Thread: Battery Cable?

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Here's a dumb question, but I am sitting out the cold weather wondering how to do this is an efficient way without spending hours in the cold garage. I bought a kit from Speedway for a remote battery location and I have set up a battery box on the rear of the frame so I am ready to install the cables. The kit came with lug connectors that just have a tubular shank and the copper stranded cable fits in there nicely but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FASTEN THE CABLE? If I use a butane torch to sweat solder into the joint I will burn the insulation off the cable. If I use a soldering iron it will have to be a VERY hot iron to bring enough heat to melt the solder (I only have a small electronics soldering gun). It looks to me that a simple crimp will not be a good connection. I know this is a simple problem, is there a simple answer? Maybe this is a "technique" issue and the trick is to just heat the lug enough to melt the solder while not burning much of the insulation?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

put the lug in vise heat . add solder in the well of lug. you do not need to fill well . fill with solder1/4 will do the job. and put the cable in let cool add shink tube or you can crimp them with a big crimper you hit with a hammer

Thanks Pat, I can do that.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Well Don, you probably already know this since you are a Bill Nye the Science guy kinda technical sorta dude, but ideally the cable should be crimped onto the wire. You need some sort of a lugging tool-a very large lugging tool. We use them in the aircraft industry. They have handles about 3 ft long and do a 00 wire and larger. Maybe you could take the assy to a Electrical Contracting company and have them crimp it for you? I know one brand we use is made by Ideal Industries, but the part number escapes me. You can use one of these too

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....&group_ID=1495

Welding supply store will also crimp them for you. They use a crimper to put the ends on the welding leads.

And, a lot of guys use welding cables for battery cables.

Thanks All for several ideas. I will try the local Car Quest shop since they made up some transmission hoses for me and crimped the AN fittings in a big press. Maybe they have a crimper too? The final answer is that I am just a few blocks from an air field (Hanover Air Park) and there are a lot of supporting light industries there; it turns out it needs to be done right although maybe Pat's way is another possibility for a home builder. I learned from the AN hose fittings that there are some things that just require special tools and I guess this is another case of that.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, when you get ready to support the cable to the front, swing by your local Ace Hardware and pick up some metal Adel clamps from the bolt and nut section, the kind with the black plastic insulation on them. Sheet metal screws and a drill bit of the proper size will complete your mission there.

Wow, now I can write a book on how to crimp an end on a battery cable with chapters by ten experts and illustrations by DennyW. I kind of get the idea that this is not difficult but needs to be done right. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Tech1 the kit came with little clamps but they are plastic, I guess for better insullation, I will use them since I have them. There is no doubt that if/when I get this roadster on the road, quite a few of you will have to be in the credits, as long as it doesn't look too bad, but if it does you can swear you don't know me! Now it looks like Christmas is ramping up here, so I will wish you all a Merry Christmas! If the weather is decent next week I hope to get the cable on before the end of the year.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

yes don i would let you use mine to. i have one it work good but . i have solder them and crimp them both ways work