[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Someone asked about a thermostat issue and it got me thinking about what klinds of minor changes can be done to make a Small (or big) block Chev-Lay work better and be more people friendly. One thing was to drill a small hole in the deck of the thermostat; the issue that we discussed; but there is a little more left to do. Instead of using that silly little piece of fuzz in the air cleaner to filter the crankcase inlet air, what we do is use a FRAM oil filter with a pipe threaded into it, and that very short pipe segment is welded to the nipple end of the pipe that originally plugged into the valve cover. So now what you have is an orange Fram filter....like a number 3429 for example which just happens to have a pipe thread on it.......that is plugged into the RH valve cover grommet and you are doing a superior job of filtering the air that goes inside the engine cavity, instead of sucking dirt through the diddly fuzz filter. THEN, you run a heavy ground cable from the (-) post to the frame bolt that usually has the dimpy little frame ground wire. What we do is use one of those duplex battery post terminals or just put two cables in one of the clamp-in types. I use #1/0 to the starter as my (+) and use two #4/0 (-) cables, one to the generator bracket and one to the frame. I also make sure that I have a good ground from the frame to the cab firewall. You would be AMAZED at how much better things work when they are well grounded......like the fuel gauges for example. I get a kick out of these guys who hook up a big trailer and ground the trailer to the pickup frame.....up in front is a dinky little #10AWG (maybe even #12)wire to the frame,....usually corroded... and all that current has to go through it.[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

CJDave
Quadra-Tracs modified While-U-Wait by the crack moonguy[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Quadra-Trac Team.[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif[/img][img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Most older Chevy trucks ground from the negative side of the battery to the alternator bracket. The wire is a standard battery cable. The #10 (or #12 AWG) wire you're talking about is an auxilliary frame ground, kind of like the one that goes to the core support to ground the lights up front (it's not really necessary, but it's there anyway).


<font color=blue>I like animals. They taste good.</font color=blue> [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Dave,your completly correct about the grounding but you left one part out....Make a jumper wire on your starter and get that solinoid out from under there!!!Course it still has to do it's job, but putting a furd type on it gets rid of that freaking hot start crap that every chevy with headers has problems with!! 1/0 welding cable on the whole thing may be overkill people, but it WORKS!!!! You'd be suprissed how much stronger the ole winch on the front works too!!!

It's as close to a 1ton as it can get and still be a jeep!!! Gotta love it!!

[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] In my scheme we leave the stock (-)cable to the alternator bracket just as it is, and we run a similar cable to the frame. That wire you describe as "core support" HAS to be there or the frame-grounded stuff in a brand new truck will not work well...(cab, fuel tanks, tail lamps). There is an additional small conductor to the front end tinware to ground the headlamps and so forth. The cab is separately grounded near the RH front cab mount. GM would NEVER put even ONE LOCKWASHER on a vehicle that did not need to be there.[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

CJDave
Quadra-Tracs modified While-U-Wait by the crack moonguy[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Quadra-Trac Team.[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif[/img][img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img]