Posted by Clint Dixon [172.69.17.38] on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 07:45:27 :
In Reply to: Battery cable question for the purists! posted by Jeff Fisher [104.23.243.124] on Monday, June 22, 2026 at 15:16:14 :
I agree 100% with what Tom said below. As far as what Jerry said about me...well that is just PURE speculation on his part... ;^)
Both battery cables, factory supplied, on our early civilian Power-Wagons were the common heavy gauge wire, not the woven ground strap type. I took originals off of my '51. They were in bad shape otherwise I would have kept using them. They actually measured as 1AWG. You can go larger diameter if you wish - one ought or two ought (0AWG, 00AWG).
I went to my locally owned NAPA store and had new ones made. According to the MoPar Parts manuals, the negative cable was one about one inch longer than the positive cable. The positive post on a 6-volt battery is closer to the engine block than the negative post is to the starter. I cheated and had both made the same length and a couple inches longer than the longest original. (That was when my purist status flew out the window).
I tried to redeem myself as a purist by using the original style of flag terminal ends, which are hard to find.
I can provide a picture later if you wish.
Junior
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