Am updating the '65 lately as it is getting used more and more for a daily driver and have a few questions... 1) I saw somewhere that they make the copper / brass (whatever they are) lugs that don't have a hole in them so you can drill them to whatever size you need. I would like to use big welding cable size cables for my battery and I think these lugs would be perfect. Know where I can get them? 2) Isn't it possible to wire a ford starter solenoid onto a chevy to avoid some hot starting problems? The car has headers and they seem to be rough on the starter. I also think it would be handy to have a solenoid on the fenderwell for turning the engine over and such during tuning 3) How do install a one wire alternator? What are the best ones to use and how do I do it? If anyone could give me very basic instructions (i.e. what gauge wire to use, connect this wire to that terminal, etc.) I would be grateful, not very savy with the electronics - Thanks
[*]1.welding supply house [*]2.get a heat shield or wrap it in a insulation blanket [*]3.a single (usually RED) wire of at LEAST 10ga. goes from the alternator to the POS (positive) battery terminal
You can remove the regulator and its associated wiring. You will find that most of the wiring runs between the alternator and the regulator anyway. In most cases you will have one small wire that runs back into the body. This is wire from the alt light. You can either leave it unterminated with a true 1 wire alternator or if using a stock internaly regulated GM alternator then connect to the 2 wire plug on the terminal closest to the large screw on connection on the back that goes to the battery. The other wire out of the 2 wire plug needs to tie to the main battery lead in some way. I usually just cut it off to about 4" long, put a ring terminal on it and put it on the main terminal on the back of the alternator with the lead that goes back to the battery.
Dan, while your at it; make a GROUND cable (same gauge as the starter cable) from the battery to the block. Then you can ground the rest of the car off the block. Direct grounding the engine usually solves most hot start problems.
There are kits to install a Ford-type relay between the positive battery post and the starter. They are sold as a means to help solve hot start problems, but really, a good starter and some gap between your header tubes and the starter should be sufficient. In any case, to use a Ford style relay, you mount the realy on your fenderwell or firewall and run one cable to the positive battery post, and another "switch to starter" cable down to the big post on the GM starter. The kit will include a metal thingy that connects the big post on the solenoid to the small switch post. The small wire that normally goes to the solenoid on the GM vehicle now runs to the small starter post on the Ford relay. Some Ford trucks with 460 (7.5L) engines use a GM style starter with a solenoid on top and the typical Ford relay system I just described. It's a simple deal, and the kits shouldn't be hard to find, but you could really "make" a kit yourself by buying the proper battery cables, a Ford relay and maybe that jumper clip from a Ford dealer (ask for one from a 1992 F350 with a 7.5L engine) if you wish to try it yourself.
For question number 2, you can order a "remote mount solenoid kit" from Summit for GM starters. About 20 bucks. It's a Ford soleniod that you can put wherever you want (within reason), and includes a bus bar to convert your Chevy starter over. Works well if you have headers. If your timing is off, that's another story....
The Jalopy Journal
