Ok I need to replace my negative battery cable and there seems to be conflicting info from what i’m finding. The closest post Ive found (below) is for a 70. The picture on that post is similar to what I have now. On my current cable, from the battery there is a ground strap that bolts to the firewall by the regulator then continues on. On the WCCC site the standard draw set has no ground clamp and neither does the high draw set. On the 70 only the standard draw set has the tab. Also the Marti set has the clamp for the 73 set. So do I need it or not ? I know grounding is as much a priority enthuse cats just like vacuum Oh and I don’t care about concourse correct looking 
Shouldn’t the negative cable on the battery go to a bolt on the block? Then there is the ground strap from the back of the engine to the firewall. Usually.
They all go to the block, but some years have additional attaching points. 1970 was the first year that did not have a ground strap from the back of one head to the firewall and utilized an additional lug on the main negative cable that attached to the body at one of the voltage regulator mounting bolts.
I searched our yard this morning and found that most of the 71-73 that looked at all like orig equip, (we have a 73 with 39,000 miles) and they have the ground strap at the regulator. The Ford electrical books do not show the additional ground but the Osborne assembly book for 71/72 does show the cable with the ground at the regulator. I have nothing with Ford numbers on the cable either way. Hope this helps!
Thanks Richard/ all. So my question is how important is that ground strap at the regulator? None of the local car parts stores have anything like it, they just have the cable from the neg to the block and since i’m not worried about a concourse look does it matter? As I said, in my book grounds are like vacuum in priorities for troubleshooting so if it serves a specific purpose I guess i’ll have to spend the additional bucks.
It is very important, as it is the main ground for the chassis, given that the standard (for earlier years) ground strap between the engine head and the firewall no longer is there.
I know this is not a clearly focused picture. It is cropped from another bigger picture.
If you look at the lower fastener holding the voltage regulator to the apron you will see the negative cable lug attached to it. The negative terminal is toward the front of the car, the cable snakes along the outer side of the battery, attached to the regulator fastener then to the block.
I hope this gives some clarity to how the cable is run from the factory. Note, this is from my 71. I replaced the original cable with a reproduction when I restored the engine compartment. I duplicated how it was when I got the car. The cables both still had correct D0ZF Ford part numbers on them.
Ok thanks, interesting, on the WCCC site only the 71 kit shows the ground strap, not for the 72/73 and only on the low draw set, not the recommended high draw set. I’ll have to double check mine but i thought it just bolted to the wheel well wall, not attached to the regulator but I could be wrong.
I like the idea of the ground to the body direct from the battery. Would my 1969 benefit from this type of cable? I would think not necessary but beneficial to ensure good ground.
+1
I went to the local Oreily’s and got a battery cable with a 12 gauge auxiliary lead i’ll just crimp/splice to the wheel well/regulator. $10. Thanks for the posts guys
Extra grounds can do no harm, and may help.
I agree, good idea for the battery negative to be grounded at the body, frame and engine block. In addition make sure the engine block has a separate ground to the body(back of head to firewall is a good location)
My car is not setup this way and I plan to build my own cables to a layout similar. Currently has had some cheap auto parts stores generic cables that work but I don’t trust them to be reliable.
It’s pretty easy to make your own cables, you can get an nice hydraulic crimper for less then 100bucks. Some bulk cable and good connectors and you can build what you need. With some care you can get them looking very OEM as well.
I have always been critical of the way early Cougars were grounded. Running the ground cable to the block and then from the block to the firewall creates a series path that can only increase total circuit resistance and voltage drop across every other circuit in the car. On one of my cars I was able to fix the stock sequential signals just by adding an additional ground from the battery to the chassis. Even the headlights brightened up.