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Battery Cable Clip Location

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When routing the new long battery cable forward on the frame and you get to the point where the cable turns upwards and goes from the frame rail to the solenoid, Is there a clip holding the cable fixed between the last one on the frame and the solenoid? Thanks, Dave C. :confuse:
 
vette said:
When routing the new long battery cable forward on the frame and you get to the point where the cable turns upwards and goes from the frame rail to the solenoid, Is there a clip holding the cable fixed between the last one on the frame and the solenoid? Thanks, Dave C. :confuse:
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NO !!
Well maybe there was one------Laugh
 
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What kind of Healey? On my BN2 there's a clip on the heel panel I believe but this may not be relevant on later cars so I'm not crawling underneath if it's not necessary! But will if you're asking about a 100.
 
Our BN2 has one as well. Keeps the cable from the (slim, granted) possibility of the cable rubbing against the bellhousing or starter. Probably removed by BMC beancounters to save a couple pence.
 
the car is a BJ7. I have one picture of a car found on this forum, it is white and I believe it is a BN2 inwhich the wiring is new and it shows no clip near the solenoid or toe box. But maybe it was just an omission or not finished yet. In my copious :smile: pictures during disassembly it seems I did not get this one. Thanks Dave.
 
My BJ* has a clip on it part way up . I just installed a new battery cable and I can tell you that it was a real bear getting to the screw head that holds that clip. My car is pretty much original and has never been restored. When I bought it the guy had even kept every old part he had replaced.

Leo
 
The 57 BN4 I am restoring had one there originally and I put one back. If there is a threaded hole to receive it I say put one there. It helps to keep the cables organized.
 

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Healeyblue, your pic is very helpful. I believe I will put one there as well even though I don't believe there was one there before on my car. It this point I can't remember if there was a threaded hole in that vicinity or not. I do remember the threaded holes for the solenoid because I had to retap them. I replaced part of that panel and I may have cut it out.
I am looking at the lines in your pic to compare my installation. I see your brake lines, the bat cable, and the wiring harness, but I can't see the fuel line. Is is there or not installed yet? I am not too concerned with originality, just good utility. I have been trying to tuck the lines up snug on the frame because I don't want them to be the lowest thing on the frame. It seems it is hard to get the bat cable anywhere but along the bottem edge of the frame at the rear sections. Your p-clips on the bat cable look good but where is the fuel line? Thanks, Dave C.
 
I have a derelict BJ7 I dragged out of the woods in Virginia in 1984. I was going to take a picture of the clip location, but unfortunately the cable is not attached to anything where its clip is. The clip is there, and it looks like it was screwed to the bottom of the inboard sheet metal of the footbox of the passenger's side. Anyway, I measure the top edge of the clip to be exactly 12 cm below the end of the rubber boot on the cable, if that helps.
 
Thanks to all. 12 cm down on the inboard passengers side footbox. Sounds good.
 
Dave,
Yes the fuel line was not in yet when I took that pic. I was waiting on a fitting where the line attaches to the pump. I looked through my pics and didn't see a picture showing the fuel line before the engine got in the way. If you need I can try and get a picture for you. I too did not want the lines or wires any lower than the frame and I succeded so I will try and get a couple pics showing how I ran it. I made my own line from 5/16 tubing.
Jim
 
OK I went out to the shop to get the pics of the fuel line. Like I said I made the line my self so the bends may not be how the factory line is. I don't know because the line on this car was clearly not original when we got it. Either way I think this line fits snug now and not hanging down. One thing I can say about the Austin Healey is they sure did route all the lines and wires beautifully on the cars. Once everything is layed out it is a thing of beauty and order. One point that I noticed I did on this side is I faced the "P" clip for the wires pointing up and the "P" clip for the fuel line is pointing down. I think you can see that in the photos. This allows using a common screw for both clips at times and they don't compete for space. I also pushed the "P" clip for the wires up once attached to allow for more clearance for the fuel line below it.

JIM
 

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I just checked my BJ8's original, unmolested fuel line and it runs very close to the chassis rail corner; it doesn't hang down more than half the width of the line. The P-clips are oriented the other way; that is with the curved part of the 'P' facing up.

