I am curious about the positive battery cable routing some run along the valve cover and others like mine run along the fender(the clamp on mine is not original so cable might have been moved) ...were they different length cables? and why would they be routed differently...anyone know?

 

I don't recall off hand what the assembly manual showed, but I believe the battery cable on manual trans cars went along the top of the valve cover and the autos went along the fenderwell because of clutch linkage clearance. Someone else can weigh in to verify as my manuals aren't accessible at the moment. Of course, the 69 H/O was all autos so they all should be routed the same way.

 

on the fender is corrrect

 

hey steve hows it going... ok i'll take your word on it... i'm looking for a new cable didnt know if length was a problem

 

Fusick Automotive carries the correct repro positive battery cable.

203-623-1589, ask for Steve

Tell him I sent you.



STeve

 

Actually, according to the build book both manual and auto cars had their positive cables routed over the valve cover in '69 only on the 442 (and H/O). See section 12 page 132. Note that the service manual shows it routed like the other years. While they share the same mounting bracket, the tube on the back of the engine is different on each (see section 6-1 page 132). I also have a 69 dealer floor photo showing an H/O under the hood and it too has the cable routed over the valve cover, matching the build book. The book only shows 1 cable for the 400 in an A-body in '69. All the other years I've looked at have the automatic cars routed over the fender well but this is a one-off...

Here's the photo

 

That settles that!

 

Yes it sure does, and now I am scrathing my head about how to route it along the valve cover..I will have to look for some clearer pics and small cable retainers that go to valve cover bolts

 

Oh man! Looks like every '69 H/O out there (including my friend's we're restoring now) will need to re-route their battery cables! I'm almost positive the assembly manual we have shows it along the fender. Jeff Meister's got a picture on his site of an unrestored car that also shows the cable going along the intake/valve cover.

 

What's even more interesting to me is the exact routing shown in the vintage photograph. It looks to me like it goes around the "side" of the valve cover rather than going over it as what is commonly thought of as the M/T battery cable routing. I wonder if that cable has to be slightly longer - and if it is a one year only thing.

Crazy stuff like that happened. For example my 68 W-46 Hurst Olds has a highly unusually "modified" part that is original. As you all know, the 68 W-46's are the only under bumper OAI cars to have A/C. So for the 155 cars so made, the hot air tube "adaptor" (the piece that pushes into the snout of the air cleaner assy that the actual tube goes on) was persuaded to fit by multiple hammer strikes, because it would hit the A/C mounting braket otherwise and prevent the air cleaner assy from sitting on the carb correctly. There was probably no time to design a new part - especially for such a tiny demand requirement, or maybe no one thought of it until the cars were rolling down the line.

 

Aren't there '69 W-32 442s with A/C?

I understand the hot air tubes are different between '68 & '69.

 

Then I'm sure they'd have to have the same mod (or a special part was made for the 69 only W-32) Anyone have one of these? Or - doesnt the 69's have a different hot air tube system? I seem to remember the 68's have a one year only thing on this.

 

 

doesnt the 69's have a different hot air tube system? I seem to remember the 68's have a one year only thing on this.
=========
correct, 1968 is unique unto itself in this and many other ways...

Allyolds, thanks for sharing that AM page!

 

Apparently, if you really need a pos. cable for this application, this shows to be the cross reference to the original part number. I do NOT know if it's an exact match. However, according to the M&H Electrical book, it's 12525, a 69 only cable for 442. Routing only changes on the front of the engine depending on C60 air conditioning or not. Obviously with A/C, the alternator will preclude routing it off the front top bolt of the valve cover.

http://shop.americanautowire.com/69o...erycable9.aspx



Negative is 12470.

http://shop.americanautowire.com/69o...erycable4.aspx

 

I have many of the test mag s from back in the day and they show them going
along the fender in motercade July of 69, car life july 69, car craft june 69, road test august of 69 , hi performance cars august of 69 , Hot rod you could
not see , car and driver you yould not see . ?? I like the over the fender look better seems like you would not want to add the extra heat to the wire

 

I have many of the test mag s from back in the day and they show them going
along the fender in motercade July of 69, car life july 69, car craft june 69, road test august of 69 , hi performance cars august of 69 , Hot rod you could
not see , car and driver you you could not see . ??

 

thanks for the reply's.... wish I was a fly on the wall in 1969 as these cars made their way thru the assembly line

 

Thats Demmer walls right

 

Well, I'm guessing THIS barn find was all original under the hood as far as battery cable routing goes (looks like at least one repaint). I doubt if anyone would change it from the fender to the engine. Besides, if the assembly manual states it as such, you can't be "wrong."

 

my 1969 olds chassis service manual from what I could see talks about 350's and 400 with autos ,MT ,Ms but I dont see anything on the 455 ?? I dont have a sec 61 132 page mine is sec 12 page 9 and 10 fig 12-10 . It also only shows with a external voltage regulator 69 have a internal could that change anything.

