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Posted by: RobW May 22 2010, 12:04 AM

The ground was rusted good and now all I have left is a painted nub...

What should I do to re-establish a proper ground? Who cares what it looks like since its under the relay board...




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Posted by: koozy May 22 2010, 12:31 AM

You could weld a bolt to the panel or drill a hole and put the bolt through with 2 nuts on the inside. (one to hold the bolt and the other to hold the ground wire) If you use the drill method, get some conductive grease (carbon or silver conductive grease can be found at radio shack, osh, home depot, etc... Silver is better for this application) and put some on there before tightening the first nut. This will help to keep it from rusting and help... well... conductivity.

Posted by: URY914 May 22 2010, 05:13 AM

Drill a hole. Install a bolt.

Posted by: 9146986 May 22 2010, 06:48 AM

I'll 2nd drilling and installing a bolt. You also want to clean the paint off that ground point too. There's a brass washer fused to the body there.

Posted by: charliew May 22 2010, 08:18 AM

Drill the hole and clean a small area around it off to bare metal on both sides. Use the conducting grease and put a star washer on both sides and double nut the bolt then add the cable and another star washer with another nut. I would use ss fasteners but be careful and use never sieze on them or they might gall. If this was on a non finished paint job you could braze or silver solder or weld the head of the bolt on the backside. It was brazed to avoid the excess heat originally. Brazing is actually a glueing process sorta as the metals actually aren't fused together like in welding.

Posted by: rick 918-S May 22 2010, 09:36 AM

Rob, I would drill a hole through the existing spot. I second the brass lug being fused to the body there. I would also hunt down a brass bolt. Use a tap and thread the hole. Thread in the bolt from the inner panel with a star washer contacting the inner panel. Use a brass nut with a star washer as a lock nut, then attach the wires. Most anal approch of any of the suggestions but no welding involved on that new paint.

Posted by: underthetire May 22 2010, 10:41 AM

I probably have a brass bolt or two you can have if you can't find it. I may even have brass nuts just no brass balls any more....

Posted by: kwales May 22 2010, 06:44 PM

PEM stud.

Designed to be press fitted into the proper sized hole and to swage material between the stud and the hole.

You can hit them with a BF hammer or, drill the precison hole, put the stud in loose and use a nut on the stud to honk the sheet metal down into place and get the swaging effect. Then loosen the tightened nut, and add the ground.

The US military recommmends 3/4 diameter coppper rods pounded down into the soil for at least 15 feet for a proper ground.

Posted by: RobW Jun 8 2010, 07:57 AM

Here's the thrilling conclusion...

I went with hardened steel. Had to use a dremmel cutting wheel to take off what was left of the bolt. Drilled the hole carefully as the ground point is thicker steel about the size of a dime. Threading the hole was a bit more challenging because of the reach..

Bolted it in, added a washer and two nuts... done!

Its funny how you get hung up on stuff and then just do it and its not that bad....

Next?



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Posted by: windforfun Jun 14 2010, 01:00 PM

Very nice work!!! Don't forget to wrap electrical tape around the harness junction (where the individual wires don't have plastic tubing around them).

Posted by: scrz914 Jun 14 2010, 05:25 PM

Rob, are those charcoal cannister tubes supposed to be that short or did you cut them down? Mine go all the way acrossed the engine bay, but then it was originally a 1.7.

Posted by: RobW Jun 15 2010, 08:24 AM

Smart. I was wondering about that as it kind of exposes itself in the tub right there... thanks for the reminder.

Posted by: RobW Jun 15 2010, 08:26 AM

The '74 has stub lines as pictured with braided fuel line type connections the rest of the way... no idea if its stock but definitely that way since '86 or so...

Posted by: McMark Jun 15 2010, 09:13 AM

The length of the plastic tubes changed over the years. Both setups are stock for different years.