Question on ground system

[secretagentcat]

Dear Friends
I ran all of the grounds to central bars located in the front middle and rear of my car. I then ran a #6wire from the battery to the three bars. I figured that this would keep my grounds away from dirt and grime. Also, if I have a ground come loose then it will be fast and easy to locate and remedy the problem. I thought about running # 12 wire to everything even the fixtures that use # 16 leads. Is this a good idea or should I use the same size for the grounds as the leads?
Thanks for any advice…

[Peter C. King]

Rick,

 

Positively Negative, an article in the July 2014 issue of Kitplanes magazine takes a similar position to yours. The author advocates dedicated grounds instead of just bolting the wire to the closest bolt on the frame.

 

BDriver

 

 

 

 

 

 

[billnparts]

I also run a cable from the battery to a central post inside the car for common ground. I never had a problem with those circuits.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[secretagentcat]

Thanks for the responses I feel like im on the right track and will move forward this weekend.

[Rich Kallenberger]

I also agree about running dedicated ground wires.
Just as background, in older cars, which were mostly metal, grounding components to the nearest bolt worked fine. Today’s cars, with so many body parts and fasteners made of plastic, require actual ground wires to insure continuity. Even more important, all the electronic components, including our mobile devices, generate and are sensitive to errant currents which seek the path of least resistance (they go where they want) and can cause glitches in other systems.

Theoretically, you should step up the wire gauge at each point where ground conductors are merged, but except for starter and ammeter lines, matching the component wire gauge should work fine. One overlooked advantage of running reasonably large gauge wire is that bigger wires make for stronger connections and better reliability so that is a plus in a moving car. (My car does occasionally move when it has a mind to.)

One other bit of unsolicited advice. Having been forced to spend hours untangling, tracing, and reconnecting my car’s wiring I would recommend taking some time planning your wiring before you start running wires. Provide anchor points, passthru holes with grommets, slack loops, and logical wire color coding to help you end up with a reliable and professional looking result.

Kall2014-06-11 14:37:13

[Peter C. King]

The Kitplanes article recommends separate grounds. One for the starter/generator and another for the electronics and lights. You might even run separate grounds for the last two if you run a lot of gizmos or big lights. That keeps voltage spikes and errant signals from disturbing the rest of the electrical system.

 

We don’t run big lights or a lot of electronics on TDR’s, but if you have electronic ignition and driving lights it might make sense to run separate grounds.

 

PCKing

 

[secretagentcat]

Thanks again, all the advice is really appreciated. I ran the wires last weekend but left the grounds for last.
For the wires, I bought a VW wire kit and made changes as needed. All of the wires are color coded and the kit came with a detailed wire map. The big change I made was the fuse pannel. The kit came with a pre wired 6 fuse power source. I replaced it with a 12 fuse pannel, everything is on its own dedacated line. I bought the fuse pannel from West Marine. The website howtorestorehotrods.com has a great section on how to safely rewire a hotrod.
I ran the wires from the fuse pannel and through the drivers side access tube inside a radiator hose. I thought that this would best protect the wires from heat, grease, grime and friction where they run through metal or fiberglass holes. Im sort of an over build it kind of guy. This is a car I plan to keep for a long time so I might as well do it right.
I also bought a 2×4 foot sheet of aluminum for the dash. I thought long and hard about wood but I decided that rust proof metal would be best. I can always cover it with vaneer paint or vynal and change it as I choose.
Ill keep you posted on the progress…
Again thank you all for the expert advice its much appreciated.

[Peter C. King]

Rick,

 

Give some thought to engine turning the aluminum panel. You can do it with an inexpensive drill press and a lot of patience.

 

BDriver

[edward ericson]

Here’s a small one, done on a Bridgeport Mill. I submit you could do as well with a drillpress if you made a die frame for the piece and moved it very carefully as you went.

All that said, If I were you I’d use the aluminum to make a center cluster (engine-turn that!) and use a piece of 3/8 marine ply for the main dash. Cover it in marine vinyl (I get mine from beacon Fabric & Notions in FL, but there are many suppliers) and you’ll have an easy time of it.

You want it to look stock like, stick some of these  1/8-inch chrome trims right at the top and bottom of the dash. I used on on the top edge of my dash and it looks pukka.

[newkitman]

What I did for grounds on my chassis was drill a hole for each stud, thread it, insert an exhaust manifold stud and weld it to the chassis. I have one in the front near the frame head, one on the top of the tunnel up front for instruments etc., and one in the back on each side of the frame for the engine and lights.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[secretagentcat]

Thanks again, Brothers
Those examples of the dash work look great! My only concern is with the sun reflecting back on me. The top stays down unless its raining and many a time Ive returned home lobster red and that was with the wooden dash. I do want it to keep that original look so Im looking to possibly cover it with an exotic vaneer like Burl or maybe Babinga. I really want to get her back on the road asap so I might just cover it in marine vynal as suggested and change it later this winter.

Also, Im thinking of leaving the radio out but running the speaker wires with an adapter for my Ipad. I figured that this will help to keep an original look but still have my tunes on the go. Have any of you done this and if so, how do you like it? I hope to be working on the speaker system this August. I found some waterproof speakers at West Marine that should work nicely.

I look forward to the feedback…

[Peter C. King]

Edsnova,

 

The article on engine turning the dash instrument insert is brilliant.

 

Thank you,

 

BDriver

[billnparts]

I have speaker wires running to a headphone jack in the parking brake housing. iPhone via Bluetooth to the radio. With the acquisition of a new dash panel, I think I’ll just delete the radio entirely and just use Bluetooth ear buds with the iPhone.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[secretagentcat]

I didnt think of bluetooth, that sounds even better. Thanks for the tip! Ill look into it this next week.

[Author]

Posts