Anyone know off hand if a '31 Cord is positive or negative ground? Helping a friend get a car going and of course the battery was gone, so no reference there. Sent from my Nexus 5X using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
the positive post is a bit larger than negative, so if they don't fit right one way (require some adjustment), try it the other way.
Learned the Cord is positive ground; but will have my buddy check the cable ends too. Off topic; but an interesting car to see. Was looking under the hood and while I knew it was front wheel drive I didn't notice the straight eight engine was in there backwards right off; strange.
You might also double check by looking at the ignition wiring, assuming that it hasn't been cobbled somewhere along the line. If the lead from the distributor connects to the positive side of the coil it should be positive ground. Or just the opposite if the lead connects to the negative coil terminal.
Post some photos if possible, Cord is one of my favorite cars. I remember the dash lights were a light green glow. I haven't seen one since the 60s in person. Another car ahead of its time, a lot of history there.