lookin4astang

Ok, the starter on my 87 seems to lag trying to crank my car. I noticed the starter wire is a 12-14 ga. wire and looks way too small as well as having a few cuts in it. I want to replace it. How large should the cable be, and how should it be routed? Currently it runs down under the front of the header, goes back towards the firewall, and then under the bellhousing to the starter. I'd like to find a better way, as it currently rubs on the crossmember under the car.

Secondly, the fuel line from my carb to my mechanical pump seems to be a bit excessive. It runs from the mechanical pump (351W) down the driverside above the header, behind the carb along the firewall, and then to the dual feed line on the passenger side of the car. Shouldn't there be a shorter distance to route that as well? Seems to me like it hovers over the header a little much. I'd like to hide some of this stuff, but I'm trying to get some suggestions of where to run this stuff.

creekrat

My cable runs from the battery down across the front of the motor under the crank pulley and then back to the starter. Not sure what guage wire it is but I can tell you for damn sure it ain't 12-14 guage! I'd change that SOB before you have a melt down and catch something on fire!!!!

CrazyCobraSpeed

yea that seems kinds small... id use that to wire up house, and that is like 10/15/20amp brakers so u are seeing much in the way of current there... i would think a starter would pull more current than that.... granted for a small amount of time but still... see if u can find what the stock wiring was... if its 12-14 then u might be ok

lookin4astang

I knew it wasn't supposed to be 12-14 ga. wiring. I'm thinking something in the way of a 2 or 4 ga. possibly. I'm gonna try and find something a little larger. Car isn't running right now anyway since I'm rebuilding my carb. It's off the car anyways. I'll look for something else today. It's just tight in the engine bay now, so I need to find a better way to route that wire, as it's getting cut where it's at now.

As for wiring a house with 12/14 ga. automotive wiring, I'd think that would be more of a hazard than on the car.[&:]If you seriously wired a house with that, you need to change all of it out. IF you managed to turn the power on to the house without immediately burning it down, be sure it won't take long. House wiring uses Romex wire, which can withstand much more current than automotive grade wiring.