When did they become aluminum wire?

73 Mike

73 Mike

I'll drive it someday
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
714
Location
Boston, MA
I'm talking about the battery cables. I always assumed that they were copper wire because they are so heavy. I had to put a new connector on my positive cable because it was frayed. As I cleaned the end, it was obvious that the wire was copper coated aluminum. When did they change? Were they always this way?

Cheap buggers.
 
That sounds like so much work just to save a bit of money. Actually coating aluminum with copper, just to save a couple feet of copper.
 
enkeivette said:
That sounds like so much work just to save a bit of money. Actually coating aluminum with copper, just to save a couple feet of copper.
Click to expand...

Nope, back in the 70's at some point there was a 'Chillean' copper crisis...some commies tried taking over Chile, the prime source of raw copper for decades after the mines in Montana? Canada? and the Anaconda copper company had to relocate/shut down....

so that created a huge copper shortage, and the price went through the roof....

the only thing keeping copper relative cheap over the last couple decades is the ATT tearing out all the long lines and replacing with cphone/sat/fiber optic....even the 'locals' are doing that now.....

so the copper prices have been moderate/cheap .....but the demand is down too, because typical electronics dont need large heavy copper wound transformers any more...their size is not even 1% of what once was.....
copper wire in Lowes Depot is higher than a cat's back now a daze....

(in the land of 80k for a vette)......:thumbs::eek::surrender:
 
mrvette said:
enkeivette said:
That sounds like so much work just to save a bit of money. Actually coating aluminum with copper, just to save a couple feet of copper.
Click to expand...

Nope, back in the 70's at some point there was a 'Chillean' copper crisis...some commies tried taking over Chile, the prime source of raw copper for decades after the mines in Montana? Canada? and the Anaconda copper company had to relocate/shut down....
Click to expand...

That was Utah
Anaconda was bought by ARCO in the late 70's, early 80's, during the first govt solar incentives. They shut it down to increase copper prices. I know, I was doing construction there at that time.
 
The hot deal now is to steal the outdoor parts of your a/c unit at your house. They're swiping them left and right around KC and selling the copper to a scrap yard. 2 different churches have lost like 20 units- one church has been hit 2 or 3 times.
 
TimAT said:
The hot deal now is to steal the outdoor parts of your a/c unit at your house. They're swiping them left and right around KC and selling the copper to a scrap yard. 2 different churches have lost like 20 units- one church has been hit 2 or 3 times.
Click to expand...

Just helped my welder buddy run some copper and outdoor unit for his new HVAC unit a 15 SEER , some other friends going to install it....and John was really careful to keep the garage door down, what with all that new gear setting there, he said the crooks drive through his hood ALL the time....and it's a old fart retirement joint....

:shocking::evil:
 
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