> The installed battery cables appear to be sized for Negative
> ground already,
> as the ground strap connector is sized for the smaller negative terminal,
> and the Red cable running to the starter solenoid is sized for the larger
> Positive terminal.
>
> Does it look sound like negative ground already? What else can I
> look at to
> judge this. I don't want to hook up the battery and fry anything...
Ron, it certainly sounds like the previous setup was negative ground.
However, unless you have a radio, none of the original components will "fry"
with the wrong polarity. In fact, in the past it wasn't unusual for
inattentive mechanics to install the battery backwards and the owner to
drive away.
To do the conversion, one needs only switch the connections to the ammeter
and ignition coil. The car will actually run OK without these changes, but
having the wrong polarity on the coil may make it a bit harder start. AFAIK
all Lucas coils marked "CB" and "SW" have "CB" as the positive terminal.
The ammeter will read backwards if the polarity is wrong. The heater, wiper
and starter motor all do not "care"; nor do the gauges and voltage
stabilizer.
Although sometimes it will work anyway if you rev the engine high enough,
it's best to repolarize the generator after switching batteries. It's
sometimes necessary anyway on cars that have been stored for a long time (or
had the generator removed & replaced).
HTH
Randall
|