Battery wiring in the 40's
 

Hi all,

What type of battery cables was used in the 40's for GM cars and trucks?
Was it cloth wire or did they have PVC/Plastic in this era?
I assume the ground terminal was the woven wire (all articles i've read seems to suggest that the ground was done as a ground strap and not a traditional wire.

I also read that 6 gauge was typical?

Thanks for any ideas. i'm about to start a restoration and i got most of my effort mapped out -i just need to get the wiring right.

Re: Battery wiring in the 40's
 

The ground strap was indeed a flat woven thing, usually attached to the driveline, not the chassis .

The + cables are 1 gauge, 6 gauge is barely sufficient for a tiny Japanese 12 volt 4 cylinder engine .

The + cable had a lacquered woven insulation, you can still get woven sheathing to put over modern 1 or 0 gauge cables .

Even 12 volt rigs benefit from 0 or 1 gauge cables .

Re: Battery wiring in the 40's
 

Thanks!

Any good source for authentic locking woven sheathing?
What color did they use for the positive cable sheathing? Red as we do today or was it black?

I l think I need to go with a 1/0 gauge wire.

Re: Battery wiring in the 40's
 

The wire covering was black and it's still sold as " loom " . you'll have to hunt around for it .

NAPA (Echlin brand) and a few other places still make and sell good quality 0 & 1 gauge cables or you can buy welding cable and lead, solder on ends and make your own ~

Re: Battery wiring in the 40's
 

As stated by VWNate1 Welding cable makes awesome battery cables, quality cable tends to make better cable then battery cable and if you buy the crimp on terminals they will last a very long time. they are also available in sizes up to 5/0 …..