What is the best way to make the negative battery terminal cable head larger without marking up the metal ? My battery terminal is a little larger. I want to be as meticulous as possible and have the cable seat on the battery properly.

 

You can purchase new ends for battery cables. Cutoff the old ends & install new (appropriately sized) ends. Many styles/types available just find the one(s) suitable to your application. No telling what a PO may have installed & new battery cable ends may be what suits your need best.

 

Get the right cable end if you're trying to stretch a negative cable end onto a positive battery terminal.

 

I’m putting the finishing touches on my restoration on my ‘70 W30. The negative cable I bought is from Fusick. I just put a newer, more powerful battery in the car. I do not want to mark up the battery cable. The cable end is too small for the battery terminal - but not by much. The cable end is malleable - which is good and bad. Easy to expand I would think but also east to mark up. I restored the car to as close to factory stock as possible - trying to keep it that way. Is there a way to expand the cable head without marking it up ?

 

When you say "expand" - are you talking about expanding the interior diameter of the cable end? Provide a picture maybe - lots of cable ends out there. You should be able to simply "ream" out the interior with any of various tools (including a large drill bit).

 

No. You can try to use pliers, a screwdriver or a rubber mallet to get the battery cable ends to fit the battery. The proper way to fix it is to get new battery cable ends and crimp them onto the battery cables.

 

Yes I’m trying to expand the interior diameter of the cable end. I’m trying to do it without leaving any marks on the cable end. I would like to expand the cable head before placing it on the battery itself. There is not a lot of clearance area to hit the cable head with a rubber mallet once it’s on the battery. The cable is brand new.

 

You mentioned you wanted to keep the car concours. Didn't Oldsmobile use side terminal battery cables in the day?

 

Jesse - I don't believe the OP is attempting a concours restoration. If that were the case a battery cable from Fusick won't come close to concours. Most likely a case of Fusick one size (doesn't) fit all cables.

 

Is it the style with a bolt clamping it closed, or is it the style with a spring clip holding it closed? If it has the bolt, you just remove the bolt and slide a large thick flat bladed screw driver or chisel between the ears and that will spread it without doing damage.

For either you could use something like this:

 

A picture is evidently out of the question.

If you bought it from Fusick, at a minimum tell us the part number or post the URL link for the battery cable you purchased.

 

Yes, but they appeared first on the 1972 cars.

 

Car is a concours restoration. Battery terminals were on too in 1970. There is little to no room to hit the cable head onto the battery terminal once it’s seated on the tray.

 

And, we know nothing about the type/style battery - in PARTICULAR w/o a picture. It certainly can't be concours because Oldsmobile did not manufacture hundreds of thousands of vehicles with incompatible battery end cables which did not fit onto battery posts.

 

The cable head needs some massaging to sit properly on the terminal - but not a lot. The metal on the cable head is very soft and marks easily.

 

This is the battery.

 

Shave the battery post until the cable end fits. Doesn't look like a concours battery.

 

Mikey, to get clearance, buy a set of plastic pry tools at a local parts store, remove the clamp bolt, and drive a plastic wedge between the opening in the clamp halves. If you did this from the bottom you would have zero worries about leaving marks.

Good luck,
Gary

 

Thanks Gary. No it’s not a concours battery - I use the faux Delco cover. This is actually the battery. If anyone is looking for a decent battery that retro cover fits then this is the best I could find - after experimenting with a bunch. Some batteries in Size 24 have the terminals on the opposite side of the battery. Some have the terminals reversed. Some batteries do not have the lips on the bottom of the battery to get secured properly.

 

I suppose those battery terminal pliers would work fine. I wasn't sure when Olds went to the side terminal battery.

I setup my 96 98 and both batteries in my 86 F250 with military style top post battery terminals. Too bad engineers have to submit to penny pinchers.

Military style, top-post battery terminals

 

I’m trying to be as careful as possible without marking anything.

 

Maybe one of these battery terminal cleaners could be used to slightly ream the inside diameter so it fits better.

 

That's similar to one of mine.

 

If you're not off by much, my first approach would be the hard metal wire style battery post cable end cleaner. If you don't have one or have never used one, they're excellent.

 

The ends are made of lead, you can use a sharp pocket knife to remove metal from the inside of the cable end and the outside of the battery lug. Then finish with the tools above to get the surfaces smooth.

 

Go to NAPA, Lowe's, AutoZone, even Harbor Freight, and get one of these. It's designed to spread tight clamp type terminals and, unless I miss my guess completely, will solve your problem without getting into overkill or marking the external surface of the clamp.

 

As per Post #10.