Replacement battery cables

[Rissy]

I tried social media for an answer, and nobody could give me one.  I’m hoping someone here knows.

I’m thinking about changing out my battery cables.  That is, the chunky cables which go between the battery terminals and elsewhere.  The purpose behind this is to give me the easier option of a posted battery rather than the original terminal style.  Side terminal batteries are thin on the ground and getting fewer options every time I need to consider a new battery.

I’m interested in keeping my original cables intact, so therefore would like to fully replace what’s there with new, hopefully more flexible made up cables.

So, with everything explained and hopefully justified, I’m after someone telling me the dimensions of the cables I need.  Cross sectional area (mm2) or at least diameter or even better gauge or amp capability.  And of course, length so I have enough in each length to get from the battery to the other end with room to spare for pulling the battery in and out of its cubby hole.

I’m hoping someone can come through for me here.  Social media just seems to sport on additional questions etc from others rather than a simple straight answer to a simple straight question.  I don’t mind the other comments etc from others if they answer the question first.  But to only bring those to the table with no actual answer to the original question.  Well I find this frustrating.

Thanks in advance.  I hope.

[evie]

hello, you can take this by example
https://www.amazon.fr/eXODA-Batterie-dal...C85&sr=8-9

and

https://www.amazon.fr/HUAZIZ-Batterie-Co...0aWM&psc=1

[Rissy]

Thanks evie,

That perhaps helps with the appropriate gauge of cable, but not the length. I found this link on Ebay after reading your message, and I can get battery/welding cable of 35mm2 csa.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192012858930?...BM6Ku9071h

These guys do RED and BLACK, both at various lengths.

I looked at the pictures of the cables on the vendor websites to try and estimate the lengths according to the pictures. I'm hoping 1m of BLACK will do, and that 3m of RED will also do. So that will be less than £30 for both. Then of course is the cable end crimps required. I should be able to get suitable crimps for the far ends, and have them crimped on to the cables, at work. For the Battery end of the cables, I thought this would be ok:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204050243320?...R6rQ89O9YQ

I also found these while I was looking around, which I think might also be quite a good if I decided not to change my cables, but still allow me to use a posted battery in place of a side terminal battery:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266083129493?...R6jQ89O9YQ

I already have a solution for the above alternative, which always lives in my glovebox, but it's never been tested properly, only test fitted on a car battery for one of the other cars, but I always considered it to be a bit of a cobble, for a short term emergency. This one above might be a better longer term solution. As long as I can make it work with my battery cut off switch, which is this type:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225272146776?...BMzsep1L1h

Obviously, for a posted battery, I'll need to get one of these types too:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174830931957?...R8zHqdS9YQ

[Chris P]

or these.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325282565284?...Sw~WRil95K

[Rissy]

Yup, they'd also do. Someone has had the paint brush out on those ones.

[Stuart Rees]

Rissy, 
Probably not the droids you're looking for.. I mean answer... but I just replaced the ends with the post type connectors and used the original cables. I can appreciate you wanting to keep the originals for posterity but IMO it's a lot of work just to keep the old ones on a shelf for the next 50 years...  

Maybe Rich Hanlon can help, he recently did a frame off and here's a pic from his thread on here.

[Rissy]

Thanks Stuart.

Actually, your post has now given me the heebi-jeebies, Just going by Rich's photo there.... are we saying the battery positive cable (at least) runs through the body tub and then in between the body tub and the frame!?

If that's the case, then it can stay there. I'm not going to be attempting to dig that out of there to replace it! That area is inaccessible with the tub in the way. So that job can wait until I do a body off job. If this is the case, I'll stick with putting a post converter on there as from my third link in post #3 (or of course Chris P's link from post #4) and this will open up my options on a new battery.

I found my battery quite badly discharged on Saturday when I came to fire up the car in the garage. I had to jump start it in the end. I then took the battery into the house and put my battery recovery charger on to it to see if I can rejuvenate it somewhat (in case it was just the cold that got to it over the past number of weeks). I'm planning on putting it back into the car this weekend to see what it does from here. That will tell me if it's a new battery required, or still some life left in it. I suspect it's needing replacing as according to my records, I applied this battery to the car in 2015. So 7-8 years aint so bad I guess. I'd have hoped for longer, but we'll see.

[Chris P]

Ive always fitted and used a battery isolating switch ....never had a battery drain issue on any of my dee's.