[vertigto]

Silly question that I can't find the answer to.

I swapped my stock exhaust manifolds for RARE manifolds and am wondering if the cable routing is any different?

Looks like there are different stock battery cable lengths for 455 vs. 400 for 1970 according to Summit , so thought I would check to see if exhaust manifolds (stock vs RARE) make a difference in the length.

Thx.

[rustedgoat]

The routing is different, I believe with the RA manifolds the cable goes in under the alternator then toward the starter maybe through a tube or clips.

[mrennie]

Yes, as rustesgoat said, ram air cars have the positive wire to the starter running parallel to the oil pan rail through a tube mounted near or on the engine mount, compared to regular manifolds that have the tube running down the side of the engine.

[vertigto]

So...where do you get the correct length battery cables for the ram air manifolds? M&H seems pretty expensive @ $110 for both positive and negative cables. Doesn't need to be spring ring.

Guessing most cut their own to length and use stock 4 gauge? I assume anything thicker would be a problem running through the battery cable tube? Interesting that OPGI sells both a 4" tube ($29) and 4 1/2" tube ($13)...looks like maybe the 4" is a larger diameter.

While we're talking about RARE manifolds...did you use a heat shield on the starter solenoid? I see two varieties that look like the would both work.

This one says for 61-73 ram air manifolds...



...and this one for all others.

[vertigto]

Per M&H...

For ram air manifolds (spring ring):

Negative = 27", 2 gauge, 90 degree bend
Positive = 42", 4 gauge, 52 degree bend

For non- ram air (spring ring/early model year):

Negative = 27", 4 gauge, 90 degree bend
Positive = 38", 2 gauge, no bend

For side posts/late model year:

Negative = 27", 2 gauge, 90 degree bend
Positive = 38", 2 gauge, no bend

I have side posts/non-spring battery terminals (believe the car was a July build) which apparently means they should both be 2 gauge and 38" positive cable to starter. Seems like it might be difficult to feed the positive ram air cable with a 52 degree bend through the isolator tube, but I guess that may be why the cable is 4 gauge instead of 2 (like the negative cable). Wondering if the positive side post cable I have may be long enough to route through the tube, since it doesn't use the spring ring (M&H said maybe). Would be easier to feed through without an eyelet end bend. Maybe that's the main difference (aside from 1/2" in length) with the two battery cable tubes OPGI sells - larger diameter to accommodate a 2 gauge cable or the 52 degree bend.



versus



Negative cable is same length regardless of application and only differs by battery terminal style.

Thoughts??

[unruhjonny]

Granted it has been a couple years since I regularly drove mine, but I seem to recall that just the idea of putting a metal heat shield on a car with RA manifolds to be laughable one.

I seem to recall that any heat shield would contact the manifold, and that they were only for standard manifold cars - which is also what contributes to starter heat soaking on RA cars.

Maybe I'm wrong though...

[hakansan]

Why nor try AMES?

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by hakansan

Why nor try AMES?

Ames sells M&H.

[steve v]

It's been 10+ years since I bought cables for my 70 Judge & they were from M&H. I was disappointed that the positive cable did not have the locating tang on the lug that goes to the starter. It was simply a standard lug terminal that had a bend in it. The tang locates the cable (fits into the notch on the solenoid insulator) for proper clearance between the block & RA exhaust manifold. w/o the tang it's hit or miss if you get it in the right location. I'm sure there's been more than one electrical fire due to a + cable rubbing/melting on RA exhaust manifolds.
I did call m&h's tech line & they said they made their cables per gm's blueprints but no mention of why they didn't have the missing locating tang on them. I'm not sure if they've updated or changed them since I got mine.

[pggto]

My 71 HO car didn't have a tube for the positive cable. The cable had a asbestos type sleeve over the cable running along the edge of the oil pan.

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by pggto

My 71 HO car didn't have a tube for the positive cable. The cable had a asbestos type sleeve over the cable running along the edge of the oil pan.

So...cables like this...



...or this?



Which would be correct for @ July 1970 build? I thought I understood that the side terminals were used on late 70 models in addition to 455s...is that accurate?. Also...was the tube not always installed on ram air mainfold cars?

[pggto]

Not sure about 70. 71 had top terminals, but 71 HO cars had side terminal. I didn't buy the repo cables. For my car I found some hi-temp fiber sleeving and added it to the part store cables that were already on the car to protect the cable. My car is just a driver quality car, I'll put the correct cables on at a later date when I start addressing some of that stuff.

I'm not sure about the tubes on 70 RA manifold cars. I'll ask someone I know that might know.

[unruhjonny]

I see what is meant by the absence of the locator pin on the positive terminal end.

That down right surprises me.