1928 Sarter To Battery Cable

[Mike Peters]

I'm restoring a Nov. 28 Business coupe which has the earlier starter switch. I need to find the correct cable for this early switch which has the rear terminal. The original is missing. The cable in the photo is just one I that was laying around the shop. BTW, I did get the engine running after at least 45 years of sitting that I know of for sure. Now it's time to find some correct parts. Any info would be apprciated.
Thanks
Mike

 

[2manycars]

I think you can use the normal cable and just bend the end to match the switch.

 

[Mike Peters]

Thanks "too many cars". I'm doing that now and it works fine, but I've got this silly idea of building this thing into a fine point car. Bought this car last summer. It had been sitting since 1955, and there are more things right than wrong, including a near perfect body, so I thought, "This is the one!!" I've been collecting original parts, tire valve stems, etc., and still need the correct battery cable. An original ground cable would also be nice. The parts book lists two battery cables for Model A: A-14300-AR, 1928-29, and A-14300-B, 1928-31. I'm pretty sure that the AR cable is used for the earlier starter switches, and it this cable that I need information about.
Thanks Guys.

 

[Gary Karr]

To my knowledge, the early style cables, the correct ones, are not reproduced. The later style starter switch was introduced in October '28 so that might be an option for you to consider. For fine point, you are going to have to find original terminal ends, brackets and bushings, and the correct thick 9/16" cloth braded cable to get the points in fine point.

 

[mmindling]

Mike,

Take a look at the Ford Service Bulletins or the MARC Judging Standards book to find out about correct battery cables and month of changes.

My car is January 1928 and has the square switch, bent starter rod and Abel starter. The negative cable from the battery was meant to run around the left side of the chassis / over the first body bolt and connect to the starter switch. This was held up by a bracket on the first body bolt. Also helpful was the fact that early batteries had the negative post at the upper left hand corner

Later, the cable was rerouted over the flywheel housing with a different clamp. At the same time, batteries were used which have the negative post at the upper right corner.

In any event, the books should give you the accurate data and dates of changes.

I am still looking for the small clamp that holds the left hand cable to the body bolt, if anyone in FB would like to part with one. Otherwise, my cable is routed properly. However, it has to be a longer cable than original because can't find a battery with the upper left neg. post.

Best of Luck,

Regards,

Martin mmindling@aol.com Snowy, cold Watertown, Ohio

 

[2manycars]

I checked Rhode Island Wiring, they list a separate cable for 28..


http://www.riwire.com

 

[Mike Peters]

As usual, Ford Barn comes through again!! Gary is right, I'll need correct cable, ends, rubber bushing, and bracket to get points. But I don't even know exactly what "correct" looks like at this point, since there was no cable at all in this car when I bought it last summer. A guy tried to sell me an "early" NOS 28 battery cable last fall at Hershey, but it had Ford Script and was pretty long. Resarch upon arriving back home revealed that this was a late Model T item. That would have been a foolish $150.00 spent for nothing. And yes, I could simply convert the whole thing over to the later starter switch, but I thought it would be fun to at least try to go with the carry over old style starter that came with the car. (60 day rule?)
Martin's early cable bracket is illustrated in the latest judging stands. It goes through the body bolt and is used in conjunction with a left hand negative battery terminal, all obsoleted in March 28. Martin, if I ever run on to one, I will get it for you. (You could cheat and make one also?) My car requires the later version of cable bracket that bolts to the flywheel housing and utilizes the right hand negative battery terminal.
Thanks again Too Many Cars. I will call Rhode Island wiring Monday AM. I saw the part to which you referred for the early starter switch. If it comes with the right angle battery end, is correct thicknes, etc, I'll get it just to use to maybe identify an original one some day. The search never ends, does it? Thanks guys! The level of expertise in FB never ceases to amaze me.

 

[2manycars]

Glad to help. I have been to Rhode Island wiring, as I dont live too far from there, and the club had a tour to the place a few years ago. Very fascinating to see how they make the harnesses.

 

[Charles Reese]

maybe some of use ... i have conflicting info as to the 'battery pole' (-) connector ... most suggest a 'straight' connector, but fig 435 (pg211) in the reprint of the Service Bulletins shows the terminal to the 'side' of the wire

 

[Mike Peters]

So now the plot thickens? The battery cable in the photo that Charles Reese so kindly posted looks like the one I saw last fall at Hershey. Ford script battery end, and longer than the later cables. According to the Early 28 section of the JS, the cable is indeed 23 and a scosh long with a side battery connector, which allows it to feed along the left side of the clutch pedal and attach to the body mount bolt, as Martin suggests. So I stand corrected, it really was an early 28 battery cable, correct for Charles' and Martin's Jan 28 cars, but incorrect for my Nov. 28 car, due to the later style RIGHT negative post battery post used on late 28. I will relay any new info from Rhode Island Wiring here on Monday. Maybe they will clarify matters? BTW, is there a left hand negative terminal battery available today for the early 28's?