IMO your fuel line hangs too low; esp. as shown in the third photo. With the line running along the edge of the rail--like my BJ8--if the car bottoms out the line should just get pushed up if the chassis rail gets crushed. Your line could get crushed against the chassis rail, and leak fuel right next to your wiring harness, which might be damaged as well. Suggest you move the line up and reverse the P-clips. There's no particular advantage to doubling up on the screw holes; yours might have been patched but I'd either drill some more holes or alternate fuel and harness clips.

Interesting (to me) is our BN2 has the fuel line running about a quarter of the way up the side of the rail. The bad part is 100s fuel lines are held in by 'hairpin' clips, similar to--but just different enough--the clips that hold brake lines in some places. Try as I might, and these stupid clips were $4/ea, I couldn't get them to hold securely (our fuel line was coiled like yours appears to have been and it's pretty much impossible to perfectly straighten the line). I finally said heck with it and put rivnuts--Randy F's favorite fastener ;)--in the hairpin holes with the P-clips oriented up. Better solution than the BJ8's IMO.
 
Bob
This BN4 also originally had the hairpin clips holding the fuel line but I did not find it held the line secure enough for my liking so I am using the p clips and feel much safer about it. The photos must be an illusion because the fuel line does not hang below the lowest portion of the frame rails. If you look at the last picture you can see it hangs out to the side of the frame rail and it is like that all the way back until it passes over to go up to the pump. If it did get hit by something it would also just bend upwards like your BJ8 along side the frame rail not into the frame. There is an advantage to doubling up, no need to drill more holes. What are you referring to this car being patched?
JIM
 
I thought maybe some of the holes were welded up as clearly the frame has been nicely refurbished (where are the holes the 'hairpins' went into?). I didn't like the hairpin clips either, that's why I put rivnuts in the holes--a 10-32 was a perfect fit--and secured the P-clips with machine screws. Also, on a BN2 the fuel line runs very close to the pivot for the mechanical clutch, and without securing the fuel line properly the clutch bellcrank rubbed against the line. No good.

We need one of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U0Nrmj6Vkk
 
No holes were welded up. We are lucky on this chassis as it was from New Mexico all its life as far as we can see. The holes for the hairpin clips are in the side of the frame rail. You can't see them in the photo because they are behind the wiring harness. Originally the fuel pipe would have been on top of the harness. That is a slick little tool and probably fairly simple too. It would have come in handy for sure making the fuel line. In this pic you can see a couple of the holes with the hairpins in them.
 

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I also just found this photo showing the placement of the original clip holding the battery cable in place. In thinking about this, it is possible that there is a difference between cars with removeable bellhousing cover and those with a welded in bellhousing cover.
 

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Thanks again the pics are most helpful. Good conversation for this aspect of the build. The P-clip on the toe box below the solonoid looks more forward in your most recent photo. Not that important to me, just a note of interest since it appears original. A major difference between your car and my BJ7 is that my car has the fuel line, the bat cable and the brake line on the right side frame rail with just the wiring harness on the left. This is original placement i am pretty sure. It makes the right side rail very crowded. I also did not like the hairpin clips on the brake line, yet when you think about it the original ideas for these lines pretty much held up for about 50 to 60 years. Albeit that, I used either p-clips or my own hammered one hole straps to place everything. Another point of paranoia which caused me to make a change is that my original bat cable was in really ragged shape when I took it out. So I did not use a reproduction original design cable. I bought a 20' length of heavy gauge super insulated bat cable with the battery terminal on one end already attached from Jegs Performance cataloge. The diameter is larger than original specification so that dictated other clips be fasioned.
When I get it all in place I will try to post a pic or two. Dave C.
 
vette said:
... A major difference between your car and my BJ7 is that my car has the fuel line, the bat cable and the brake line on the right side frame rail with just the wiring harness on the left. This is original placement i am pretty sure....
Click to expand...

The fuel pumps and line were moved from the left side of the cars to the right to help solve some fuel boiling (aka vapor lock) issues (because the pump and fuel line were above/alongside the exhaust). Anyone know when that was done (I believe all the BJ cars are like that, dunno about the BN/T7s)? I think the brake lines were routed along the right side in cars fitted with a servo, since the servo outlet is on the right side.
 
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