"Tank" my 91 Crew Cab Dually

[chillman88]

Figured I'd play with my new battery crimper today so I can finally get the good cables on Tank. That way I'll be able to put the other cables on Diego where they were supposed to go in the first place. The cables on Diego are beyond questionable and at the point of wow they still work?

Kopr-Shield went on the end of the cable and in the terminal before crimping. First I crimped with the 3/0 dies to get it started and then I went in with the 2/0 dies. Crimped halfway, rotated a notch then went over them again the first direction to knock down the burr left by the pinch seam.

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I put a little more Kopr-Shield in the small space between the lug and the insulation before covering it with some adhesive heat shrink. This is the starter lug FYI.

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[chillman88]

These pictures show the burrs I was talking about from the pinch seam between the dies. You might also be able to see the cracks that formed between the crimps. The first crimp has a good solid hold on the wire so they won't be anything to worry about.

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The cracks were filled in with the same Kopr-Shield and so was the space between the crimp and the insulation just like before. I knocked the burrs down with a file before covering everything up with adhesive heat shrink.

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These cables will probably outlast me

 

[hacked89]

These pictures show the burrs I was talking about from the pinch seam between the dies. You might also be able to see the cracks that formed between the crimps. The first crimp has a good solid hold on the wire so they won't be anything to worry about.

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The cracks were filled in with the same Kopr-Shield and so was the space between the crimp and the insulation just like before. I knocked the burrs down with a file before covering everything up with adhesive heat shrink.

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These cables will probably outlast me

That came out nice man, good work

 

[chillman88]

Thanks Anthony!

I reached the point where you start looking for that thing you bought two years ago and put on the shelf for later about 12:30. About 1 I decided to just go grab another one and get some lunch.

This $12.99 part ended up costing me $90 by the time I found the rest of the stuff I needed to get while I was there....

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The REAL reason for this project was to get rid of these darn things. I switched to stud top group 31 batteries several years ago and these were a necessary evil until I could get proper cables, but they were not up to the task. If you look closely at the bottom you can see where they have partially melted. They're so soft they won't stay tight, and as soon as they loosen up they start to melt like that because of the additional resistance of the poor connection.

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Between that and the cables that were bad I should have the primary electrical system pretty much squared away for a while.

Looks much cleaner now!

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Yes I still need to make some new battery hold down clamps......

@Nero do you or maybe @typ4 (or anyone else) know if anyone makes rubber isolation type caps for these battery nuts? I haven't seen anything yet, just the style like the stock cables that fold over but don't fit snugly.

 

[chillman88]

The other equally overdue part of this project was this!

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I upgraded the power lead from the battery from 6ga to 2ga. That runs to the bottom of the busbar and a 4ga wire runs from the busbar to the starter solenoid, where all the remaining factory connections still are.

The second connection up from the bottom is the 4ga wire I added for the glow plug solenoid, along with the fused lead for my Ham radio.

The top connection is the alternator and headlight relay power.

All of the studs are 3/8 and 316 Stainless Steel. The contact bar is nickel plated brass. All the connections I touched were sanded, coated with Kopr-Shield, and reassembled. That includes the mega fuses for the glow plug solenoid and the alternator (which was surprisingly cruddy and if it wasn't a problem yet it would have been soon).

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Looks much better and gives me plenty of room to add on cleanly as needed. I really should add one for the grounds on the opposite fender.

I still need to clean up a bunch of other minor wiring, and I want to eventually mount the mega fuse holders to the inner fender, but that's a project for another day. I'm extremely excited to have this done finally as it cleaned everything up nicely.

 

[chillman88]

Anyone interested this is the busbar I used. Rated for 250amps

Large 4 Post Terminal Connector Busbar 250 Amps with Cover

www.batterycablesusa.com

I used the 3/8 one. I might have been better off if I'd used the 5/16 one though.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Well now I have you to blame. I just ordered two!

 

[Jesus Freak]

That all looks great. My only issue would be that you did such a great job, that you won't get to spend any time with the power master guys anytime soon. Thoses cables ought to make your starter last way too long and then they'll have different employees that might not be as nice.

 

[Nero]

Thanks Anthony!

