Starter cable wire lug
 

For my 603 powered w123 project car I've decided to make new ground, battery and alternator cables as the stock ones all have issues.

One problem that I'm running into is the battery to starter cable battery lug.

This is what the one from the donor vehicle (87 300TD) looks like.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1c64e10f_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e92c8cb1_c.jpg

The larger of the two wires runs from the positive battery lug to the starter. Its 53.5 mm^2 (1/0 AWG).

The smaller of the two runs from the positive battery lug to the terminal block on the passenger's wheel well. Its 13.3 mm^2 (6 AWG).

The issue I'm having is trying to find a way to replicate this connection. No one seems to make a multiple wire crimp lug.

I have a few choices and I'm not sure which is the best option as space is tight (exhaust heat shield is close to the battery).

1. Use a 3/0 battery lug crimp to accommodate the 1/0 and 6 AWG wires. (.162"x1/2 +.325" = .406" and 3/0 is .410" diameter)

2. Use a battery lug with an additional connection like this.

https://en.sutars.com/content/files/...pplication.png

3. Splice the wires together further down the cable.

Go to your local forklift repair shop. They will easily crimp both cables into a standard lug that you can attach to a marine terminal.

The other option is to do what the W126's do. Put the smaller cable on it's own ring terminal and clamp it under the bolt head on the battery clamp.

You can take a chisel or hack saw and cut the terminal lamp lengthwise spread it and remove the cable from it. Take a mix of baking soda and water and stick the Cable into it so it reacts with any acid on it.

If you want to put a eye type end on the cable places like Autozone sell them. Sick the cleaned cable or cables into the Eye and put it on a hard surface and use a punch that is at least large enough it won't poke a hole into the copper eye and crimp it lengthwise over the cable.

Then take a propane torch and rosin core solder and you heat the Cable end of the eye and you melt in the solder. That not only makes the connection better but keeps the acid vapor from getting inside of the crimp and gradually eating up the contact area.

Then you can use the marine terminal as pictured.

I did the eye thing lots of time where I used to work so that we could reuse the original cables.

Last year on my Mercedes I cut what on mine was a brass terminal connector as I said and removed the wires. Did the baking soda and water thing and used a hand wire brush on the cable wires. Shove them back into the brass terminal (if the terminal end is lead you won't be able to use a torch to do the soldering as the terminal will melt) and beat the back together and did the soldering as mentioned.
I also did the soldering as mentioned to the eye on the starter end of the cable.
It saved me from buying a new Positive better cable cable.

You can replace the wing nut on a marine battery terminal clamp with a regular nut. Nut that this type of terminal make sit easy to add other wires to it. You simply need some extra eyes and you don't need the heavy eye for smaller wires conducting less amperage.
They can sometimes need more frequent clean but it is easy to remove the nut and do that.