PMGR Starter Upgrade - The Start of Something Good

PA Performance's high-quality stranded-copper battery cables can be purchased in preset lengths for popular applications or you can order by the foot and specify the specific end for your project (1⁄4-, 5⁄16-, or 3⁄8-inch ring terminal). We carefully measured our '68 in advance and ordered the preset-length cables closest to what we would need (24-inch, $6.50, 36-inch, $7.50). The cables come in black, blue, red, and clear insulation. We chose black for our project.

Before fitting the new PMGR starter to our 289, we assembled the required wires--large-gauge battery cable and small-gauge solenoid wire--to our starter and tie-wrapped them together for easier routing.

The sleeker PMGR unit easily slipped into place between the block and our long-tube header. The original mounting bolts are retained for the PMGR installation and the top bolt is even easier to install due to the smaller starter profile.

The starter's battery cable and solenoid cable are routed along the block and, in this case, passed through the original starter cable guide bolted to the engine mount bolt. If your cable routing requires it, you can utilize tie-wraps to secure the cabling to an existing transmission cooler line, engine management harness, or other part of the engine.

At the starter solenoid, the stud that used to take the large-gauge starter cable now only receives the small-gauge red wire from the PMGR starter. In a nutshell, the fender mount solenoid engages first when the key is turned, then sends power through the red wire to engage the starter-mounted solenoid.

The new large-gauge starter cable is attached to the battery positive side of the fender-mounted solenoid (the same side as the positive cable from the battery).

For our new battery cables, one end must be terminated with the solid brass terminals ($6.50 each). We first installed the pre-terminated end of the cables to the block and starter solenoid, then routed them to the battery area to determine cable length.

Once the cable length was verified, the end was trimmed in preparation for terminal installation. The terminal's threaded compression nut is slipped over the bare copper strands, then the strands are folded over the nut's end, as shown in the inset.

The compression nut is then threaded into the end of the battery terminal to make the final connection. Note we're using the handle of a pair of pliers to hold the terminal while tightening the assembly. Do not use the battery's post itself to hold the terminal in place while securing the cable.

Once the cable assembly is complete, the terminal is installed over a cleaned and prepared battery post and an Allen screw secures the whole thing. The two smaller Allen screws in the terminal end are for accessory wiring (ECU grounds, amplifier power, and so on). Now this '68's owner has no fears starting his Mustang after gassing up on the way home from a show.