Battery cable crimping methods?

[BenzBoy]

I need a little advice - I'm moving the battery to the boot to create a little more space. Got the battery cable (salvaged from my bro's Rover P6 years ago), and a couple of ring connectors. But can I get the f***ing thing to stay on the cable? Can I hell. My methods aren't exactly high tech - a hammer, a large screwdriver and some pliers were all employed.

I've looked at battery cable crimping tools, but to be honest spending £80 on something that I will probably ever use once is a false economy.

So... any "ghetto" methods of crimping the terminal onto the cable? Do I need to solder it? Someone suggested an old pair of pliers and a 4lb lump hammer. That sounds like my kind of technique, but I'll need to go get some more ring connectors before I try any other methods so I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone else has any bright ideas

Oh, this is the ring connector that goes onto the starter I'm talking about. The battery connector is already attached.

[Seth]

When I've done battery cables I've used this type of clamp that the wire is clamped down in using screws. From here



You could also solder it but you'd probably need a gas torch to get it all hot enough.

[BenzBoy]

Ah, I must have ninja-edited whist you were typing - it's the other end I'm having the bother with, that goes onto the starter solenoid. Like a regular electrical ring connector, but bigger. ;D

[jamieandthemagictorch]

pliers & lump hammer sounds good - or a vice

tho strictly you should solder them, but you need an f'ing great solder iron to do it.

[Dez]

solder them. looks loads better, and is stronger and a better connection. ive just done it not 10 mins ago to make some new earth straps for the senny from 2 gauge.

i used a el-cheapo butane blowtorch and plumbers flux and solder. easy!!

[BenzBoy]

dez said:

solder them. looks loads better, and is stronger and a better connection. ive just done it not 10 mins ago to make some new earth straps for the senny from 2 gauge.

I used a el-cheapo butane blowtorch and plumbers flux and solder. easy!!

Ah! Somewhere, I have a blowtorch... I shall dig it out and look for some plumbers flux. Sounds like the best idea, I don't like the thought of it pinging off when I'm in the middle of nowhere ;D.

[popuptoaster]

ICE shop will have crimp on connectors for big bore cables, ive never had any bother with not using solder, big hammer and a blunt screwdriver does the job.

[Dez]

my blowtorch is a rather old car boot cheapie, that takes those small blue camping gaz canisters that are about £3.

id usually headshrink the joint/shoulder where the insulation invariably burns a touch at the edges,but i was out of the large stuff, so just used a bit of elctrical tape. once you get used to it, you can do em and barely burn the insulation.

[DutyFreeSaviour]

Saved me asking that question BB - blowtorch shall be put to good use asap!

[trannyman]

i've used a soldering iron for them, just a 50w (i think) adjustable one from maplins - not expensive, just turn it up to max and do it out of any wind, gets the whole thing hot enough for a good joint. remember to melt the solder by touching the wire/terminal not in the flame/iron tip, gaurantee a good joint then. from the pic above i'd go over that again to make sure its not a dry joint.

Mike

[JohnnySomersett]

The most often made mistake is not tinning the wire first...makes life 917851985419238541 times easier LOL

Seems obvious but amazingly often overlooked!

[TheFrequentFryer]

The MP3car forums suggested in the past, flood the bare wire end with solder so it gets don't between the individual "threads".
Push the large crimp end on and vice crimp/hammer it so it crimps tight, then heat up the crimp and once molten get some more solder in.

[bbq]

On a large diameter bit of wire like that you should look round the other side once you've tinned it as it almost never goes all the way through first time.

Then just hit the ring terminal with the blowtorch and once hot enough insert wire and more solder in there- hey presto! Robert's yer father's brother.

[Mike D]

I've got a crimper that'll do the job, I'm in Grimsby though.... handy if you fancy a trip for some fish n chips

[spacekadett]

In the past I've done it with mole grips rather than pliers, seem to be able to get a bit more welly on it with them. Usually run a bit of solder in as well but I've had no bother with the ones haven't soldered.

But last time I got a mate to crimp it as they had the proper tool at work

[BenzBoy]

Thanks guys . Sorry to be a thicky but what is "tinning"? Does that mean coating the bare copper wire with solder first?

[JohnnySomersett]

benzboy said:

Does that mean coating the bare copper wire with solder first?

Correct-a-mondo

[gn3dr]

Or if you want to go back to the crimping method (soldering has it's problems with vibration etc when the solder travels down the cable and makes it rigid), the ghetto method that I have heard of (but not used yet) was to use a bolt cutter (can be bought for a few quid from LIDL or ALDI from time to time) & grind a notch into the cutting blades to turn it into a cheaper version of that £80 crimper

[avtovaz]

Soldering has its problems as jsut said above, i never trust it as much as crimping as I'm never sure if i have got all the wires soldered, and if I'm not sure, then will it work ok when I'm string to start a dead car? Will teh join get hot and melt?


If there is a company near you that does trucks, tippers, or any gerneral auto electricians, they should have the crimps, so just goto them and ask them to do it for you!

Either that or, if you get a peice of angle asemble the joint and put it into the V of the angle, then hit it long ways on with a punch or chissel that does something very simular....


BTW, prodrive wont solder any joint what so ever!


HTH...

[paulmi16]

As everyone else has come up with the technical and correct solutions, Billy Bodger here would suggest crimping it in the vice.