Earth strap

[Adrian]

Hi all, just one of this stupid moments, no matter how many pictures you take you always miss what you want! I’m  

looking to put some heat shrink on the battery earth, just to tidy it up and more easily cleaned in the future. The main battery strap has an extra clip close to the terminal which is preventing the heat shrink from going on. I can’t remember if it was originally attached, if it was it would be on the edge of the battery box support. is kit necessary to attach it?

 

[yorkshire_spam]

On my RHD Spitfire 1500 (1977 build) it's fitted like this, but I can't vouch for whether or not it's fitted "right" or not:

 

[daverclasper]

Hi. Not sure that you need to clean the earth cable a such (apart from the connections if need be)?, maybe some maintenance spray to protect from the elements .

Any larger obsticle will stop the cable feeding into the heat shrink.

A crimp tool to reconnect the cable, or a good alternative way?.

Hair dryer to shrink the heat shrink.

Dave  

[Pete Lewis]

If its just to tidy up get some  pre split copex sleeving   

Pete

[thescrapman]

Just spiral wrap it with yellow tape.

it should go round back of battery by the way 

[Adrian]

Thanks for the replies. Clamped on side like Yorkshire and round the back like the scrap man. Didn’t bother with wrap in the end. Cheers Adrian 

[NonMember]

That is the correct arrangement.

[dougbgt6]

Adrian,

A battery clamp is a good idea. You probably haven't got around to putting it back? An MOT fail, if you're taking it! 

Doug

[thescrapman]

There was a requirement to have the earth lead marked in yellow come in at some point during Triumph production.

During the 70's I reckon

[JohnD]

I think that is/was a Motorsport, not a production requirement.   It dates from before the days of the FIA cut-out, and let a Marshal armed with bolt cutters disable a battery quickly (?!) The earth lead still has to be in a "distinctive" colour, not just yellow,despite the cut-out switch being mandatory.

John

[Dick Twitchen]

John Thomason's 'Guide to Originality' has a photo and mentions the yellow sleeving appearing on the Mk3 Spitfire; interestingly after the statement '...now a negative earth vehicle.'. 

Dick

[JohnD]

Motor Sport Association's Yearbook, section J, Competitors' Vehicles, para 5.14.5. "Have the battery earth lead, if not readily distinguishable, identified by a yellow marking."    The "Distinctive" ccolour  is for tow-rings - my mistake!

Dick is of course correct in quoting Thomason.      Modern domestic wiring uses yellow/green, or green as the colour code for an earth, but I think that in the UK the yellow is long post-1967 and was green alone before 1977.  So that doesn't explain why Triumph used a yellow sleeve.    No sign of it in any "Construction & Use Regs", I fear, and it doesn't happen today.  As I mentioned, it's redundant nowadays in motorsport, but I don't know when it was introduced.    A Q I'd have to ask the MSA, if they have a historian.

JOhn

 

[ShaunW]

I dream of the day when I'm down to problems like this  

[Adrian]

Battery clamp now on (just timing on the photo). I just love the extra info you get from the community, may not help the problem but builds background knowledge. Now I’ve got to figure out the wiring connections for the lights etc, and try to figure out if the scotch lock red cable with two terminal blocks (domestic) actually did anything!

Shaun, it’s taken a while to get to this stage and I started with a good external example, just engine, inside and underside needing nursing. There is part of me feeling inadequate because I’ve never welded!