Ground Point for Battery on Engine Block

[SD_R/T]

So the PO of my '68 Valiant at some point grounded the battery neg(-) to the engine block at one of the mounting bolts for the water pump. This seemed kinda odd to me, figuring that anytime you wanted to adjust it or take it off (like to clean it) that some coolant might drip out.

Well, I decided to change mounting point and sure enough - some coolant leaked out when I removed the mounting bolt to take off the cable.

Anyhow....anyone have any pointers on a good mounting point for the "battery to block" ground cable? I'm pretty new to the Slant 6. It seems like those without power steering have mounted it to the bolt holes intended for the power steering. This Valiant does have the power steering, however.

Bonus Question: So I was eyeballing the bolts on the engine mounting bracket and backed out the middle bolt (there appears to be 3?), but sure enough it was too large for the neg(-) cable lug I have. Anyway, I couldn't get the damn thing back in. I didn't gorilla-f*ck the bolt back in - took it kinda easy actually. The first thread on the bolt looks a little flattened, but not terribly. I'll get another one at the hardware store, but is there any chance the engine shifted slightly in its alignment with the mounting bracket? It was hard to tell with the amount of light I had available. One task always turns into 4 :toothy10:

 

[SD_R/T]

Figured pictures always help.....
View attachment 1 015.jpg

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Yes it move under the weight of the motor. Jack some weight off of the motor and loosen the top bolt. It should let the lower bolt hole line up Start both bolts and run them against before tightening them.

 

[SD_R/T]

Yes it move under the weight of the motor. Jack some weight off of the motor and loosen the top bolt. It should let the lower bolt hole line up Start both bolts and run them against before tightening them.

Hmm....where would one jack up the engine to do this, assuming I don't have access to a cherry picker?

 

[slantsixdan]

There's no adjustment to be made to the water pump. Depending on what variety of negative battery cable you have, you can probably still sneak it in the bottom of the P/S pump bracket and secure it with one of the bolts holding the bracket to the block. If not, you can attatch to the P/S bracket itself. Or, another option, see that hole in the front wall of the engine mount bracket? You can use that, too. Whatever you wind up using, make sure all the connections are good and clean, and protect them with some grease.

 

[SD_R/T]

There's no adjustment to be made to the water pump. Depending on what variety of negative battery cable you have, you can probably still sneak it in the bottom of the P/S pump bracket and secure it with one of the bolts holding the bracket to the block. If not, you can attatch to the P/S bracket itself.

Thanks Dan. I was eyeballing the bolts on the P/S bracket. Will try the bolt securing the P/S to the block first, though. Appreciate the input.

Regarding the water pump: I meant to clean the neg(-) cable contact, not the pump itself. Just seemed like an odd connection point - plus it was running the cable a little too close to the fan for my comfort.