ground.

 

Voltage drop calculator: BD Batteries - Wire Rules

Going from a 4 gauge to a 1/0 gauge cable used in a rear mounted battery/V8 starter scenario, the voltage drop goes from 13% to 5%.

 

Cobalt:thumbup: Ive seen throttle cables melt because ground votage was looking for a path to ground when too small a gauge was used LOL also dim head lights because the power wire was too small a gauge or fuses blowing because they were getting too hot LOL!! Its a very common mistake

Jester:welcome:

 

"heard high voltages tend to travel more on the surface of the conductor than through it, which would favor the finer wires having more surface area. I used fine wire welding cable for my battery"

When I was in the service doing electrical work we called it "skin affect" I always use stranded wire!

Jester

 

These were mentioned.
Negative battery terminal to block
Block to frame
Frame to firewall
If you have a pickup, you need to also ground the bed.
If you have lights that ground through their mounting, on bolted on fenders, you need to run a wire to ground them, also.
The instrument panel was mentioned. It need to ground to the block, helps the sensor for the temperature gauge work better, and the fuel tank needs to be grounded to the instrument panel also, same reason.

 

Good catch on the instrument panel - I had to run a dedicated ground to my fuel tank because my fuel gauge wasn't reading correctly.

 

Not needed by this thread LOL! but if you have shaved handles and door poppers hid battery and hood cable or trunk poppers!! LOL put exterior jumper terminals you can get to easy!!!:drunk: So you can jump the battery to get into the carain:

I used to get about 3 service calls a year because some guy at a car show with a custom or low riders battery was dead at the end of the day at the show! I made real good money on these calls LOL But what a pain ain::sweat: trying to find a place to get to wiring or the starter in order to get juice to the poppers!!!! LOL

Jester:thumbup:

 

He forgot the length of wire increases resistance the longer the wire the hotter it will get!! As length increases you must go to a larger gauge wire! This is very important to remember!

:thumbup:Jester

Correct, but my comment was comparing braided vs. solid vs. whatever. I'm assuming that these were all for a given length of wire. Yes, total resistance drop depends on length, but for a given length, only the cross section matters, not the form factor.

 

Joe:

Whats Whatever? LOL

I Wasn't correcting you! Or Knocking your knowledge! I said " HE FORGOT" I agreed and added a little more information!!! That's what we do here for people who don't know. I don't assume anything on a thread starters Knowledge!

If a guy lets say Cobalt adds something I missed or took for granted, I tell him thanks! I would never get upset or think he was correcting my post!

If you took any offense there was none meant your post was great and to the point!! :thumbup:

Jester