 

What book is this ??

 

Ah, yet even more inconsistancies! The AM page that Allyolds posted shows the routing for Non A/C cars should go around the front of the valve cover, yet this Non A/C barn find has it going up and over the VC like the A/C cars should have. Maybe it's just been changed, or like others have so often said, there's lots of variations between what's in the AM and what Joe Bananahead did on the line.

 

Not from a book. I don't recall exactly where I got the series it came from. Here are a couple more to set the photo in '69. Note the floor is the same in all the photos...

 

I think the barn find photo is easily explainable. While it is still routed over the engine, note that the battery connector has been replaced (meaning the end of the cable has been chopped off). If you look at the photo, I don't think it would reach any more if routed the "proper" non-AC route. I saw a lot of chopped/shortened battery cables back in the day.

 

Hell, I've chopped off plenty myself back in the day when the spring wouldn't spring anymore!

 

Two things I would point out about magazines. First, they all show the same couple of cars (check the license plates). Also remember that the magazine cars were not regular "production" H/Os. They were very early cars and while the drive train on the regular cars came down the assembly line, these pre-production cars probably got their drive trains over in engineering or possibly at Hurst. Who knows what done differently on those cars...

 

[QUOTE=69ho aurora;495803]I think the barn find photo is easily explainable. While it is still routed over the engine, note that the battery connector has been replaced (meaning the end of the cable has been chopped off). If you look at the photo, I don't think it would reach any more if routed the "proper" non-AC route. I saw a lot of chopped/shortened battery cables back in the day.

Yes - I noted it might have been even been changed. I sold a lot of those replacement battery ends back in the day. I remember some guys being so cheap that instead of spending the 69 cents they would try to use Crazy things like small C clamps to attach the wire ends directly to the battery terminals.

 

It looks like the assembly manual page is last revised in Feb. '69 before the '69 H/Os were built, wonder if there was a later revision? How do the full-size cars with 455s route the battery cable, does it change with vs. without A/C?

 

The '69 vacuum motor for the hot air sits a lot closer to the end of the snorkel than '68...gives more room for A/C cars!

 

but as far as the positive battery cable is concerned,the snorkel tube should not matter because it is on the right side of the engine and the battery cable is on the left side

 

a few things screwy with this car..the fuel pump routing, blocked manifold fitting and that carburetor stud nut wouldnt fit on a proper air cleaner, and the headers...so i might agree some changes to the battery cable might of happened

 

Anyone have a nice shot or two of a 69 Hurst with A/C? All I can seem to find are non-air cars. I have a customer/friend that has a A/C car I'm restoring under the hood and he is just about finished with a concours resto on his Non-air car. Lucky guy has 2 and some of us just want 1.

 

Exactly. There was a few mag pics with the PCV coming from the valve cover, too, on the driver's side no less along with having the positive cable routed on the fenderwell. Apparently they hadn't got the intake ready at that point and simply threw on a regular 442 air cleaner on the engine? Hard to tell. Also recall the infamous hood pin pictures.

Test cars were not unusual to be out and about a few months before regular production. I also heard there were a few 69 Hursts with January build dates specifically for the magazines.

 

I have found 5 different plates in the ones I have some don't have plates.

 

1969hurst on here otherwise known as Jeff meister Has this set of pics on his web site I think they are from a guy who's brother took them while he was waiting to do the paperwork before buying it . Now were is my time machine if we could only go back

 

hey guys i have not checked all notes but you no what i am talking about and i have had oldsmobiles since i was driving the first time. I have had positive cables and starters burn out on me plus the wire to the solenoid several times including on the road side always a real pain to positively in the heat 90 to 110 degrees but that is a small price to pay for real torque. I found after wrapping, painting, starter wraps etc over the valve cover holds out longer or in the trunk for the positive wire but this can be a little bit of a pain due to the drivers quarter area but much longer for using purposes. the positive wire tube does not due a great job either straight down is the best for the positive wire over the valve cover you make the call more breakdowns and cost or less cost? we have to live with the exhaust burning things up.

 

I have an A/C car but haven't paid close attention which way the cable is ran. I'll try to get to the shop and take a picture of what I have and post it. Thanks

 

On that barn find the 3M protective on the fender tells me thats a fairly recent build, i dont think that was available long ago. So anything could have happened to that car in all this time. I was just about to comment on that cable end being cut myself but the next post pointed it out.

 

Yep, those are pic's from my website.... Originally got them from a guy named Aaron from Akron Ohio and it was indeed his brothers car. Brother was so excited about the car he too pic's of it in the dealership before he bought it as you see. In the pic from the street you can see the 1969 H/O poster behind the car on the dealership wall....

I've seen some other non-air 1969 H/O original cars with the routing on the valve cover as well as the fenderwell.

Another item to notice about that engine bay picture is that you will see that the engine is not 'festooned' with tags, stickers and labels....