battery polarity

[kamo]

Ok, so I've got the battery for my '62 Bambi. Ready to hook it up, when I noticedthat the ground wire (hooked up to the trailer's body) is RED, which usually means '+'.

Ground is negative, right?

Just wanna make sure before I smoke something.

Thanks,
Kamo

[boatdoc]

Originally Posted by kamo

Ok, so I've got the battery for my '62 Bambi. Ready to hook it up, when I noticedthat the ground wire (hooked up to the trailer's body) is RED, which usually means '+'.

Ground is negative, right?

Just wanna make sure before I smoke something.

Thanks,
Kamo

Ground is Negative. Do not hook positive side of battery to chassis ground. "boatdoc"

[Zeppelinium]

red only means plus (+) in electronics, not in power electrics. It makes me crazy, too. Yes, ground is negative these days, has been since the mid-50s. Most stuff won't notice except your radio and, in a car, fuel guage.

Gee, where'd I put the keys to the Studebaker?

Zep

[kamo]

Good thing I asked.

I'll replace the red cable right away with a black one.

[boatdoc]

Originally Posted by kamo

Good thing I asked.

I'll replace the red cable right away with a black one.

Hi kamo; In reality the color of insulation does not make any difference as long as it is of proper polarity. The standard code for 12V DC negative is black, and any other color coating just does not look right although it will work the same. Thanks "Boatdoc"

[kamo]

Thanks for the info, boatdoc. I just want to make sure it's black, so I (or someone else) won't hook up the battery in reverse.

The other positive wire is actually blue. So I'm replacing that with red.