Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Henry J & Allstate Forum => Topic started by: AZ_HJ on May 31, 2011, 10:07:00 PM
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Question for those who have good electrical knowledge. I just received a custom battery cable for my 1952 Henry J Vagabond. I had ordered it as a 1 Gauge and they made it in SAE 4 GA. Can anyone tell me with the 6V battery used on a Henry J and an Autolite Starter/Solenoid setup will I have an issue with 4 gauge vs 1 GA? Can I pull enough current? Will 4 gauge heat up? I would welcome any comments. I need feedback soon as I need to contact the supplier and return if needed.
Thanks in advance.
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I take it this is a braided cable, like the original?
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I am talking about the negative cable. Which goes from the negative terminal of the Battery to the Solenoid. I assume that it is a twisted stranded wire with a jacket.
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A 4 gauge?! The original is a 1 as you say and most 12 Volt systems use a 2 gauge. I can say from experience that the correct gauge cable makes all the difference in the world, especially on 6 volt cars. If you ordered a 1 gauge and they made you a 4, send it back and insist it be a 1 gauge. My '53 Henry J, with a Delco starter, plagued me for years with hard starting or no starting. The problem? Someone installed a 2 gauge cable for a modern 12 volt system. I got the correct one and never had a problem again. I'm not sure how it can effect the Autolite starters but I'm pretty sure it's going to be similar. If a 2 gauge cable cannot push the correct amount of current (and it can't) on a 6 volt system, a 4 gauge will be hopeless. There was just some discussion the Walck's 4 WD Jeep site and the experts there make the same claim on the 6 volt systems. They work fine if you have the correct gauge cables.
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1 gage cables should be available out of places like Tractor Supply Company stores. The same cable suitable for 6 volt tractors should work for 6 volt cars.
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Yes, go out of town if you have to, and go to an actual tractor dealer--they have the most incredible selection of parts, from copper/brass washers to 0 gauge cable. I cannot emphasis this enough to Kaiser owners--when I had to get my 49 K engine rebuilt, the local small town FLAPS which mainly services tractors, marine engines and trucks had virtually every single part I needed for the complete rebuild of a Continental engine ON THE SHELF. A few parts--some of the pistons I believe, came in next day from their local area warehouse 100 miles away. Continentals were used in Massey-Ferguson tractors, Clark forklifts, and all sort of other industrial equipment such as irrigators, compressors, and generators. Not two miles from me, I can think of at least 5 or 6 pieces of Continental powered equipment still being used--or painted up and shown off--by local farmers.
Also, go to a heavy equipment dealer/truck repair/tractor place if you need competent lube jobs done, or your king pins rebuilt, or a generator redone. Lots of garbage trucks/landscaping tractors/transports etc are still around and truck tractor places understand zerks and king pins, long after your corner garage has lost the knowledge.
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Unfortunately http://www.antiqueautobattery.com sells cables that are questionable. I bought two from them, because they make the 1 gauge with an offset head as the originals are but... they do a crummy job. The heads fall off of them! It happened to both of mine but I have a propane torch and used that to solder the heads back on myself and that worked well. If you don't have a propane torch or are not comfortable using one, you may want to find someone who is if you go with the http://www.antiqueautobattery.com cables!
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The smaller the gauge the higher the resistance and thus the lower the current. A two gauge will have
lower current flow on a 6v system and cause starting problems. Everything else works fine, but starting
a car requires the MOST current flow on the electrical system. Replace it with a one gauge and you
should be fine.
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You have it backwards - the smaller the gauge, the lower the resistance, or the higher the conductance. Probably a typo as you are correct, a 1 gauge will pass more current (amps) than a 2 gauge.
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It was a typo, it should have save "lower" resistance. I always thought it unusual that the lower the
gauge number, the bigger the wire.
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It was Antique Auto Battery Inc. who made the cable. I called them this morning and they are making it again and hopefully in the correct gauge this time. Fid, I do know how to use a torch and think I do a good job of sweating pipe and soldering circuit boards, so I think I can repair any workmanship issues that might be present.
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I used Antique Auto battery and they made the correct type wires, but they are a bit on the crappy side. The ends have not fallen off, but the quality is a little questionable and I would not use them again, although they are still functioning fine.
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I am preparing to reinstall the positive ground cable on our 53 K Manhattan. The battery end is easy. Where should the other end connect. It was hooked to the front top Generator mounting bolt. That does not seem correct. Where should it be?
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Normally the ground cable was connected between the positive side of the battery and the driver side motor mount bolt that held the piece of the front plate. Check the Service Manual for 1951 as well as the 1952-53 supplement.