Another battery post conversion.

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Havasu

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Hi gang!

Could any of you fine folk please tell me the length of the OEM positive battery cable? Or the length you used when you converted from side post to top post?

My square is an '83 C20 454 w/automatic transmission, AC and power everything; it has a 3-wire alternator on the passenger side. It had one side-post battery on the passenger side that I have since changed out for a dual-post Optima battery.

My thanks to Auroragirl/Taylor who tried helping me out when I asked this under someone else's post, but I lost track of the post before replying to her so I thought it best to make a fresh post.

Thanks in advance!

Marie
 

SirRobyn0

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I can't answer your question without measuring mine, which I can't do right now, but you can tag someone by putting the @ symbol before their name, no space between the @ symbol and their name. Taylor would you like to pick this up again? I'll tag her but it'll come up blue with may make it hard to see depending on your settings. @AuroraGirl
 

Grit dog

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I can't answer your question without measuring mine, which I can't do right now, [/USER]
Because it’s raining frickin cats n dogs here!

OP, can you not remove and measure the existing cable, or just measure from battery to starter how you’d run it? Even use a piece of rope or hose as a mock-up and then measure that?

Honestly, asking how long to make a cable is far too subjective of a question to be answered with certainty and a very basic question that you can figure out in about 5 minutes if you pop the hood.
 

SirRobyn0

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Because it’s raining frickin cats n dogs here!

OP, can you not remove and measure the existing cable, or just measure from battery to starter how you’d run it? Even use a piece of rope or hose as a mock-up and then measure that?

Honestly, asking how long to make a cable is far too subjective of a question to be answered with certainty and a very basic question that you can figure out in about 5 minutes if you pop the hood.
Yes, that would be the main reason!

If your cable is already removed or missing you can run a length of string out where it should go and then measure the string. If your building your own cable, and putting the ends on yourself, just make sure you get 6" or so of extra length you can always cut it shorter. If your getting preformed you can still get a little more than you think you need and just route the extra out of the way if there is any.
 

AuroraGirl

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Hi gang!

Could any of you fine folk please tell me the length of the OEM positive battery cable? Or the length you used when you converted from side post to top post?

My square is an '83 C20 454 w/automatic transmission, AC and power everything; it has a 3-wire alternator on the passenger side. It had one side-post battery on the passenger side that I have since changed out for a dual-post Optima battery.

My thanks to Auroragirl/Taylor who tried helping me out when I asked this under someone else's post, but I lost track of the post before replying to her so I thought it best to make a fresh post.

Thanks in advance!

Marie
thje cable ran from the starter followed a head shield and clamps and found its way on the battery positive. all of the details what how why when are kinda needlessly specific, One second

AC delco generic cable is 65 inches long, 4 gauge. asnd its to the swtich presumably thats wired normally to the electric motor

I would not buy this cable, make one is a better option way behind find a quality TOP post cable thats got that more like 70-75 inches for length if you run to battery still and want top

You can take advantage of your bost posts however anyeway you want.

You also have a 19 inch ground strap that goes to firewall presumably to the head

then also the ground cable is 30 inches at 16 gauge



I would get a new charge wire too. your alternator has the 2 wires go t othe harness and then the charge wire also goes that way but ifind s itself at the junction. In my fully opinion , a AD or CS or CS(D) series alternators being found in the same ear setup and pulley will be way bettr alts and also be simple to wire in. you wanting to make this robust or work ?
 

AuroraGirl

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Yes, that would be the main reason!

If your cable is already removed or missing you can run a length of string out where it should go and then measure the string. If your building your own cable, and putting the ends on yourself, just make sure you get 6" or so of extra length you can always cut it shorter. If your getting preformed you can still get a little more than you think you need and just route the extra out of the way if there is any.
Just lug-to-lug like 3 different size cables with the smallest gauge in the middle thats pa alwyas said



Joking, that may have been what Randal may have told his son Arvid(my gpa) because they were also psycho and set their kids against eachother, taught to grudge till after death, and deliberately misleading to cause issues on their later life is something I see... but it was probably gpa not caring lol
 

SirRobyn0

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Just lug-to-lug like 3 different size cables with the smallest gauge in the middle thats pa alwyas said



Joking, that may have been what Randal may have told his son Arvid(my gpa) because they were also psycho and set their kids against eachother, taught to grudge till after death, and deliberately misleading to cause issues on their later life is something I see... but it was probably gpa not caring lol
Oh my! We always have the best conversations! Let's talk about my Jeep. It's 1996 Grand Cherokee with the 5.2L V8, when I bought it had a terrible time with a slow crank. You can see both ends of the positive cable, but the middle section is hidden pretty well. Replaced the battery because it was weak, no change. Replaced the starter because it was drawing high amps, no change. inspected and cleaned the grounds, no change. Replaced both terminal ends no change. Pulled the positive battery cable out to where I could see it, one part of it what huge and had electrical tape wrapped around it. Cut that off to find clamp on side terminals, with a bolt run though the center hole connecting the two pieces. Not surprisingly down it had gotten wet, corroded and created high resistance. A new cable solved the issue.
 

