Club 80-90 Forums

........is obvious from reading these replies that some 'advice' is coming from people who have never 'actually' soldered a terminal this big to a copper wire this heavy.

There is no way on this earth ............

Maybe they are not on this earth - it is Saturday night after all

If you referring to me then I am happily living on another planet as I have done this several times on several different vehicles..

Dugcati ...was that you? I just reply to what I read, I have absolutely no idea who posted what...like I say.
My motivation for posting is that from time to time I feel I help people out and occasionally they recipricate, I am very often wrong but hopelly, more often right, I tend to only post about things I know but that doesn't mean I don't make mistakes. Sometimes I am opionated but that's because I am passionate about these old vans as we all are.
See you soon
Martin

I have either crimped or soldered these, but never both. I used to have a very large electric iron that would do them but I have never seen another like it. I either use heavy duty crimps, and contrary to another posters experience I have had crimped battery terminals on my boats for years. Or I use a sievert blow lamp that I also use for brazing, plumbing etc. Anyone in the area who needs any main starter terminals crimping up please PM me.

There's not much salt water in Hereford as I recall. One splash of salt water in a crimped terminal and it is there forever.

No there is not much salt water in Hereford, noiwhere to keep or use a boat either, the yacht is down in the Bristol channel and the narrowboat is on the Worcester and Birmingham. Please feel free to come for a visit to either or both, might make us use them a bit more. I am my yacht club bosun and have done a fair bit of 'amateur' marine electrical engineering as its always for friends. Though the engine change in the Balearics was definitely a nice free holiday, and if I go and part a new nav suite in my friends Bennetau in Croatia that will be too, although that will be wireless lmao.

My experience is with fishing boats which as you could imagine get a lot of water everywhere. Try changing a valve spring in a force six in an open fishing boat with the deck knee deep in fish and you will see where the salt water comes from!

Sounds even more disgusting than trying to bolt a climbing route into submission.

Now that's downright dangerous.

Can I recommend taking your van to an electrical contractor. The kind that does commercial/industrial wiring work in buildings. In their van they will have a large crimping tool and a selection of crimp lugs, with a selection of hole sizes. My guess is that a 10mm2 or 16mm2 with 8mm hole will do the trick. Hope this helps.

colinthefox wrote:Can I recommend taking your van to an electrical contractor. The kind that does commercial/industrial wiring work in buildings. In their van they will have a large crimping tool and a selection of crimp lugs, with a selection of hole sizes. My guess is that a 10mm2 or 16mm2 with 8mm hole will do the trick. Hope this helps.

Your recommendation is based upon the fact that the vehicle is without the terminal to start with and therefore will be unable to start to get to this contractor? ????????

colinthefox wrote:Can I recommend taking your van to an electrical contractor. The kind that does commercial/industrial wiring work in buildings. In their van they will have a large crimping tool and a selection of crimp lugs, with a selection of hole sizes. My guess is that a 10mm2 or 16mm2 with 8mm hole will do the trick. Hope this helps.

He can bring his van to my drive, my workshop has the same contents, plus lots more.

Jump start? tow start? bump start? Jump leads? temporary cable? temporary link? hold the wire on the terminal? Mole grips?

I used to be married to her

Couldn't understand a word she said most of the time but she was handy when browsing the Vagcat and for pushing van if it broke down

Get your self to halfords and get hold of a 30 inch battery negative lead (was longer than the +ve). both ends are ringed, should do the trick and about £4.50

Just a thought,

Im an electrical marine engineer and do this type of thing for a living, the best tool I have found for soldering large terminals out side in the cold is a domestic propane blow torch, the type used for cooking, it produces a very fine flame as mentioned before you only heat up the free end of the terminal and allow the heat to travel up the terminal to the cable then feed the solder in when its hot enough when you have finished you can keep it in the kitchen and use it for posh cooking! (Pinch my wifes all the time)