Kelley's Works in Progress
Taking Measurements for your job
I've had to type this out enough that I thought I'd put it up here - if you don't see your vehicle listed, you should be reading this...
This is the method that we use when we need to measure and mock up cable runs for a custom job, and how we advice customers to do so as well. This seems to be the best method - and, it can be done on a "live" vehicle, since you don't get anything metallic anywhere near electrical parts.
What you'll need:
- Tape Measure
- Marker
- Notepad & pencil
- Rope, about 1/2" in diameter, a little longer than you think you cables will be (I keep a 20' chunk in the toolbox - it comes in handy. (If you're measuring existing cable, you can just use string for this - the cable is there, you just want to get away from anything metallic before you measure...)
- Some sort of marker for the rope (Sharpie© pen, narrow masking tape strips, twist ties, or whatever.)
What you'll do:
- Lay out the rope along the path you'll expect the wire to follow. The rope is about the same size as 1AWG cable - which is why it's used. Be sure to allow a minimum inside radius of 3" (for 1AWG) or 2" (for 4AWG) cable when going around corners. Also, the rope will help you to see potential problem areas where the wire is endangered...
- Start the rope at the centre of one terminal, and run it to the centre of the other.
- Mark the length once you have decided how you want the cable to run.
- Take the rope out and measure from the end to the mark you made.
- Write down the length of the rope (your cable with end up being about 2" longer - but write the whole number down anyhow,) round it up to the next whole inch, and note what size lugs you will need on each end. If this is to replace OEM cables, also note where the cable runs (battery + to start motor, for instance.) Don't forget to note the gage you'll need, or the anticipated load (so we can help you select a gage.)
That should help you get your wiring measured and laid out - but if you need tips on how to run it for your vehicle and application, drop us a line and we'll see what help we can offer...