you may have already purchased a cable but here is some info for some, made by american autowire. rockauto has them for $48. thats where it got mine for my 79, just some fyi
http://shop.americanautowire.com/69c...erycable1.aspx

 

Geez, Ray. If you hadn't mentioned the batt cable work was for a Corvette, maybe it wouldn't have cost so dang much...!

(JK. Sorry that you tore up that Achilles so bad and hope your leg rehabbed as well as the rest of the car. Being that, that's your throttle foot; now-a-days, I imagine that it and the car are more bad-a$$!)

To the OP, if you are replacing the pos-side cable, remember that there is one hole in the batt box for that cable; originally sealed through a grommet. If you choose to piggy-back a new one to save time and to restore continuity, it may require cutting and securing the old one past that hole. Just a thought.

Zip-ties/cable-ties (whatever we call them) are cheap and hold tight to piggy-back onto and that may speed up the job, until the trans is out and you can fix it correctly, then.

We can see what happens if things get loose.

 

UPDATE: I have removed the 4 rear clips with various combinations of a ratcheting wrench, 1/4 inch flex socket, extensions and universal joint. The clip above the transmission is somewhere I cannot find, up under the insulation somewhere. The AIM and the service manual show a 6th one. The pictures look like it is on the firewall, but I cannot find it. It may be on the underside of the firewall and I cannot see it, or maybe it is gone.

Also, there is some additional bracket that bolts to the bell housing that holds the cable, but that is not shown in my AIM. Since mine is an early 69, maybe it would be shown in the 68 AIM.

I did manage to get my electricians fish tape from the engine, up and over the transmission so I can pull the cable through (I hope). It looks like I am going to have to cut it at both ends and leave a small part of it on top of the transmission, for now.

Tomorrow, I will take a better look on the firewall and see if I can find that clip. I certainly looks like this is the original cable and so far I have been lucky enough not to break an of the studs. I also made up and replaced the negative cable too, but that was much easier. The "grommet" slid off the old cable and on to the new one, with a little lithium grease.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and advice. Oh, I forgot who said it, but yes, my hands are scratched up. it looks like I have been tattooing cats.

 

FINAL UPDATE:

Well, there is one clip above the transmission and under the shielding that I could never find. So I had no choice but to run the new battery cable and cut the old one as close to the tranny on both sides as possible. using 5 out of 6 clips is not too bad, and though no one will know that piece of old cable is there but me, it will still bother me until I get to the transmission work.

Thanks again for the advice. on to the next issue....next weekend. LOL

 

I guess I'm up next to do this. Positive cable has a "repair terminal" @ the battery end. Everything was green with corrosion. I soaked the cable in vinegar, wire brushed the strands till shiny, neutralized with baking soda, then re-assembled.

Barely enough "rope" to get it back onto the battery.

I might just go through the cockpit and skip all the drama. Insulation and carpet are thick enough nobody's gonna notice snakey.

"What could we do to make battery cable replacement easier 50 years from now?" Said no automotive engineer, anywhere, ever.

 

I also had a "shortened" positive batter cable that I lived with for years. I just needed to extend it a couple of inches. I then found this contraption and decided to try it. Cleaned the battery cable and bolted this thing on several years ago. It's been working like a dream since.... and it was easy.

https://www.autozone.com/batteries-s...52986_309875_0

Duralast battery cable from autozone, Part Number: DL08867
Alternate Part Number: 08867

 

The same Engineer who decided to where to put the fuse box.

 

I know this is an old thread, but apparently Bubba'd positive cables are pretty common on early C3's like my '69. I first discovered the twisted together bolted mess of a splice job soon after buying
my '69 vert and vowed to make it right. Images of this mess shorting and causing trouble impel me to undertake the job. Not looking forward to it...

 

If yours is a manual its pretty easy !

 

Question that I hope is not too dumb.
what about the possibility of changing the battery location to the right side storage bucket.
Wouldnt that make it possible to run the cable without having to clip it to the inside of the trans tunnel?

 

I just removed my old cable and rerouted a new one. Since I have a T-56 Magnum now I rerouted the cable, crossing over at the trans crossmember. I also replaced the cable with a custom thicker 0/1 gauge cable that I made using wire and terminals from West Marine.

 

I changed my battery to the right side years ago. I'm not sure why you'd think that you wouldn't have to secure the cable to the trans tunnel, you still need to. And with moving the battery you have to pay extra attention to your cable routing to make sure nothing rubs on it. I wasn't careful enough; at two different times I had the battery cable contact the driveshaft and rub through the insulation.

 

If you are doing this simply to balance the car from side-to-side, you should be aware that there is a parameter called corner weight balance which you will be changing for better or worse. Probably not of much concern if you are simply a casual driver.

https://robrobinette.com/corner_weight_calc.htm

 

So, there are two reasons the C3 has the battery on the passenger side.

1) The engine and transmission are offset to the passenger side for steering box clearance and the pedal box. Having the battery on the driver's side helps counteract that.
2) The jack and jack handle are stored on the passenger side. That way, when you have a flat on the side of the road, you are not out in traffic with your door open trying to get the jack out of the car.

 

My car is a 4 spd - I hope you are right! I guess a manual trans gives you more room to stick your hands up in the trans tunnel than an auto would?