Where to buy crimps for big three upgrade?

[Matthew Jeschke]

This is probably on the forum somewhere but I cannot find it. I need to buy crimp terminals for big three upgrade. Specifically this:

GROUNDS: Engine block and chassis grounds replaced, need to splice them together and have a single terminal to battery post (side post)

Battery Positive: I think I'll take the alternator post directly to the splice for starter, and relay junction box. Then have the three go to the post. Not exactly my favorite... I'd like to use the Bat+ junction box but think this will work a tad better.

Backstory: Alternator gave out. Quite an adventure, nursed it home at 3500 RPM from deep in mountains. Bought a 240 amp high output alternator. I think it does like 130amps at idle from Tucson Alternator where I live. They sold me a big three kit. I figured the kit would be specific to GMT800. It was not. It's generic and a PITA. I can start truck but cables are TERRIBLY routed and will certainly get caught insomething. I'm trying to route them just as factory did. I don't know why they didn't make a factory replacement setup. It wouldn't have been much more work to do. However, I don't know where to buy the crimp terminals for that large gauge of wire with compatible side post terminals.

Video linked HERE

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

I think I may need to convert to a top post style. I cannot for the life of me find the factory style crimp connectors for several 0 Gauge wires. Most all the tutorials I'm seeing leave quite a lot to be desired with their custom battery / charging cables.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I think I may need to convert to a top post style. I cannot for the life of me find the factory style crimp connectors for several 0 Gauge wires. Most all the tutorials I'm seeing leave quite a lot to be desired with their custom battery / charging cables.

Pretty sure @iamdub or @Rocket Man has experience with those. Hopefully they'll chime in.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Awesome thanks @Tonyrodz

I'm sitting here kind of amazed. It looks as though one person did this Big 3 Upgrade and everybody online copied it then made tutorials off it. I may need to come up with a custom way to do this so it's proper fitment for our trucks. It appears as though people are retrofitting welding terminal crimps and cable for this. Those crimps are great, but they won't accommodate several 0 Gauge wires for a terminal... Converting to side post is an equal headache as you have to get the expensive side post terminals (and adapter lugs) then bolt on all the extra terminals. Additionally, I should upgrade the wire to the under hood junction box as well which seems nobody does or includes in a kit. Studying the factory battery ends / terminal crimps, I can see they are cut from a sheet of metal then folded / pressed over. If I had a CNC plasma cutter and some dies I could probably do that but doesn't appear anybody sells the factory style side mount cable terminals.

 

[Scottydoggs]

when i need to put a eyelet on a cable i used solder, heat and fill the eyelet up with solder, flux the bare wire end and push it into the eyelet. how ive done all of em for years now, like my dual battery and snow plow cables. then a few busted off ends over the years on many cars and trucks. you will also need to get the side post extenders so you got the room to add the new eyelets to the battery. best type ive found is the one that replaces the fatory bolt, then has a stud and a nut to put the new cables.

like these. its nice to get em tight and never worry about the little pos bolt stripping out.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Gotchya, I see the post extenders. Those will work for time being. I kind of hate all the extra hoopla on the cables. I like a nice clean crimped setup.

You've not had any issues with heating at the solder joints? From what I understand current travels on surface of conductor, is why battery cables are never soldered from factory from what I understand.

 

[wjburken]

Gotchya, I see the post extenders. Those will work for time being. I kind of hate all the extra hoopla on the cables. I like a nice clean crimped setup.

You've not had any issues with heating at the solder joints? From what I understand current travels on surface of conductor, is why battery cables are never soldered from factory from what I understand.

A good solder joint shouldn’t have any issues.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

It just dawned on me, I'm going about this the wrong way.

My buddy had a Volkswagen Beatle. Basket of worms that car, but aside from that. I noticed it had a terminal block. All the systems connecting to Battery+ under the hood were routed through a terminal block, kind of like that red box between the alternator and battery only bigger.

I think I should just get a sheet of copper and run some bolts through it to connect up the grounds. Then something similar, but needs insulated for the battery positive.

Anybody seen a slick custom setup for that before?

 

[RAMurphy]

This is what I used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082VSKVPG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Alex_M]

Doing a distribution block for grounds isn't necessary. The entire chassis is a ground, so as long as your grounds between frame/body/engine are solid then you do not need to run grounds all the way back to the battery. If you want to anyway - aluminum is perfectly adequate, no need to drop the coin on copper. Just grab a piece of like 1/2" thick aluminum bar and you can tap it to accept 3/8 bolts.

Welding terminals are what I use.

You can also get an isolated distribution block for your positives so that they don't have to all come back to your battery. Personally though, I switch over to top post batteries and use marine terminals in all my vehicles. Usually only have 2 or 3 cables coming off the battery directly - factory cable for the fuse box, alternator if upgraded, and starter if upgraded. Sometimes I'll have a winch hooked up or a stereo amp, but it rarely totals more than three cables for me personally.