<VV> Re: 65 Monza battery installation

[Jim Simpson]

I'm sure you've already received several responses to this one, but just in
case...

Figure 1b in the shop manual (page "Battery 6Y-2") seems to show a wire
going to the frame rail from the positive terminal of the battery.  If you
look closely you'll see it actually is connecting to a plastic insulator
that acts as a common terminal for positive distribution to the rest of the
electrical system.  This plastic insulator is frequently referred to by the
Corvair community at the "horrid little red thingy" for lack of a better
term.  Take a look at page "Body and Electrical 12-27" in the shop manual
and at the bottom, just to the left of the battery you'll see a thing
called "Junction".  That's the "horrid little red thingy".  Note it is a
distribution point from the positive terminal of the battery to the rest of
the car's electrical system.

Check the Clark's Corvair Parts catalog, page 99, about the middle of the
page.  It's titled "Electrical Connectors", part # C6802 (US $ 3.40) along
with a screw C6827 (US $ 1.15).  The screw is nothing special -- just a
large sheet metal screw -- but you might as well get them both.

As you discovered, connecting both the negative and positive terminals of
the battery to a common ground (the frame rail) results in arc welding...
The negative side of the battery has to have a clean, solid connection to
the car body via the frame rail.  The positive side *has* to be isolated
from the body.  Exactly why Chevrolet chose to use a plastic terminal on
the frame rail I have no idea, probably just a cheap solution to creating a
power distribution point.  The relatively thin red wire going to that
terminal is actually a "safety" feature -- as you discovered, when shorted,
the wire heats up and will ultimately melt sort of acting as a fuse.  Newer
cars usually have a replaceable fuseable link -- a genuine fuse -- in the
system instead of a wire to melt.

Some people skip the terminal above and just connect the positive wire to
the wire goes to the other two wires (all three are red) using a largish
screw and nut and then insulate it with electrical tape.  That works, but
is far from neat.  The original plastic terminal does work just fine --
mine in the original and shows no sign of failure or deterioration after 52
years of service.