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Mike, if you have a November 1928 car then I'd say you should have the new style starter with 5/8" shaft and the new style starter swtich. The Service Bulletins show that Ford was anxious to get rid of the Abell drive starter and all cars after the first week of October 1928 came with the new starter.

 

[Gary Karr]

Yes Mike, the Ford script battery manuufacturers today can make up a new battery for you with reversed terminal locations.

 

[Marco Tahtaras]

So now the plot thickens? The battery cable in the photo that Charles Reese so kindly posted looks like the one I saw last fall at Hershey. Ford script battery end, and longer than the later cables. According to the Early 28 section of the JS, the cable is indeed 23 and a scosh long with a side battery connector, which allows it to feed along the left side of the clutch pedal and attach to the body mount bolt, as Martin suggests. So I stand corrected, it really was an early 28 battery cable, correct for Charles' and Martin's Jan 28 cars, but incorrect for my Nov. 28 car, due to the later style RIGHT negative post battery post used on late 28. I will relay any new info from Rhode Island Wiring here on Monday. Maybe they will clarify matters? BTW, is there a left hand negative terminal battery available today for the early 28's?

The side mounted battery connector with "Ford U S A" is a later V8 cable and not uncommon. I don't know what year but I've had one or two over the years. During the Model A years ford had their name in script on may parts until about April 1928 when it was removed "for ease of export". Approximately July 1931 ford reinstituted the script on many domestic production items to combat the competition in the replacement parts market. In August 1931 Ford began adding "USA" to some of the more common service items.

 

[Joe K]

When I worked at "the farm" (NOT funny farm) they had a reasonably complete diesel garage shop. Which included a metal box filled with cable clamps of all sorts and terminal (bolt) ends of all sorts. Including that rather different 90 degree cable clamp.

The farm owner was pretty sympathetic to my Model A diversion and even allowed me to bring in a model a battery cable for "measurement" and make another just (well sort of) like it. But this the cable/clamp now commonly reproduced. It was more an exercise in "can we do it" than "need to do it."

I don't imagine it would be possible to do something like this and make a 1928ish cable "judgeable" since so much of the minutia of Model A is known. Modern is, well, modern - and done with modern tools - most of which is detectable.

But so much of the early stuff in barnyards and other sources is going away. To take something found - even if correct - is more and more a challenge to restore to "Original."

I have EXACTLY this problem in a Model A tire pump - particularly the hose and hose end part. Rubber cracks with age and brass fittings seem particularly suseptable to abrasion by being dragged on the concrete after disconnection. And there is not much going back on either of these.

Joe K

 

[2manycars]

I have a few later style 5/8 shaft starters made for the early switch, so that is probably correct for your late 28 car. My january 29 car came with the early switch, and the pushrod that has the large mushroom top. The starter is 5/8 shaft with bendix drive.

 

[Charles Reese]

The side mounted battery connector with "Ford U S A" is a later V8 cable and not uncommon. ... In August 1931 Ford began adding "USA" to some of the more common service items.

Thanks for info ... comments about the illustration in the Service Bulletins (just an artist's conception or mock up vs. photo?) ... looks to have the correct eye on top/clevis on bottom brake cross shaft and riveted running board bracket

 

[Marco Tahtaras]

Thanks for info ... comments about the illustration in the Service Bulletins (just an artist's conception or mock up vs. photo?) ... looks to have the correct eye on top/clevis on bottom brake cross shaft and riveted running board bracket

I've never seen the drawing for the pre-production cable that was used with the starter switch shown below. It was 22-1/2" long and the cable end at the starter was more like our last version but bent over about 30 degrees. I'm guessing that is what the image is based on.

 

[Bick in New Zealand]

Wow, I have never seen this early photo before, do you have a date for it? Look at that starter switch, it looks like the later version. Thanks for posting, fascinating!

 

[Bick in New Zealand]

Here are some pictures of the early cable clamp

 

[Mike Peters]

Yes, Bick, the switch in the photo Marco posted does look like the later version, or are we seeing things? Yet, it shows the left hand emergency brake handle, which disappeared in mid 28. The later round version of the starter switch doesn't appear until Oct. 28. I don't get it.
Bick: The JS does not show a cable clamp like the one you posted, but then, the JS was published in the land of left hand drive cars. Is yours perhaps specific to right hand drive? To be honest, I've never seen a right hand drive Model A, so could you tell us a bit about the location of the accellerator pedal in relation to the starter push rod on a right hand drive Model A? On left hand drive cars, the starter push rod is above and to the left of the accellerator button (pedal).