short battery cable
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,187
Likes: 7
From: Chetwynd B.C.
short battery cable
My positive battery cable is a little short. Just short enuf that it pulls the battery away from the back of the box and won't let it be anchored down. How can I lengthen the cable? Do I have to replace the whole thing for almost $100?
shmoky
shmoky
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge Louisiana
You can go to a welding supply and get the proper size welding cable. This is very high quality cable, very flexible with a high quality rubber jacket. You can get a ten foot pc. of this stuff for around 30 bucks. I found some good fittings at a commercial wholesale battery place. They may even crimp them on for you. You can also solder them on if you have a torch.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 857
Likes: 1
From: Morrisonville Illinios
You might have enough slack in the cable as it runs through the tunnel.
We where able to get several inchs gained on ours on the starter end. It is not that tough but does take patience, small hands, a couple sockets and wrench's but really do-able with everything up in the tunnel.
Good Luck wro87
We where able to get several inchs gained on ours on the starter end. It is not that tough but does take patience, small hands, a couple sockets and wrench's but really do-able with everything up in the tunnel.
Good Luck wro87
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Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
The original battery cables are copper clad aluminum and simply suck.
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
v
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
v
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,363
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
True, but it's more a matter of disconnecting the neg cable first so if your wrench comes into contact with metal it wont spark. But with the disconnect theres really no danger of that, especially since there's no metal in the vicinity of the battery in a Vette.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,239
Likes: 74
From: Palatine, Peoples Republic of Illinois
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 876
Likes: 0
From: Canastota Ny
[QUOTE=noonie;1568065602]The original battery cables are copper clad aluminum and simply suck.
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
Arent the cables you use then labled copper clad? is there a difference in cooper clad of today and yesterday?
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
Arent the cables you use then labled copper clad? is there a difference in cooper clad of today and yesterday?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 1
From: Liberty Missouri
Guys,
I thought I would put my .02 in here on the disconnect. I am now currently redoing my cables because I used the negative for the disconnect. The problem with using the – side of he battery is if you need to run a small wire for the radio or clock, you must run a small ground wire from your battery. Ok that doesn’t sound too bad until you do, then find that the case of the radio or clock grounds the rest of the car. This renders your disconnect useless and could cause a fire if you “TRY” to start the car without reconnecting the disconnect. If you do forget and try to start the car, all of the current from the starter will try to pull it’s ground from the small wire you ran for your clock/radio. Ask me how I know this!!!!!
For this reason alone the disconnect should be ran on the positive side. 
I thought I would put my .02 in here on the disconnect. I am now currently redoing my cables because I used the negative for the disconnect. The problem with using the – side of he battery is if you need to run a small wire for the radio or clock, you must run a small ground wire from your battery. Ok that doesn’t sound too bad until you do, then find that the case of the radio or clock grounds the rest of the car. This renders your disconnect useless and could cause a fire if you “TRY” to start the car without reconnecting the disconnect. If you do forget and try to start the car, all of the current from the starter will try to pull it’s ground from the small wire you ran for your clock/radio. Ask me how I know this!!!!!
For this reason alone the disconnect should be ran on the positive side.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
[QUOTE=1nicecorvette;1568085409]
That is a pic of the original labeled cable. The one below it in the porevious post with the copper ends is the one I made from welding cable.
You can see the copper coating on the aluminum strands.
This is the welding cable. Many more strands.
You can buy the disconnects pictured above with a small fused accessory wire for keeping memory etc.
The original battery cables are copper clad aluminum and simply suck.
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
You cannot solder them. They will eventually corrode at the terminals and cause start problems. A lot of times it is improperly diagnosed as a starter or solenoid problem. That is why aluminum cable was outlawed for residential and commercial buildings. Power companies are the only ones still allowed to use it.
You can turn the battery around. Both my vettes are that way.
Or you can get the good welding cable and crimp and solder new ends on. Both available at a welding supply. It is then easy to use a disconnect if desired. This is the cable and disconnects I used. It is advised to use them at the neg terminal, but either post will work.
That is a pic of the original labeled cable. The one below it in the porevious post with the copper ends is the one I made from welding cable.
You can see the copper coating on the aluminum strands.
This is the welding cable. Many more strands.
You can buy the disconnects pictured above with a small fused accessory wire for keeping memory etc.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 1
From: Liberty Missouri
