Getting in on a
ground floor
The June issue
of The Self-Starter had feedback on
tech tips from Virgil Parker of
For
years, I have repeatedly proclaimed that 90 percent of electrical problems in
our beloved old cars can be traced to a missing or poor ground. The advice by
Mr. Parker on grounding the starter was excellent and should be read again by
all of you that are restoring or maintaining your cars. After all, he has a
LaSalle, so he must be intelligent.
Many
times, when restoring a lovely old car, each part and piece is generally
thoroughly cleaned, detailed and painted, even more so on
a frame-off restoration. It doesn’t do a lot of good to put ground straps on
well-painted surfaces. The starter connecting surfaces mentioned by Mr. Parker
are very critical but not the only points that need special attention to
grounding.
A
good example is the gas tank. It has been cleaned, lined and painted and it
looks like brand new. Now, lo and behold, the gas gauge on the dash is either
erratic or just plain not working. Don’t tear apart the dash unit just yet
until you have grounded the sending unit in the tank. Clean off one of the
machine screws holding the sending unit in the tank and using 12-gauge wire and
terminals, fasten a jumper wire onto that screw. With
a self-tapping screw, attach it to an out-of-sight spot on the frame.
While you are at it, also put a special ground wire out
of sight under the dash from the instrument cluster to the body in the same
manner. You would be surprised how much better your instruments and dash lights
work. Of course, a couple of these hidden ground wires out of 12-gauge wire
between the frame and the body will add to your pleasure and lessen your
electrical problems.
Also, you probably had the fenders, headlight and
taillight housings off and well-painted, causing loss or reduction of
grounding. Special ground wires to these assemblies are easily hidden. Without
these “extra” grounds, you can have some real weird happenings with your
lighting systems, as 6-volt DC electricity will try to find a ground by some
other route.
Don’t forget to make sure that your generator gets the
same good grounding that you did for your starter. It is also a good idea to
install a special ground made from 12-gauge wire from one of the mounting
screws of the voltage regulator along the wiring loom to the ground screw on
the generator itself. This can prevent premature failure of the regulator
and/or the generator. While you are at it, anytime you have the generator
and/or the regulator off of the car or disconnected, be sure you repolarize them
exactly as the service manual and/or the instructions that come with a new
regulator. Otherwise you can go back and forth replacing or rebuilding the generator and the
regulator.
Maybe you have noticed a sharp little brass springy thing
on the firewall that presses against the hood when you close it. It is also a
ground that provides a means to ground static electricity from the hood that
builds up when you are driving. The factory usually installed these on cars
that were equipped with radios in order to improve reception and reduce noise.
I have found that a Dremel tool or die grinder is great
for cleaning the spot where your grounds are mounted. If you don’t have either,
you can use sandpaper. After the ground is tightened down good, you can use a
small touchup brush in case you took off too much paint. Then take a light amount
of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and apply around the connection. This will retard
rusting and corrosion from gradually reducing the efficiency of your “special”
grounds.
While you are at it, don’t forget your battery terminals
(cables should be at least 00 gauge for 6-volt
systems). Clean them and cable ends with steel wool or sandpaper, or a regular
battery terminal brush that is available at most tool or parts stores at a very
low cost. After cleaning and tightening these terminals, a small amount of
petroleum jelly applied will retard that ugly corrosion that does no good for
your car’s electrical system and can greatly reduce the power from your
battery. Don’t forget that some of the older cars had a positive ground system.
It
boils down to making a good investment in your old LaSalle or Caddy by getting
in on the ground floor for a good deal by making good grounds.
See
ya next month,
—Walt