AuroraGirl

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Oh my! We always have the best conversations! Let's talk about my Jeep. It's 1996 Grand Cherokee with the 5.2L V8, when I bought it had a terrible time with a slow crank. You can see both ends of the positive cable, but the middle section is hidden pretty well. Replaced the battery because it was weak, no change. Replaced the starter because it was drawing high amps, no change. inspected and cleaned the grounds, no change. Replaced both terminal ends no change. Pulled the positive battery cable out to where I could see it, one part of it what huge and had electrical tape wrapped around it. Cut that off to find clamp on side terminals, with a bolt run though the center hole connecting the two pieces. Not surprisingly down it had gotten wet, corroded and created high resistance. A new cable solved the issue.
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see that yellow zip tie with tesa wrap near the frame?

Thats my positive cable. It was like i described being 2 pieces bolted together. although the one from the starter to the lug was a short produced length for a ground maybe, my gpa just squeezed a lug on the short length to the battery of a smaller gauge lol.. then the wires were squished into the clamp on the post.

one day the starter draw made it go POP and then there was no connection at the lug lol. thankfully it was wrapped enough to not short out the battery but i pulled it apart. the squish on the lug was not enouh. pulled it apart and cleaned things up, didnt want to find a new full length so I stole the brass clamp and short length to a lug that was on my 1979 skidsteer, looks OEM. Still there now. that zip is near the connection. Being that i have OEM powerr cables on 2 of my spare SBC, I was thinking of using one of those and making it groud down to the lug only, but it may be short without extending, so i may just use a side post adapter to make a top post lug or size it up one of these days. the battery in my truck doesnt sit exactly like OEM since the tray was from an earlier truck and just put in by my gpa.

Or i may just be wise and put a PG260 and a nice new cable on there lol
 

Craig Nedrow

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Hi gang!

Could any of you fine folk please tell me the length of the OEM positive battery cable? Or the length you used when you converted from side post to top post?

My square is an '83 C20 454 w/automatic transmission, AC and power everything; it has a 3-wire alternator on the passenger side. It had one side-post battery on the passenger side that I have since changed out for a dual-post Optima battery.

My thanks to Auroragirl/Taylor who tried helping me out when I asked this under someone else's post, but I lost track of the post before replying to her so I thought it best to make a fresh post.

Thanks in advance!

Marie
Marie, I have a 73, 454, cable is routed under the motor mount, to the starter, there is a clamp on the frame by #2 cyl, and then up to a top post battery, OAL= 44 inches. I try to keep the cables as short as practical, and the longer they are, the more resistance.
 

SirRobyn0

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You must be registered for see images attach

see that yellow zip tie with tesa wrap near the frame?

Thats my positive cable. It was like i described being 2 pieces bolted together. although the one from the starter to the lug was a short produced length for a ground maybe, my gpa just squeezed a lug on the short length to the battery of a smaller gauge lol.. then the wires were squished into the clamp on the post.

one day the starter draw made it go POP and then there was no connection at the lug lol. thankfully it was wrapped enough to not short out the battery but i pulled it apart. the squish on the lug was not enouh. pulled it apart and cleaned things up, didnt want to find a new full length so I stole the brass clamp and short length to a lug that was on my 1979 skidsteer, looks OEM. Still there now. that zip is near the connection. Being that i have OEM powerr cables on 2 of my spare SBC, I was thinking of using one of those and making it groud down to the lug only, but it may be short without extending, so i may just use a side post adapter to make a top post lug or size it up one of these days. the battery in my truck doesnt sit exactly like OEM since the tray was from an earlier truck and just put in by my gpa.

Or i may just be wise and put a PG260 and a nice new cable on there lol
I see a lot of problems in that picture..... But that's ok, it's still doing work for you! Nice dual pulley alternator. I've been thinking about going to a 4 pulley crank and a dual belt alternator on my square IDK so many projects....
 

Craig Nedrow

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Boy Rob, you got that right!! Yeah mines a squealer!
 

