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Parts for DIY ground straps

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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 03:36 PM
  #1  
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From: Hershey PA
Parts for DIY ground straps

I haven't seen anyone show their detailed shopping list for this mod.

Basically, I'd like to make my own to replace the stock straps, but I need to know things like:
- cable size/length
- connector size, lug hole diameter
- quantities (enough to replace all stock - I don't need a cobweb of ground wires in my engine bay)

Any leads (****, bad pun sorry) or info appreciated. I'll post my final shopping list when I'm done.

Dave
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 03:56 PM
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are you that incapable? it's pretty straight forward...take a 10mm and 12mm bolt off your car, goto the store, buy some eyelets that fit on them, check the gauge of the wire, buy some wire...crimp, bolt...
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 04:06 PM
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I could not find the eyelets (is that what they are called?) to fit the 6 guage wire I found at a hardware store.

This is what I did.

I went to home depot and bought 10 ft of 6 guage copper wire. I then went to O'Reilly's and bought 10 6 guage ring connectors. These were copper as well. I had to use a dremmel to cut out the holes in the connectors I bought as they only came in one size.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 04:11 PM
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sorry for coming off like an *******, i just think changing your oil is more challenging than ground straps
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 04:43 PM
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You say that, but I journeyed far and wide to find those stupid ring connectors.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 05:43 PM
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I went to my local stereo shop and bought some scrap wire from them. Most shops will have a couple bins of wire they cut when doing projects. You can pick it up for next to nothing. They should also be able to supply you with the cable ends. I used 2 or 4 gauge for the grounds with gold connectors.

It does seem to smooth out the low end and make it more consistent from day to day.

here is a good thread on this subject
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...t=ground+cable
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 08:41 PM
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Why not just buy the cheap generic ground straps at the auto parts store ?
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 10:51 PM
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Car stereo wire would probably be the best. Get some good 2 gauge wire like Monster Cable or Fosgate. Why use generic wire from just anywhere? Good car stereo wire has more wire strands than generic radio shack or home depot wire. If your going to do it, do it right.
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Old Aug 12, 2003 | 11:28 PM
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2 guage is way to big.My 6 guage probably had 15 strands or so and was at least 2 or more times as thick as the stock grounding straps.

Aside from that, the wire really doesn't matter, and neither really do gold tips. Solid copper on copper is almost as good as it gets. We're not looking for precise frequency modulation with these; we're looking for conductivity with low resistance.
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Old Aug 13, 2003 | 12:05 AM
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Here's a good post by James Paventi. Shows you pics of the parts and all that stuff. Should be exactly what you are looking for.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...ghlight=ground
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Old Aug 13, 2003 | 12:13 AM
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I just went to Tweeter and got 10 feet of Monster Cable 4 gauge and gold connectors ($20), made 3 straps with a little extra.
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Old Aug 13, 2003 | 02:14 AM
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Garfinkle uses welding cable for the ground straps .He makes the ends with the proper size holes out of tubing . The end for the hole is flattened in the vise and drilled . He then brazes a SS washer on the hole . The cable is then soldered in the tube .
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Old Aug 13, 2003 | 07:37 AM
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4 GA is fine.. So Is 6GA.. Just go to your NAPA and ask them ... They will have a) Prebuilt cables... which sounds like your best bet b) all the parts you need to make cables...
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Old Aug 13, 2003 | 01:08 PM
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From: Hershey PA
Thanks everyone. It was the info in Paventi's thread that I really wanted to find, but I searched under 'DIY', 'ground', instead of 'Home Depot' and 'Hyperground'. The thread is only a month old tho so I should have remembered reading it.

Yes, I'm fully capable of putting together straps based on what I unearth in my engine bay. But finding parts locally usually ends up being a time and money consuming waste of time, plus you never end up with the best solution. Nobody seems to have everything or in enough stock around here - a trip to the local auto parts store is never quite what it should be. My hope was to have a good list with sizes beforehand so I could buy it all at once from a quality supplier, and have them preassembled for when I finally get to install them.

Dave
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