How to Ground BBBIIIIGGGG 3333??? Help!

[swollen_cu 10+ year member]

Hi,

I'm trying to finish up a big 3.

I already know how to connect from alternator to battery.

The question is about GROUND.

I followed the factory ground from the chasis to the engine block.

The thing is that the engine block ground to chasis is all the way on the opposite side of where the

battery is located. The engine block ground is in top left in front of the left windshield.

And the battery is all the way on the bottom right next to the right headlight.

The question is Can I just 0 gauge ground from the engine block to the chasis and not touching the battery?

And lastly i would ground the battery to the chasis.

The thing is that ground from the engineblock to the chasis is not touching with the chasis to the battery.

It's basically two different locations.

I'd figure it would be okay since I'll be grounding engine block to chasis, it would be okay to connect

anywhere on the chasis since it's basically the whole entire car.

Can anyone tell me if it's okay to do this?

Much appreciated.

Thanks

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[fasfocus00 5,000+ posts]

that is fine. i'd double check the grounding location to make sure it has the least amount of resistance before actually running the wire.

 

[swollen_cu 10+ year member]

that is fine. i'd double check the grounding location to make sure it has the least amount of resistance before actually running the wire.

What do you mean least amount of resistance? Thanks

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

yes, it's fine. it's not ideal, but it's fine to have the engine to chassis in a different location as battery to chassis.

the trick is to minimize the resistance (i.e. welds, bolts, etc.) between grounds. carefully look at how the metal is put together. if it is the same piece of metal, different grounds are no big deal. if it's two pieces that are painted then bolted - then it's not recommended.

if the factory grounding points ****, you can always create your own. I know i said to use the factory grounds, but i should have followed that with "if it makes sense".

in your case, it may not make sense to do that.

i think, the ideal way to ground the big 3, is to have the battery to chassis in the same places as engine to chassis - keeping the wires as short as possible. but just as important is making sure both engine and battery go to chassis. I would not ground the engine directly to the battery.

other bad ground points are: suspension bolts, any bolt with a torque setting, grounding on body panels (removable), high heat areas, around moving parts, etc.

look around for bolts on the engine or transmission that are closer to the battery. you may want to ground the battery to a new chassis location - look under the battery tray.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

"least amount of resistance" means taking a DMM, setting it to measure Ohms, then probing between the two grounding points.

i'll tell you that your meter will not be very accurate that low. it's better to have a 5-10 ohm resistor and include that in series. first, you measure the resistor with your DMM and note the value. Next, measure the resistance between the two points with the resistor in series - note that value. subtract the values and look for something less than .2 ohms (varies depending on the accuracy of your meter). when you measure resistance, you need a clean connection - free of dirt, grease, and paint.

 

[swollen_cu 10+ year member]

yes, it's fine. it's not ideal, but it's fine to have the engine to chassis in a different location as battery to chassis.
the trick is to minimize the resistance (i.e. welds, bolts, etc.) between grounds. carefully look at how the metal is put together. if it is the same piece of metal, different grounds are no big deal. if it's two pieces that are painted then bolted - then it's not recommended.

if the factory grounding points ****, you can always create your own. I know i said to use the factory grounds, but i should have followed that with "if it makes sense".

in your case, it may not make sense to do that.

i think, the ideal way to ground the big 3, is to have the battery to chassis in the same places as engine to chassis - keeping the wires as short as possible. but just as important is making sure both engine and battery go to chassis. I would not ground the engine directly to the battery.

other bad ground points are: suspension bolts, any bolt with a torque setting, grounding on body panels (removable), high heat areas, around moving parts, etc.

look around for bolts on the engine or transmission that are closer to the battery. you may want to ground the battery to a new chassis location - look under the battery tray.

Thank you so much. It's a big help.

I'm trying to avoid the ideal way to ground the big 3, which is to have the battery to chassis in the same places as engine to chassis.

If I were to do it that way, I would have 4 ft of 0 gauge coming from the engine block all the way to the chasis next to the battery.

Would it make a big difference using chasis in the same place compared to chasis in 2 different location? Thanks

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

if it's the same piece of metal you're fine. if it's the frame you're fine.

pics of your intended locations?