and NEVER think a GOOD [re]wiring will be a one or two day job. especially if planning to use as little wire [weight] as possible. it takes some thought if done right. also, NEVER, EVER use those cheapy crimping pliers that come in those eleventybillion piece terminal kits that cost $2.99. they don't produce a proper crimp, and that leads to heat at the connection, which can cause many problems. like burning your ride to the ground to name one !
Well put.
I got 3-4 different crimping tools that I use depending on the connector. I even have the one for the Packard terminals which I kinda detest using cause I never seem to get a decent crimp with it. But, when I do get it right, it's a thing of beauty!
I've mentioned this before here but I have gotten away from using solder on every connection. 95% of the time a good crimp and shrink tubing is all that's needed. The factory didn't solder connectors for obvious reasons but their crimps lasted 50 years. It's likely negligible but when we're talking ounces, all that lead can definitely add up. Plus, you can wind up using more material to cover the connections.
On the wiring topic, the weight can obviously add up with a trunk battery since you have to run a long, heavy cable the entire length of the car. It gets worse with an alternator since that wire needs to be fairly heavy too. Most guys like to use the heaviest gauge wire, like a 1/0 but I believe you can get away with a thinner gauge wire if all your crimps and support wiring are sufficient. Might be easier on an A body though since the run is not quite as long as a B body, there's slightly less voltage drop over the length of the wire.
Lee, don't you have some ultra light battery cable?