SirRobyn0

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Boy Rob, you got that right!! Yeah mines a squealer!
My truck is ok on a day to day basis, but if I run the battery down some I'll have problems with it squealing until it charges up a bit. IDK the amp rating of the alternator as the PO installed it, but my guess is it's a higher amp unit, 90 or more amps I'd image. May pulleys are in good shape and everything is in alignment, I think with a low battery it just puts to much resistance against a single belt.
 

AuroraGirl

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I see a lot of problems in that picture..... But that's ok, it's still doing work for you! Nice dual pulley alternator. I've been thinking about going to a 4 pulley crank and a dual belt alternator on my square IDK so many projects....
Lol it was the biggest and first alternator I pulled off my shelf. I trusted it only because it said "SUNFIRE GOOD" on a piece of duct tape to it.

It also had the SBC small stepped bracket that bolts to the .. waterpump? Mine was bent and had a washer shimming it and this one had it good, it also had the spacerfor the head bolt on it already bolted to the back vs I just didnt want to reuse the one Since it my have had issues. I stole the adjuster plate from my 305 because it was bent and the track was swiss on the one I had too.

The pic was during work and a more recent pic is this

You must be registered for see images attach

Notice I have no shroud lol... ever since I put the 7 blade fan I actually am not able to overheat my engine without a shroud or an overflow, but that would be different if I was doing something with it, it made it nice since the radiator going in and top plate will allow me to use 1 piece shroud\
also I know I have more issues also present here lol but works is ok for now. However on your comment, the dual belt pulley. I decided I wanted to use it at first to drive the pulley with 2 belts or just try and future do that, since the right number of slots on the pullies and the components could, theoretically, allow both a PS pump and a alternator to be driven by two identical belts , that includes the water pump, however the alternator dual belt pullies are special compared to the dual ps pullies I have but there are dual PS pullies that are like this too. If you noticed, the distance between each belt is different. Thats not weird on its face, but my ps belt is not like that(belt rather) and what I found is that on some SBC/SBO/SBP/SBB/maybe cadillac/probably big blocks too is that when an alternator and a ac compressor are on the same side, the alternator is usally not used as an idler to the compressor but the 2nd groove is either close to the belts path or conceivably in the adjustments of belts/components, a alt/ac could be the distance where the belt would be in the path
I have limited research about smog pumps since I do not own one on my small blocks except my engines that dont run in the grass sadly, maybe for my own good, idk. Anyway, the belts to them seem to be either run directly off an adapter to the crank or wp or they are in the fun mix with an alternator but the alternator is then sized to match that air pump and crank pulley diameter and would be slow turning on any normal setup like, my truck with a normal like pully sizes and no air pump.. anyway.. the idea is that the pullies with dual slots for the final accessories are different beasts. And in the case of this pic

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you can see the belt is to the alternator of course. same concept to the ac. That ps pulley, by design, has endplay, belts get warm, belts wear and stretch, and all in all, I wouldnt want the alternator belts cords glazed/cut by the ps pump lol!

I think the AC systems using the passenger side for PS and AC that I have seen like to drive the AC with 1 belt that passes close to the ps pump if not outright rides in the groove and the ps pump is turned by a quite well wrapped belt on the crank, wp, ps. This combo may be to allow the belt to not be tightly wrapped by the AC but to minimize the slipp because the PS pump is also driving it partially and that also acts as a bottom pulley which changes the direction the force pulling the belt comes from
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Here I found a good photo of what I mean

That is a big block ofc but the ps below it has 2 belts and i presume that since its using crank and ps and ac the belt type is normal with ps pump idler in involved, since the PS Pump is then driven crank wp ps.
You must be registered for see images attach

this is my electra. not visible to the left is the AC comp. a belt go to it and the alternator has 1 that goes to it, but in the space between the groove and the alternator is what kinda looks like a groove but its just rather a void where I assume deflection and stuff can take place and not hit that one, but that belt that runs the AC is larger. But if you had no context it almost looks like the alt has 2 different belt grooves.

Fun stuff!!!!!!!
This is the stuff I live for, help me
just a couple small things and I will be back to how 1980 my engine would have looked.. maybe..
You must be registered for see images attach
 

SirRobyn0

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Lol it was the biggest and first alternator I pulled off my shelf. I trusted it only because it said "SUNFIRE GOOD" on a piece of duct tape to it.

It also had the SBC small stepped bracket that bolts to the .. waterpump? Mine was bent and had a washer shimming it and this one had it good, it also had the spacerfor the head bolt on it already bolted to the back vs I just didnt want to reuse the one Since it my have had issues. I stole the adjuster plate from my 305 because it was bent and the track was swiss on the one I had too.

