LSx '85 C10

I'm swapping a 5.3 into an 85 c10 and I need to know where all the ground straps from the chassis to the engine and the harness to the engine are supposed to be located. I cant find a definitive answer in any of the searches I know there's one from the back of the block to the frame, the Negative on the battery to the frame where are the others?

wildcamaro

iTrader: (15)

You can put the anywhere you'd like but I usually just make sure battery to block and block to frame, you can also tie block to body...the more the merrier lol, but if you're looking for the exact factory ground locations specifically someone else will have to chime in...

LSx '85 C10

i just need what's necessary to make it run , lol. So is there a ground near the alternator if so where because all people keep saying is behind the alternator

2nd Gen Fl 'bird

iTrader: (13)

Battery to block will make it run(anywhere on block). But do the other grounds at some point to avoid the charging issues once the truck is up and power demand increases. Hope this helps.

bczee

iTrader: (12)

My recommendation for grounds..

Battery Negative to:
1 - Body
1 - Frame
1 - Engine

Engine to :
3 - Engine Harness to back of drive side head (as wired in most harness)
1 - Battery Neg (as above)
1 - Back of Head to Firewall
1 - Engine to Frame (I use the forward engine mount location, one on each side).

Might be a bit of overkill. .but that's what we Hot Rodder do ! LOL.. and btw.. I've had no grounding issue in the last 7 years.

wildcamaro

iTrader: (15)

My car has battery to block with the 2 gauge wire, then I have a ground strap from back passenger head to the frame...done, my car charges flawlessly...the ground people are talking about with alternator is bc it says ground on the alternator bracket itself which is where it grounds...no need to connect any wire there...

BOXCHEV

iTrader: (3)

Any issues with swaping the grounds from the rear driver head to the front side of the heads?

Not a whole lot of room for the back of the heads to the firewall with setback mounts.

monteboy84

Nope, front, back, side, top, bottom, doesn't matter, just make sure the motor is grounded.

For some who may not know, your motor will probably start without a ground, but it can trash the main/rod bearings by grounding the motor through the crankshaft/transmission/driveshaft when you crank it over.

-matt

LSx '85 C10

So when you say Battery negative are you using a ground straight from the battery to the engine? or am I misunderstanding? and what exactly is Battery net?

Tim H

Most people say to run a ton of grounds from your battery to everything. I say you need a good ground to your battery for your starter, but other than that run all grounds to your block.

In my opinion your battery is there to start your car, after that the alternator is your DC power supply with the red lead power and the case ground. Engine block is close enough to the alt case. The battery becomes just another load drawing power (charging).

bczee

iTrader: (12)

85 C10.. yes.. I run a Ground from the Battery straight to the Engine, Frame and Body (3 wires).. due to the mounting of the body, frame and engine.. Battery current may not all way flow well between them. Better to be safe and have the extra grounding, it doesn't cost that much for ground straps.

Sorry.. correction.. should be NEG =Negative (will edit to correct).

BC

Frank Guerra

I want to say ty.i don't have no firebird or camaro.but I have just installed a 5.3 in my 03 dodge Dakota with a 400 transmission with a b&m mega floor shifter.an all I have to do is wire it up...again ty for this info...

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

My dad used to say -- if it moves, lube it; if it doesn't, ground it.

I prefer - battery negative to frame and body (if it's a body on frame vehicle or has a front clip that "bolts" on) or to the unibody. Frame or unibody to block. Both heads to the unibody. What's crucial is that these grounds be done correctly. Paint/coatings/corrosion are the enemy. On the frame/body/unibody grounds I prefer to have a threaded nut that's WELDED to the frame/body/unibody for the ground bolt to pass through. Even then I prefer to remove all the paint/coating/corrosion from the joining surfaces and use a serrated washer that's designed to actually dig in to the metal. I always check any ground location with the voltmeter to be sure I've got zero V drop between the negative battery terminal and the ground. If you set up that main battery negative ground connection well, the frame/body/unibody effectively becomes a surrogate for the negative battery terminal.

FWIW - for decades I've been relocating batteries to the trunk. I spend a lot of time being sure I've got a good, solid ground with the shortest cable possible between the negative terminal and the frame/body/unibody --- so it's grounded in the trunk. Up front where the engine/ecu live -- everything is then grounded to the frame or body. Never had a problem.

dannyual777

Michael, thank you for that write up. It's very informative! I love the idea of the welded nut to the frame/body/unibody for the ground cable. With my planned trunk mount battery, I'll be welding a threaded nut for my ground cable.

Michael Yount

iTrader: (1)

I’d add - somethings are obvious. My wiring loom has ground leads in the correct place to attach them to the heads - that’s where I grounded them - but I used that same bolt to ground the head to the uninody.

LSswap

I use antioxidant compound to keep the ground connections from rusting and becoming poor connections. Something like I get it at Lowes in the electrical dept.

I run the battery cable to the chassis and then make two chassis connections just to guarantee the ground.

I see some new alternators come with black paint right over the mounting points. I make sure to remove the paint from the mounting points to insure a good ground.

dannyual777

LSswap, thank you for posting the link to the anti oxydent compound. I'm going to take a look in the electrical department the next time I'm in Lowes or Home Depot. I think that compound will keep the connections from corroding and it won't inhibit electrical flow.

pdxmotorhead

Buy your electrical wire/connectors/supplies form a commercial electrical supplier.. That carries automobile specific wire.
Use high strand count wire. Not the hard brittle stuff off the shelf..

If its a track car I use the self sealing crimp or end connectors where needed, crimp then hit them with a heat gun,,, yes its $$ but they stay tight, they melt to the wire.

Other wise for connections that need to be removable easily, use the GM/Dephi style sealtite Yes its $$, but I never have issues with them going sideways..

I use the compression mesh harnes wrap to bundle the feeds. Looks good and so easy to install.