When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A recent thread regarding battery cable replacement spurred me to think about the battery terminal blocks used.
I did an image search on google and turned up a few alternate options which use a clamp feature based on pushing the clamp onto the battery terminal vs tightening to close the clamp. Did a follow up search here but found no hits that revealed previous threads...
So, anyone replace the battery terminal block with a better clamping/tightening feature?
The most popular solution for people making new cables seems to be the mil-spec terminal:
That's what the IceShark cables used. One advantage with these is that because you use a terminal lug to attach the cable to the terminal block, you can completely seal the end of the cable (by using a perfect 360 degree crimp and adhesive lined heat shrink tubing). Any solution that leaves bare wire exposed is going to allow corrosion to creep into the connection.
I may - since I'll be rebuilding the electrical harness on the Cab in the near future, and also replacing the (-) Battery cable (they are different between the Tip and Stnd) - figured I'd investigate all options now.
Slightly overkill due to the gauge of the wire, but I have used two of these kits now to replace the charging/grounding harness on two race cars. One was a complete re wire, the other still has the factory harness.
On the one with the factory harness, I shortened the wires from the fuse block that attach at the battery and connected them directly to the back of the alternator. This was beneficial because corrosion had gotten under the insulation making the last foot or so of the wire pretty nasty. All of the positive and negative battery cables were also corroded through and the insulation was cracking, falling off. For the ground, I ran the 1 Ga ground down to the big bolt on the starter since that is the real reason the ground from the battery goes to the bell housing. Then there's a smaller 4 ga wire that comes off the negative block, molded into it, that I ran to the DME grounding location on the block.
Lol....I would go CS style and drop a vented battery in the boot/trunk and use welding leads. Then you can make a lamp out of the ballast thing as a conversation piece.
@Jay: nice looking clamp..I noticed a set screw on the backside to finish the closure of the clamp surface. With all the connections using plated screws the corrosion should be minimal. Looks kinda pricey though. If you use an AGM battery that is a sealed unit, then corrosion isn't a problem. Do many of the R-listers here use the optima batteries for street cars? Thanks.
03-29-2017, 12:04 PM
Battery Terminal Block
