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In The Ten Ring · 11-21-2017, 05:41 AM

After some resistance, I made my own battery cables. It was very easy.

I bought #2 gauge cable (red and black in color) from a NAPA store, using the old pieces as a length guide. Mine turned out overly long, I'll trim those back and recrimp.

I bought the end pieces at NAPA also. My father has a crimper, the thing is huge, lots of leverage, that he bought back in the 1960's when he was an electrician in a coal mine. Personally, I would use something like that if I were you, but the impact crimpers are much cheaper (the tool dad has would cost several hundred dollars today).

I found red and black heat shrink, glue lined, on ebay.com. That stuff is the bomb! The glue lining melts around the cable as it shrinks and conforms.....it permanently seals moisture out.

I used a carpenter's knife to trim back the insulation.

NAPA and I estimated what gauge to use based on how thick the wire cable looked on the old ones. #2 is much thicker than recommended, which should allow even more electrons to flow.

I went with new battery terminals, let me find what I went with. I like the terminals and the process so much, I want to do it to my daily driver Honda next summer to make the yearly cleaning of cable ends and battery terminals much easier.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/s.../08805/4742296

Just search youtube for crimping videos, here are two good ones but I didn't have any fraying issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlqUFPGU6C4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBSnfHhi5xA

I used a heat gun to shrink down the heat shrink, I locked the newly crimped cable in a bench vise and then used a heat gun I bought to remove old vinyl floor tiles some years ago. It worked very, very well. No need to buy or use a torch of any kind. I did a practice run on some rebar my dad had laying around.

One thing I would do differently. Crimp on and seal one end, then mount that to your starter or engine ground (depending on which wire you are doing first). Then run that to your battery, allowing the cable to align itself how it wishes as it will twist to its most comfortable position. Then mark how the cable end will go. Then remove insulation, put on heat shrink, crimp end, and shrink heat shrink.

If you do not, the terminal end will likely be turned a way different than how it wants to lay and you'll have to fight that when you put the cable end onto the battery terminal. I'll be able to fix that when I trim my cables down. Somehow my new cables are about 6 inches longer than they need to be.

Be sure to clean your mounting points on starter and ground very well with a wire wheel (Dremel Tool) or brush and then use some dielectric grease to stave off corrosion.

A crimping tools I would have bought if I dad didn't have that big crimper.

https://www.amazon.com/PENSON-CAYQK0...+crimping+tool

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...SABEgK67fD_BwE

11-21-2017, 05:41 AM	#5
In The Ten Ring Registered User Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: West Virginia Posts: 6,421	Re: Heavy gauge battery cables. After some resistance, I made my own battery cables. It was very easy. I bought #2 gauge cable (red and black in color) from a NAPA store, using the old pieces as a length guide. Mine turned out overly long, I'll trim those back and recrimp. I bought the end pieces at NAPA also. My father has a crimper, the thing is huge, lots of leverage, that he bought back in the 1960's when he was an electrician in a coal mine. Personally, I would use something like that if I were you, but the impact crimpers are much cheaper (the tool dad has would cost several hundred dollars today). I found red and black heat shrink, glue lined, on ebay.com. That stuff is the bomb! The glue lining melts around the cable as it shrinks and conforms.....it permanently seals moisture out. I used a carpenter's knife to trim back the insulation. NAPA and I estimated what gauge to use based on how thick the wire cable looked on the old ones. #2 is much thicker than recommended, which should allow even more electrons to flow. I went with new battery terminals, let me find what I went with. I like the terminals and the process so much, I want to do it to my daily driver Honda next summer to make the yearly cleaning of cable ends and battery terminals much easier. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/s.../08805/4742296 Just search youtube for crimping videos, here are two good ones but I didn't have any fraying issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlqUFPGU6C4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBSnfHhi5xA I used a heat gun to shrink down the heat shrink, I locked the newly crimped cable in a bench vise and then used a heat gun I bought to remove old vinyl floor tiles some years ago. It worked very, very well. No need to buy or use a torch of any kind. I did a practice run on some rebar my dad had laying around. One thing I would do differently. Crimp on and seal one end, then mount that to your starter or engine ground (depending on which wire you are doing first). Then run that to your battery, allowing the cable to align itself how it wishes as it will twist to its most comfortable position. Then mark how the cable end will go. Then remove insulation, put on heat shrink, crimp end, and shrink heat shrink. If you do not, the terminal end will likely be turned a way different than how it wants to lay and you'll have to fight that when you put the cable end onto the battery terminal. I'll be able to fix that when I trim my cables down. Somehow my new cables are about 6 inches longer than they need to be. Be sure to clean your mounting points on starter and ground very well with a wire wheel (Dremel Tool) or brush and then use some dielectric grease to stave off corrosion. A crimping tools I would have bought if I dad didn't have that big crimper. https://www.amazon.com/PENSON-CAYQK0...+crimping+tool https://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...SABEgK67fD_BwE