Ground location

[Guest]

I am in the process of running new wiring and have a question.

1) where does the ground from the negative terminal of the battery attach to

2) if I remember correct there was another ground that connects to the engine somewhere to the chassis. Any idea?

[jopizz]

The negative cable gets bolted to where the generator bracket connects to the side of the block. You should also have a ground strap from the back of the head on the passenger side to the passenger side firewall.

John

[toddgilroy]

Here are a couple of pics if that helps.

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for the pictures. Deff answered my question

[simplyconnected]

When your car was made all the components were new and efficient. Ford ran copper wires to the shortest termination possible. If you ever have your car judged, it must be as stock as possible.

Having said that, an improved method is to run your ground cable to your bell housing, close to your starter. Does it make a difference? When you battery is low it will. Your starter motor draws the most power by far. It only makes sense to run both wires close to it instead of forcing power through a high resistance cast iron block.

I can always tell good wiring by how well the conductors are fastened along the way. Don't expect the starter post and the end lug to take engine vibration. Use a strap on your engine and route the wires through it. Also, leave plenty of wire to move between the body and the engine.

Look at modern cars. They immediately run a ground to the body at the battery, with a #10 wire. Again, they don't rely on the engine ground. Why? Because if you ever lose your engine ground, electricity will take the path of least resistance, through the bearings and transmission.

We have had thousands of improvements in the auto world since 1958. Some should always be used (like seat belts, radial tires, etc.).

I suggest you use #6AWG stranded copper wire for both starter wires (from the battery to the starter motor) and #10 for the body.
I also suggest you remove your starter motor and inspect the brushes. If they are short, new ones are only eight bucks. - Dave