I am almost up to starting my Acadian. Years ago when I pulled it apart I remember the positive cable being not too great. There is a red power wire (12 gauge I think) that runs across the rad cradle from the horn relay to the battery. It goes to the positive cable but I think it had a chunk of fusible link right off the positive terminal on the battery. Does anyone have an original car that can verify it for me?
Or, plan B, can someone tell me what length and size of fusible link wire I can put on the end of that red wire where I will attach it to the positive on the battery?
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Just to jump in, something that I have not been doing much of lately, fusible links are never more than 9" long. Also, they are generally 4 wire sizes smaller than the curcuit they are protecting! Other wise they will not provide enough protection.
Mark, please recheck your measurements. I am sure you miscalculated!
From GM's note book................
Circuit Protection - Fusible Links
Fusible link is wire designed to melt and break continuity when excessive current is applied. It is often located between or near the battery and starter or electrical center. Use a continuity tester or a DMM at each end of the wire containing the fusible link in order to determine if it is broken. If broken, it must be replaced with fusible link of the same gauge size.
Repairing a Fusible Link
Important: Fusible links cut longer than 225 mm (approximately 9 in) will not provide sufficient overload protection.
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Thursday 1st of April 2010 01:36:26 PM
Thanks for jumping in Vince, you do know your stuff. Second opinions mean a lot with circuit protection, and I'm by no means an expert.
When I was making up a new forward harness, I made a detailed drawing showing all the lengths, colour and Gauge of all the leads I found in and coming off the old harness.
I measured the wire from the firewal junction to the battery positive terminal, and it was 17". Is it entirely possible that that brown wire that I originally found was just a piece of cheap wire the last owner replaced himself. It was brown (as per the schematic) and appeared to be a fuse link, but it might have been just that... a length of wire the same colour as an original fuse link. It's gone now, so your length warning is definately the one to follow.
Cheers and thanks, Mark
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
I'm fortunate enough to posess the original spring ring battery cables for my 70 2+2. Positive side has a 27-1/2" 14 guage brown fusible link. Basically the same as in Mark's photo.
Thank you each one of you. It is obvious I have to do more homework on this before I just slap something in there. I will have to see if I can find an original 65 to check it. As stated, many people may just add a piece of wire when they have to do a repair.
I guess if I can find an original I have to assume it is right, but if it's a long piece like mentioned above, then I'm really going to be confused.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I will check my '67's, but that length seems odd to me! I am sure all of them has regular 14g wire from the junction post on the rad support to the battery. My Grande wagon has the original ring terminals as well. But in the same respect, I have been doing alot more repairs on all the newer stuff and may have never noticed the length on all my old ones.
Maybe this is different than B bodies. The Acadian has a driver's side mounted horn relay that the big red wire goes to. It's a 12 gauge that runs across under the header panel part of the core support, so it's about 5 feet long.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I have a roll of 14ga and 12ga if nobody else has some and I sell it by the foot, matter of fact Poncho Guys could probably get one heck of a price just for asking, dead stock is usually thrown away as you know but not this stuff.
I will have to ask around 
