Converted around 1988. It creates a huge change in the car's attitude. You can feel this change of attitude when you put it in gear, and let off the brake.
Use a short lead from the battery to the Ford solenoid. As Ordy says, you don't want a huge-diameter, always hot, battery cable running the length of the car, not a good game plan. I used 00 welding cable, $2 a foot in the early 80's, so I can only imagine today's price.
The always-hot wire from the solenoid to the alternator needs fusible links on both ends. As for the negative-to-body, good luck with finding a heavy-gauge ground strap.
Mounting the solenoid near the battery decreases resistance, and increases available cranking amps. Also, it keeps clutter out of the engine compartment. I like a low-key, natural, stripped-down look under the hood even it it's incorrect, the reason for painted rocker covers on a 400. I know it sounds weird to the POR-15 people who play the number-game, but the car gets lots of complements about the high-level of attention-to-detail in the engine compartment.
A Ford solenoid is a Ford solenoid. Buy one for a '77 Pinto. For chits and giggles, have the counterman pull one for a '77 f-150, set then side-by-side, and look closely. The only difference is the price.
Do your homework because once you understand what you need, you might be able to source better material, for less money, than what comes in “kits.†I sourced my own parts, and followed a very detailed how-to-do from Hot Rod, or Car Craft, back in the days before these magazines became useless as tits on a bull.
Mount the battery on the right side for better hook-up. Despite the fact that the left side lifts up during hook, the battery's weight isn't enough to make a difference. On the right side, however, the downward force of the weight enhances hook-up. (With my car, a quarter throttle laves a pair of 10' slabs. Idle to wot, the car sits and white smokes the tires, like power braking. So for 'enhanced hook,' you gotta work with me on this one.)
Buss the starter solenoid as shown in the many provided diagrams. Rather than wire, I made a copper buss-bar. I pulled the buss to the side to help illustrate what it looks like.
