Heads To Block Ground Straps
 

Are there any benefits, ground strapping aluminum heads to the cast block ?

Wouldn't your head studs do that?
.

2112, your comment is well taken. However, NASCAR does it and if ground straps would create a tighter circuit the plugs, detonation, electrolysis and ignition electronics are considerations....We know there can be head chatter from time to time and whether there is chatter or not, the straps are easy and perhaps make a safer circuit.

I was posing the question, not really trying to state the answer. I have spent an enormous amount of time grounding everything I can so I am a believer, I just never knew about strapping the head to the block. :drink:
.

Great.....something else to go do to it... :)

Points well taken. I'm not sure that introducing yet another type of metal(copper) into the mix is a good idea. Given the salt water enviorment those grounding straps will get pretty ugly real fast. I know your not supposed to paint them. So for the slight, if any grounding benifit I will pass. On the other hand if Smashcar does it then it has to be right?

Copper is a good point.....so, the options that come to mind include tinned marine copper cable or heavy wall shrink tube ends covering a heavy shield conductor....maybe stainless is an option ? ......One thing about it, if unprotected copper were to show early corrosion one could assume there is definitely energy transfer present. Thus, supporting the earlier questions.

Copper wil show petina, corrosion in open fresh air. Salt air would be much worse. Shielded would work better, tinned cable and shrinked. Stainless is not as good a conductor. If your going to do it it should be done with the best material for the job.

I can't imagine the amount of head bolts/studs (16 per side), metal fire-rings on head gaskets (some are all steel like Cometic) in addition to the coolant fluid wouldn't provide enough continuity but that's just my opinon.

I agree but he seems insistant on doing it "AND" Nascar guy's do it! So if your gonna do it, do it right!

Your arguments are valid. However, we know electricity can do strange things. And, usually the mystery can be traced to ground side of a circuit. We also see electronic ignition modules fail for no apparent reason. Blame for failure is directed towards the manufacturer and/or vibration. Rubber stand offs are used for mounting the module to reduce vibration. Therefore, a failure only leaves the manufacturer to blame. The manufacturer says did you do this and this and this, then we try a different manufacturer. Electronic components, such as transistors, capacitors, IC chips and etc. do wear out similar to a mechanical device. However, life is effected most with in-rush. In-rush is often relative to ground.

We're not trying to reinvent the wheel...only talking about making better.

Logic would dictate head studs and push rods alone should be adequate ground path. So, for test comparison, instead of grounding to the block, ground from battery to ONLY one head. Then, after some normal period of time, read the plugs from each separate head.

WE just hope Nascar doesn't put their engine in upside down...that would be a challenge !!

I wonder if this guy knows what he is talking about?

CcanDo

Good Grounding in My Racing Program?
Let’s start with a question for you to consider, are you running more than just one grounding strap from the battery/chassis connection to the engine? The answer should be yes, one for each cylinder head & one for the engine block. Ok now your saying to yourself hey this is bull #!@$ I don't need all that in my racing program it’s a waste of time. Let me take a moment here to try and show you the advantages of going through with this upgrade. With all the different materials used in today’s performance engine programs a good ground connection can become a tough thing to find! You need to go the extra distance to gain access to all the performance your engine builder gave you. To do this you want to make sure each engine cylinder sees the same grounding point to help create the best possible spark event each and every time!

I would like to let you in on a commonly know fact in the world of electronics. Electrical energy is lazy; it takes the easiest path it can each and every time. So with that said, why not make electrical energy work for your racing program not against it. You want to start with a grounding strap running from the chassis to the engine block. Then you need to have a grounding strap running from the chassis to each cylinder head. With this setup you can be sure that those nice aluminum cylinder heads & the engine block are all at the same grounding point.

Now all grounding cable is not created equal, you want ground cabling that is a flat braid type of cable. Let the street cars run the standard style battery cables, they Do Not belong on a High Performance platform. The product should be at least 3/4 inch wide and long enough to reach each mounting point with slack for movement. Any good electrical supply house in any city across the US should carry what we’re looking for here. I usually like to see at least 3 inches of play for any cable I make up, more is always better. Now the end connectors I like to use are the solid copper types so I can fold up the ends of the braided cable. Insert it into the open end of the connector, crush the connector then solder it up for a sealed connection. To finish it off I usually use a good quality heat shrink tubing around the connector.


Now why the braid type of cable? You’re talking basic electrical energy flow here. Common knowledge in electronics states electrical current flows on the outside of each wire in the cable. So if you’re using a braid type of cable Vs a standard battery cable. You will have multiple wire strands to carry the energy Vs just a few strands of wire.( Current flows easier) And an added feature of this product is it’s lighter than standard battery cable or a welding cable solution.

In closing, remember doing this upgrade will allow your racing ignition system to provide top performance across all cylinders. Which allows you to access all the performance your engine builder built into your bullet. At the same time you have just brought your racing program to the next level of performance. All done with a little bit of effort and some cash for parts and supplies. Always keep in mind it is the small things in any racing program adding up together that makes the difference at the track. When you're looking for that winning edge for your racing program it makes sense to take advantage of all possible solutions.

twrs2005
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.techwestracing.com

Like this one

Velocity Vector, Thanks for the picture, is that what you have done ?

It's that's what you're moving forward with then while you're at it put extra/thicker grounds on the ignition box, ignition module, distributor/pick-up to block etc. etc...

Panther, the question one works with, what is a wire gauge that will work ? The recommended wire gauge is subject to variables such as; distance, temperature, environment, material, vibration, draw/load and etc.

We all have probably seen applications that include things like # 2 battery cable run for an extended distance. Does it work ? KINDA....However, the recommended cable size may have been 3 or 4-0 tinned, stranded Copper. Were there any repercussions ? MAYBE....The various effected components know.

Another example is the gauges, they fail or error, from time time. They did work before and now there is a problem. The circuit may be found daisy chained using small gauge conductors for a long distance. Did it work ? Maybe/ Kinda....It takes extra time and cost to follow the recommendations.

When merc was having problems with the remote mounted ignition modules back in the 90's I started running thicker ground wires from the module to the block and from the distributor to the block where the ground cable and harness wires connect.

I don't remember the exact sizes but I think they were running 18 AWG wires from the dist. and the modules so I used 10-12 AWG ground wire in place of it. Not sure it made a huge difference but the boats I did that on seemed to have less module, pick-up and coil failures.

I also ran a "0/2" AWG ground cable from one engine to the other which is recommended for eletrolysys purposes but that's a subject for a new thread... ;)