VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Building Battery & Ground Cables w/ Disconnect Switch

Well i made up new cables, used 1/0 cable cloth wrapped from Rhode Island Wiring, bought the Fusion (Pre Solder) connectors and clamps.
The cables from Rhode Island were very nice, I had them pre cut the cables to my lengths, no charge. since i have no way to cleanly cut 1/0 cable. read the instructions and watch a few videos on how to solder on the connectors. they went on pretty easy and looked great, then used from electrical heat shrink to seal them up and clean them up a bit.

Fusion Connectors
Solder inside the Clamp

Here is a quick shot of the Cables Soldered and Assembled. the connectors and clamps are at those angles as that is how they will sit when installed in the 1929

Cables Assembled
Clamp Close Up

had no way on hand to heat up and shrink the tubing, so ventured over to a fellow AACA members house and used his heat gun to shrink the Tubing

Cables Ready for Install
Cable End Close Up
Cloth wrap on Cable Close Up

They came out really nice and I am happy with them.

The LONG cable is for the starter. the other two are for ground. one from frame rail to disconnect switch, one from disconnect switch to battery.

I am installing a disconnect switch as well. this way i can disconnect the battery from ground when in storage, also will hard wire charging cable to the battery clamps. this will make it easier to access and charge the battery while installed.

Pictures of the Disconnect Switch
Battery Disconnect Switch
Disconnect Switch Posts

I plan to mount it just under the passenger seat in the floor wood.
Disconnect Switch Location
...would be top right in this picture, this allows for easy access and it is out of the way of feet and getting in and out.

I plan to mount it under the wood, so only the center post of the Switch will be visible, and can place the key or cap on it when needed.
however the post was way to long and stuck way above the wood, so i needed a way to lower the switch and securely mount it. 3d Printing to the rescue, i designed a spacer and printed it out in PLA on my handy dandy 3d desktop printer.

Switch and 3d Printed Spacer
Top view of Spacer
the holes line up perfectly and fits nicely.

Test fir of swtich and Spacer
Top view of Test Fit
With key installed
When it gets permanently installed i will use machine screws, flat head slotted so they will sit flush with the wood.

Well done Jerry,
Looking great.

Those cables look great!

For some reason I never have trouble shrinking heat tubing when the spouse is gone. A hair dryer works great. It just takes a little longer than a heat gun. And sometimes I do have to wait to complete the job!

Your disconnect looks great also. Are you putting it on the positive or negative side of the battery?

Also, please check the load rating of that switch. Many of the ones that are easy to find are designed for use with 12 volts systems. They might not have the capacity to handle the amps that a 6 volt starter could draw.

Rusty... lol, yeah i thought of hte hair dryer, but man that heat gun worked great. plus only like $8 bucks i picked one up from Harbor Freight. well worth the money !!

Yes, I validated the Load before i purchased, was worried i would fry it, so went a little overboard on the rating to be safe. now to see if it was truly designed per their specs !!

got the wood all stripped down, then applied 3 coats of Helmsman to it. ooh does it look nice, yes i used satin did NOT want the bowling ally shine !!

Disconnect from underneath car

Disconnect from Top Side
Disconnect Switch

this is permanent install, well at least I hope. used flat head, slotted screws and countersunk holes for clean install. the switch was installed just high enough to get the key in and turn it and NOT rub the wood or interfere. it is also slightly tucked under the front seat, hopefully out of the way of anyone and everyone feet !!

Touched up the paint on the battery tray and around where i ground off the paint on the frame rail for the ground cable and hardware. i want to make sure i have a GOOD SOLID GROUND !!

Looks great Jerry! I'd like to have one of those printers.

Thanks guys...

actually installed all the new power and ground cables last night.

Ground cable to Frame Rail

Ground Cable to Disconnect Switch
Frame Rail on the Right, Battery on the Left

Looking Forward

Power Cable from Battery to Starter

Top Down Look of New Cables

Ground Bolt Outside Frame Rail

These cables are pretty rigid, but will Flex if needed. I plan to FULLY Tighten down the connection on the starter and Disc Switch ONCE the battery is in and Cables Routed and Secured. Need to be able to swivel the lug on the Bolt to get the proper Angle !! May just toss the battery in and fine tune them to be certain. that way there is no more adjusting and configuring later. Battery will go in and stay in after that. will connect charge cables to the battery connectors for ease of access and use.

I used the same disconnect on my '31 rebuild. I mounted up high under the dash on the firewall so it's not easily visible but can be reached easily from the drivers seat. It is great to make sure that your current is not draining while it's resting!
Happy Motoring,
Bill