The pic was during work and a more recent pic is this

You must be registered for see images attach

Notice I have no shroud lol... ever since I put the 7 blade fan I actually am not able to overheat my engine without a shroud or an overflow, but that would be different if I was doing something with it, it made it nice since the radiator going in and top plate will allow me to use 1 piece shroud\
also I know I have more issues also present here lol but works is ok for now. However on your comment, the dual belt pulley. I decided I wanted to use it at first to drive the pulley with 2 belts or just try and future do that, since the right number of slots on the pullies and the components could, theoretically, allow both a PS pump and a alternator to be driven by two identical belts , that includes the water pump, however the alternator dual belt pullies are special compared to the dual ps pullies I have but there are dual PS pullies that are like this too. If you noticed, the distance between each belt is different. Thats not weird on its face, but my ps belt is not like that(belt rather) and what I found is that on some SBC/SBO/SBP/SBB/maybe cadillac/probably big blocks too is that when an alternator and a ac compressor are on the same side, the alternator is usally not used as an idler to the compressor but the 2nd groove is either close to the belts path or conceivably in the adjustments of belts/components, a alt/ac could be the distance where the belt would be in the path
I have limited research about smog pumps since I do not own one on my small blocks except my engines that dont run in the grass sadly, maybe for my own good, idk. Anyway, the belts to them seem to be either run directly off an adapter to the crank or wp or they are in the fun mix with an alternator but the alternator is then sized to match that air pump and crank pulley diameter and would be slow turning on any normal setup like, my truck with a normal like pully sizes and no air pump.. anyway.. the idea is that the pullies with dual slots for the final accessories are different beasts. And in the case of this pic

You must be registered for see images attach

you can see the belt is to the alternator of course. same concept to the ac. That ps pulley, by design, has endplay, belts get warm, belts wear and stretch, and all in all, I wouldnt want the alternator belts cords glazed/cut by the ps pump lol!

I think the AC systems using the passenger side for PS and AC that I have seen like to drive the AC with 1 belt that passes close to the ps pump if not outright rides in the groove and the ps pump is turned by a quite well wrapped belt on the crank, wp, ps. This combo may be to allow the belt to not be tightly wrapped by the AC but to minimize the slipp because the PS pump is also driving it partially and that also acts as a bottom pulley which changes the direction the force pulling the belt comes from
You must be registered for see images attach

Here I found a good photo of what I mean

That is a big block ofc but the ps below it has 2 belts and i presume that since its using crank and ps and ac the belt type is normal with ps pump idler in involved, since the PS Pump is then driven crank wp ps.
You must be registered for see images attach

this is my electra. not visible to the left is the AC comp. a belt go to it and the alternator has 1 that goes to it, but in the space between the groove and the alternator is what kinda looks like a groove but its just rather a void where I assume deflection and stuff can take place and not hit that one, but that belt that runs the AC is larger. But if you had no context it almost looks like the alt has 2 different belt grooves.

Fun stuff!!!!!!!
This is the stuff I live for, help me
just a couple small things and I will be back to how 1980 my engine would have looked.. maybe..
You must be registered for see images attach
As far as my "I see a lot of problems in that picture" I was just given you a hard time. I figured you were working on it, I saw what looks like a Gatorade bottle and I assumed you didn't normally keep it there lol. And yes it looks much better and cleaned up in the more recent picture. Your pump from the plow, looks like mine for my bed dump.

It's interesting to think about belts, how they do different things and how we can change that up.

My 425 Cadillac has a two grove crank pulley. One goes around the A/C compressor and P/S let me tell you how well that doesn't work on a hot day in a tight parking lot..... The other one goes around the water pump and the air pump. The air pump has a two grove pulley and one short belt goes from it to around the alternator, as if even having an alternator was an after thought. Let me tell you how well that doesn't work if discharge the battery even a little. It's terrible belt setup really, every single one of them is over worked in one way or another.

I won't run no shroud on any of my vehicles regardless. I got my fingers beat up pretty bad trying to time a car missing the shroud once years ago. Lucky I just bruised the heck out of them, with only minor cuts.
 
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Havasu

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Engine Size
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Thanks everyone for all the replies and help, it's nice to see the post generated so much conversation :)
For medical reasons it's particularly difficult for me to get under the truck, and I hate reinventing the wheel so advice from others who have already done this is greatly appreciated!

I only want to do this once so I went whole-hog and got a custom 2/0 top post cable from https://www.custombatterycables.com/ , including a large gauge accessory lead so I can add a fuse block. Will post a pic when it's done.
 

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