I reached the point where you start looking for that thing you bought two years ago and put on the shelf for later about 12:30. About 1 I decided to just go grab another one and get some lunch.

This $12.99 part ended up costing me $90 by the time I found the rest of the stuff I needed to get while I was there....

You must be registered for see images attach

The REAL reason for this project was to get rid of these darn things. I switched to stud top group 31 batteries several years ago and these were a necessary evil until I could get proper cables, but they were not up to the task. If you look closely at the bottom you can see where they have partially melted. They're so soft they won't stay tight, and as soon as they loosen up they start to melt like that because of the additional resistance of the poor connection.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Between that and the cables that were bad I should have the primary electrical system pretty much squared away for a while.

Looks much cleaner now!

You must be registered for see images attach

Yes I still need to make some new battery hold down clamps......

@Nero do you or maybe @typ4 (or anyone else) know if anyone makes rubber isolation type caps for these battery nuts? I haven't seen anything yet, just the style like the stock cables that fold over but don't fit snugly.

I see the caps you're referring to made mostly by Paccar. Frankly they seem to lock dirt in more than keeping things out in my experience.

 

[david85]

Kopr shield is nice stuff. Expensive, but nice. We used it at our industrial site for crimping safety grounds on electrical panels and junction boxes. Aside from corrosion protection, I suspect it also helps the copper strands "flow" better during the crimping process by adding some lubrication.

Up to now, I thought the best part of your truck was the hot-dipped frame. But this electrical work has me reconsidering. Trust me, you don't want to see my battery cables...
(Think I'll start shopping for a cable crimper...)

 

[Selahdoor]

The other equally overdue part of this project was this!

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

I upgraded the power lead from the battery from 6ga to 2ga. That runs to the bottom of the busbar and a 4ga wire runs from the busbar to the starter solenoid, where all the remaining factory connections still are.

The second connection up from the bottom is the 4ga wire I added for the glow plug solenoid, along with the fused lead for my Ham radio.

The top connection is the alternator and headlight relay power.

All of the studs are 3/8 and 316 Stainless Steel. The contact bar is nickel plated brass. All the connections I touched were sanded, coated with Kopr-Shield, and reassembled. That includes the mega fuses for the glow plug solenoid and the alternator (which was surprisingly cruddy and if it wasn't a problem yet it would have been soon).

You must be registered for see images attach

Looks much better and gives me plenty of room to add on cleanly as needed. I really should add one for the grounds on the opposite fender.

I still need to clean up a bunch of other minor wiring, and I want to eventually mount the mega fuse holders to the inner fender, but that's a project for another day. I'm extremely excited to have this done finally as it cleaned everything up nicely.

Puuurty!

 

[chillman88]

Up to now, I thought the best part of your truck was the hot-dipped frame. But this electrical work has me reconsidering. Trust me, you don't want to see my battery cables...

Well I'll be completely honest, this is the nicest part of the electrical system by far. I still have a few hacks in there I'd be ashamed to let anyone see that I have to deal with eventually

 

[chillman88]

I see the caps you're referring to made mostly by Paccar. Frankly they seem to lock dirt in more than keeping things out in my experience.

Thanks! I was thinking more to keep me from accidentally shorting things than anything else hahaha

 

[Reggie f250]

Beautiful battery cable work. I already fixed my original cables but now I will have to redo my work. I was in a hurry when I did it the first time anyway. And I want 31 batterys too.

 

[chillman88]

Today I bolted the rear upper shock mounts to the frame. I really needed 1-1/4" bolts but someone had cleaned them out so I used 1". I may order some longer ones because the nut is just barely covering the bolt. I'm not satisfied with the lack of threads past the nut.

Then I bolted the stock rear spring hangers onto the parts truck frame so I can bolt the spare axle up and wheel it around.

I spot treated the seams on the frame with the cosmoline. I think it'll look perfect when it's done. The first two pictures are still shiny and fresh to give you an idea of how it will look. The third picture has dried and is much more of a flat black and exactly what I was hoping for. Should look much better after a couple brush coats on the entire frame.

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Then I started mounting the front part of the shackle reversal kit. Didn't get very far before it was time to head inside for dinner, but something is still better than nothing!