Hi, I have a ‘58 1/2 ton that I am about to rewire. I looked through the manual and I am a bit unclear about the original battery to ground connections/locations. It looks as though one connection goes right behind the battery on the cowl, but I also keep reading about battery to frame as well?! My other ground is starter to cowl. Pics would help a lot.
Battery grounding is one area where GM really dropped the ball. Using the short braided ground strap from the engine to the frame, and another one frame to battery adds a couple of connections to get loose, dirty, or corroded. Do yourself a real favor and run a long, heavy ground cable directly from the battery to the bell housing or engine block, and install smaller gauge grounds from the body, bed, and frame to handle grounding the lights, charging system, and other accessories. By far the heaviest current draw is the starter, so it makes sense to put the biggest ground conductor as close to the starter as possible. GM used the "baby chicken" approach to grounding- - - -short cables are "CHEEP- - - -CHEEP- - - -CHEEP!" Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The '59 1 1/2 ton I bought last year also just has the ground cable from the battery to the cowl right behind it. It's working OK, and apparently has since new, but I've thought about relocating it. Just haven't pulled the trigger on it yet. My '59 F-350 was also set up that way. I did change that one a couple years ago.
Here's where they are on my 59 (235/3 speed) 3100. Its stock & cranks up just fine. I no reason at this point to modify what already works. Hope it helps
1959 3100, original 235/3 on the tree w/overdrive. Carter YF 2100S carb, 205/75/15 w/front sway bar
It would be interesting to do a quick voltage drop check across a few of those 50 year old connections. Jerry
Last edited by Rusty Rod; 06/04/20223:47 PM.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
We do a lot of engine swaps like LS or Modular Ford which have computers, sensors, etc and good grounds are mandatory. Body, frame, wherever we braze a spot for the wire/cable to ground to. This along with a brass nut or stud gives a rust free connection. Solved most computer freaking out problems. Just make sure the ground circuit path is uninterupted to the negative battery terminal.
My "go to" advice to my young mechs when they couldn't figure out why an electrical component was not doing what it was supposed to do, was and is: GO CHECK YOUR GROUNDS!
Another quality post. Real Trucks Rattle HELP! The Paranoids are after me!
