battery cable

[glenn in camino]

One of my Model As is 12 volt. Can I use the stock heavy battery cable or should I use a lighter cable made for 12 volt cars?

[Drive Shaft Dave]

The stock heavy cable will be fine.

[Joe K]

More than fine - better than original, in fact.

(You could possibly get by fine with the cheaper 12V wire - but it has less conductive area - ampacity - befitting it's higher voltage application.)

Joe K

[MikeK]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

There is a terminal size problem if you switch from the original positive to negative ground. Most modern batteries use an SAE specified 9:1 taper terminal with the top size 15.9mm on the negative terminal and 17.5mm on the positive. This is done to discourage wrong hookups. Before SAE the older DIN standard was 9:1 taper with a top dimension of 17.9mm negative 19.5mm positive.

I don't know what standard, if any, was in effect in 1928. I do know the original starter and ground cables are a wrong fit for a 12V neg ground app. Yes, you can make them work by stretching one and overtightening the other, but you will not have the intended original full taper contact.

Worst aftermarket thing ever made: The one size fits-none replacement battery cable terminal. Too short for the full 18mm terminal height, the 10mm surface puts irreparable dents in your battery posts, rendering them less than 100% contact if you ever do get the proper terminals. If you buy quality new battery cables or have them made by a reputable source they use the proper different size terminals on the positive and negative leads.