How to - Assembling new battery cable clamps

[Rob1972]

A few people were interested in how I made my new battery cable clamps. I was tired of the cheap pre-made cables, and also wanted something with a bit of a heavy duty look. I found a complete kit of 'mil-spec' clamps ( I reused my cables). At the end of the post I'll list the products.

My old mismatched clamps.



Cut the clamps off the cables using bolt cutters for a clean cut; then used a knife to penetrate the jacket - but not all the way through. You don't want to disturb or cut the copper wire.



Next, I make a slit lengthwise down the cable and peel it open, the jacket comes right off.



Test fit: You don't want the jacket to be inside the lug or it will melt and/or draw solder up under the jacket. Leave 1/8" of copper exposed.



Next, using a copper lug from the kit, and dropping in a solder slug, gently heat the lug with torch on low - only about 3-5 seconds. When liquid, have your cable ready to set into the lug. About 10 seconds and it's set. I thought it might make a mess and spill over the edge, but it didn't.



Install heat shrink included in the kit and you're good to go.



I like the copper lug for improved conductivity and the clamps are sturdy and tight.

Copper lug and clamp kit: https://a.co/d/hJJQwHn
Soldering slugs: https://a.co/d/bGRZS5q

[Duffman]

Good stuff, Robin, nicely done!

[Randalla]

Thanks for posting your tutorial Robin. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I was looking online at this same kit for Bill Gilbert's 240Z. These look really substantial as well as elegant (for what they are). Hopefully you didn't do what I often forget to do when using shrink wrap (forget to put it over the cable before soldering on your connectors).