Electrical installation-grounding.

Merry Christmas to you, too! Take your large, short, ground cable from the battery and use a ring connector and a star washer to connect under a large chassis bolt ( @DannyP, our resident wiring expert, swears by internal star washers).

I'm obsessive about grounding, so I run a braided connector between the chassis and the internal frame up front, another between the chassis and the trans axle, and another between the trans axle and the engine block. This is widely considered overkill.

Pull multiple grounds under the dash using a self-tapping screw, ring connectors, and a star washer from the internal frame under the dash. I usually put a little dielectric grease on the connectors before I tighten the screw to reduce future corrosion.

Engine grounds can be pulled from the engine block, rear end lighting from the internal frame using the appropriate ring connectors and star washers.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thanks, I'll do it that way too.

Make sure that star-lock washer is between the ground terminal and the frame. Not under the nut. This is a good thing to do at all ground terminals.........Bruce

@Michael Pickett posted:

Merry Christmas to you, too! Take your large, short, ground cable from the battery and use a ring connector and a star washer to connect under a large chassis bolt ( @DannyP, our resident wiring expert, swears by internal star washers).

I'm obsessive about grounding, so I run a braided connector between the chassis and the internal frame up front, another between the chassis and the trans axle, and another between the trans axle and the engine block. This is widely considered overkill.

Pull multiple grounds under the dash using a self-tapping screw, ring connectors, and a star washer from the internal frame under the dash. I usually put a little dielectric grease on the connectors before I tighten the screw to reduce future corrosion.

Engine grounds can be pulled from the engine block, rear end lighting from the internal frame using the appropriate ring connectors and star washers.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I agree, Mike, and also have three grounds: engine to chassis, trans to chassis, battery to chassis. Along with the main battery cable going from the battery directly to the transmission.

Some people call it overkill, I call it good practice.

Also, I grind or sand the paint off. Attach and tighten, then paint over the joint to keep corrosion away. Works extremely well.

Star washers are the bomb for connecting things.

I was doing electrical installation in an ultralight aircraft, where I used ground bridges to which individual ground wires were connected. Is this also suitable for the speedster 356, or is there a better grounding method?

I used a copper ground bus under dash for all the relays, switches, and gauges.

@DannyP posted:

I used a copper ground bus under dash for all the relays, switches, and gauges.

Do you mean something like that?

Exactly. And with lockwashers under the nuts for tension, and star washers under the ring connectors.

ZERO electrical issues in 7 years.

A more insulated buss bar is available from Cole Hersee.  Part number:M4755BX.  It's a terminal block but jumpers can be installed between each terminal and grounded at one of the mounting screws (or elsewhere)  This will give you a more isolated and insulated grounding buss. The terminal screws are 10-32 and long enough to attach several wires to each one.  The nuts are 3/8" so they are easy to manipulate with your fingers to install and remove while you are upside-down and crossways under your dash Ha ha !

A little helpful hint. If connecting two wires to a terminal, Install the first one with the crimped ferrule down and the next terminal with the crimp ferrule up. This way the nut will not rip the top terminal ring when tightened.  Of course, always install an external star-lock washer under the first terminal ring and the terminal stud.  Doing this gives you an additional "plus".  The terminals tend not to twist/turn when you tighten the nut. The same when unscrewing the nut.

I know this sounds like a lot of fussing around but in the long run it will save you a lot of electrical headaches and nightmares in the future.............Bruce

I find no need to buy an insulated ground buss. The whole point of the ground buss is simply to ensure good grounding, which in a replica/kit/homebuilt is often questionable and intermittent. But you do you. The fuse box however should be insulated well.

True story: Back in 2005 when I finished my Spyder I was driving around and stopped at a VW "friend's" house. It was night so my lights were on. One of my rear running lights was out. So the typical arrogant Vintage VW "friend" makes negative "kit car" wiring comment. He was one of those "my stuff is better than your stuff" guys. It was the bulb, brand new, and blown in an hour of use. My wiring was good, which I was pretty sure of.

Didn't go back there, did you?

Nope. It's sad, he died of cancer a few years later. This guy was friends with a couple of my other friends too. He used to organize a cool VW car show, incidentally where I met Max and Rocky.