Electrical: New Battery Cables for the 6v '54 Sedan

[r1lark]

Finally got new battery cables for our '54 Studebaker sedan. Everyone says to go big on the cables on a 6v system. Does this really make a difference in real life? Watch the video and see:

[StudeRich]

Awesome Presentation Paul! That has to be one of THE Most Comprehensive Videos I have EVER seen, most of the "Pros" buzz though everything like you actually know what they are thinking and doing, but this one has ALL the details included.

It is 19.31 Minutes long, but Very complete!
I appreciate that we still have a Few Good USA Companys like that that actually do things RIGHT!
They don't send their work Offshore to be done by those that have no clue what Good and Proper is, to save a Buck.

Good Job, I'll bet that if you had your Dwell/Tach hooked up, we could see a Hundred or Two More RPM!

[Dwight FitzSimons]

Finally got new battery cables for our '54 Studebaker sedan. Everyone says to go big on the cables on a 6v system. Does this really make a difference?

Yes it does. The larger the wire diameter the less resistance it will present to the current, and the less voltage will be dropped across the wire itself. That voltage drop in the wire reduces the voltage that goes to the starter, or whatever is being powered. For example, this is why one should buy quality (i.e., larger diameter wire) jumper cables.

The formula: R = (Rho x L) /A, where R = resistance, Rho is the resistivity of the wire, L is length of wire, and A is the cross-sectional area of the conductor. So, from this formula, we can see that short, fat jumper cables would be the best (in terms of providing maximum voltage to the starter).

Ohm's Law: V = RI, or V = RxI

It's not a bad idea, even on a 12V system, to use larger battery cables (& cable to the starter) than the 4 gauge wire the factory used. Perhaps 2 gauge. 1 gauge might be overkill, but it can't hurt. There are places that can make up battery cables to your specs. We have one here locally that does.

-Dwight

[r1lark]

Yes it does. The larger the wire diameter the less resistance it will present to the current, and the less voltage will be dropped across the wire itself. That voltage drop in the wire reduces the voltage that goes to the starter, or whatever is being powered. For example, this is why one should buy quality (i.e., larger diameter wire) jumper cables.

The formula: R = (Rho x L) /A, where R = resistance, Rho is the resistivity of the wire, L is length of wire, and A is the cross-sectional area of the conductor. So, from this formula, we can see that short, fat jumper cables would be the best (in terms of providing maximum voltage to the starter).

Ohm's Law: V = RI, or V = RxI

It's not a bad idea, even on a 12V system, to use larger battery cables (& cable to the starter) than the 4 gauge wire the factory used. Perhaps 2 gauge. 1 gauge might be overkill, but it can't hurt. There are places that can make up battery cables to your specs. We have one here locally that does.

-Dwight

Dwight, I wasn't posing a question to the forum.........it was more of a rhetorical question that the video answers if you watch it. I fully understand the electrical theory behind this even though I only made C's in my two electrical engineering courses. I'll rephrase the wording in my original post.

[studegary]

Thank you for the well done video.
I am glad that you mentioned that your 1954 has a later/larger displacement/ higher compression ratio V8. I have been down that road with '53s.
How about the cable from the solenoid to the starter? You didn't mention replacing that and it is as important as the other cables.

[r1lark]

Awesome Presentation Paul! That has to be one of THE Most Comprehensive Videos I have EVER seen, most of the "Pros" buzz though everything like you actually know what they are thinking and doing, but this one has ALL the details included.

It is 19.31 Minutes long, but Very complete!
I appreciate that we still have a Few Good USA Companys like that that actually do things RIGHT!
They don't send their work Offshore to be done by those that have no clue what Good and Proper is, to save a Buck.

Good Job, I'll bet that if you had your Dwell/Tach hooked up, we could see a Hundred or Two More RPM!

Thank you Rich for the kind words. I didn't intend for it to be that long, but once everything was put together, that's what it ended up being. Sometimes I tell people that they can go to settings (the little gear-looking symbol in the bottom right corner of the video) and increase the speed to 1.25 -- that speeds up my Southern redneck slow talking plus the video goes quicker!

[r1lark]

Thank you for the well done video.
I am glad that you mentioned that your 1954 has a later/larger displacement/ higher compression ratio V8. I have been down that road with '53s.
How about the cable from the solenoid to the starter? You didn't mention replacing that and it is as important as the other cables.

Thank you Gary, my videos aren't the slick edited type with music that seem to be all over YouTube today -- to me it's more about the the technical side than it is about the 'presentation'.

Yes, the cable from the solenoid to the starter was replaced too - it was the one with the 5/16" lug on one end and the 3/8" lug on the other end.

[altair]

I have the exact same vehicle and engine on 6 volts and the larger cables are a must. I did a couple of things different, I ran the positive cable directly to the starter bolt and bypassed the water manifold. For additional starting capacity I added a second battery in the trunk, this may not be necessary but it was novel, I have both solenoids actuating simultaneously of the push button and I have an open switch for each solenoid to be able to check their operation. Both batteries will charge off the generator I also have a single battery maintainer wired to maintain both batteries while not in use. This engine turns over as quick as any 12 volt unit.