guy insists his 66 Coronet is pos ground.

We've got a new member of our local mopar club and he insists his 66 Coronet is pos ground. the pos cable is going to the block and the neg to the starter he says...Is he badly mistaken?...How is this possible?

Thanks for your thoughts
Rick

It's a requirement with the 318 hemi..........

Have you seen this with your own eyes?

The only way this is possible is to have the battery charged in the opposite polarity. Before you say it can't be done, rest assured that it can. ( a lead-acid battery has to be drained to absolutely nothing and then the polarity can be reversed ).

If he has done this, it is a clever trick for attention. BUT..... it carries huge consequences if someone puts a different battery in the car. ( it will let the smoke escape from everything ). Paul

I've had many P.O.S. grounds. Cleaned them up and that fixed them.

But in the case of this member, he needs to sell his 66 Coronet and buy a Chevy Chevette and call it a Vette.

Do you think he is that ignorant or just pulling your chain?

No I've not seen this car.....As to whats up I hesitate to speculate

Probably red insulation on the negative ground cable.....

No I asked him to check this

He's a moron.

Tell him to post a picture of the battery and the cables.

I gave him a link to this thread hopefully he will chime in

There are a lot of people who believe a lot of things. Think of those who are convinced they were abducted by aliens and subjected to a body cavity search. You cannot convince them otherwise. In this case though, take a look at the car, that'll answer it one way or another.

Technically he is correct, all battery current flows from the negative (the hot side) post out on that lead and returns back to the positive side
Basic Direct Current electricity
If he has the negative cable hook to the starter and starter relay with the positive cable hook directly to the block he is not doing it (wiring) the way Mopar and most other American car manufacturers made them or designed the electrical system to work
I'm almost sure that the diodes in the alternator won't allow it to charge with reverse polarity like generators will

My advice is to not believe anything that guy tells you about anything. I think you'll be better off in the long run.

A wise man once said...

Maybe it's a Packard Coronet?

Would that mean that everything would also have to be positive ground and the starter motor would spin the opposite direction and have a positive ground radio, the wiper motor would turn the opposite direction and park on the other side, plus the heater/defroster fan would be turning the other direction and on and on and on??? There has always been a myth about Chrysler electrics being "different" so I think this guy has bought into something? Be careful how you break it to him, could get weird or dicey, social distancing rules apply here for sure

Get, I better go out to my 51 and replace all those backwards running motors since I converted it from 6v positive ground to 12v negative ground. Funny thing is, they turn the right way with either setup.

That be true, all American made 6 Volt cars since the beginning of when they where made had positive grounds, why they switch to negative grounds on 12V cars is still a mystery to me
I'm thinking American made airplanes, both 12V and 28 V, are positive grounds
Maybe not

galvanic corrosion

Like mentioned above, many things would have to be changed for that to work. Even in such a simple electrical system as a 66 car; starter, alternator, radio, power window motors, etc. The points ignition would work with POS ground.

I'd bet money its not "really" a pos ground , an outright fib or like one of my college professors used to say, "involuntarily ignorant".

Starter will work either way, as will any motor in the car. BTDT when I converted my 51 to 12V negative ground from 6v positive ground. No radio in the car so that wasn't an issue. I did swap out the gauges to an aftermarket setup so I dunno about them.

Chrysler changed over to a negative ground in 1956 except for a few late model Imperials

I do not see how any 12 volt DC motor will spin the same direction when reversing polarity. This is exactly how power widows reverse to roll up and down . They may still work but when you push the button for up, they will go down and Vice-versa. And power door locks work this way too, power antenna will also work but in reverse.

I have used a Mopar starter as a electrical motor on a powered cement wheelbarrel. No bendix spring, direct drive, sprocket welded on the shaft. When 12 V Neg grounded it moved forward. When switched to Pos ground it backed up.

My observations over the years:
Radios may burn out.
Light bulbs do not care.
Ign Coils will spark backwards and burn out sparkplugs tips.
Gauges may reflect backwards.
Electric Puller fans will become Pushers.

You are welcome to come over and tell the starter on my 51 it's not behaving properly.

Series wound motors do not care about polarity. They turn the same direction regardless.

Permanent-magnet DC motors change direction with the polarity of the applied current. Wound-field motors do not, because the armature and field currents both reverse but not relative to each other.

This. ^^^

Kevin

I just looked it up.

Wait....does his car also have a reverse rotation 383 Hemi 12 pack with a 727 Turbo and a posi locker detroit sure grip rear end?

I think I know the guy (he used to call the Mopar Tech Line).

You guys should make it a requirement to join your club that members have some basic automotive knowledge. He’s going to be a reflection of your club when he’s out representing you. Somebody needs to school the young man.

see Zippy's response, that is what I think when I hear car club lol

There are those in this hobby that don't turn their own wrenches. He might be one of them.

Ask your new fellow club member, if he hangs out with JJ Da Boss?

I've met JJ and he's not near as redneck IRL as portrayed on TV, actually seems to me to be a smart guy.

Found out the guy w the Coronet is in Southern Missouri about a couple hours away from Memphis....If he was in town I was going to go look.

Nobody mentioned the age of this person, just that he was a new member.
Age is no reflection of intelligence either. I have met smart and stupid of all ages. It is especially sad when it is an older person though.
Backing up slightly, you can't mandate intellect for new members. Part of the reason that some join a club is to learn. I was in a car club after I bought my Duster. I was 25 and didn't know much. I'm still learning. Aren't we all ?

As Bugs Bunny used to say: "What a MAROON!"

Well to me, I guess he is smart enough to snag a TV show, that seems to be more popular than the OG Street Outlaws show ?
His son though "doughboy"...he is, or at least plays the part really good, of a stone cold redneck!

the older i get, i find out i'm dumber than i thought i was.