I am attempting to replace the negative cable on my 2000 Dakota Sport 2.5L. The current connector on the truck has the cable (the right cable on the connector attached to the battery) going to the lower side of the engine. It has a second cable (the left cable on the connector attached to the battery in the picture) of equal gauge grounded to the fender. I have looked everywhere to replace this type of cable but cannot find one. They all have the small wire with the crimp connector.
How do I connect this fender ground to the battery cable??
Here are photos of the fender and the battery cable on the battery (alongside the new cable).

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This is where the heavy cable from the battery negative grounds to the body -
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Just cut off the extra cable from the new one put a big eye on the end of the original old extra wire and slip it on the bolt that clamps the cable to the battery post

Like tapping for power but now its a ground

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You could keep the extra cable and use it as an extra ground and put it on the same ground post were the old one is.

 

Now that would be way too easy. Advanced auto suggested that I scrape the insulation off of the BRAND NEW cable and use some sort of clamp splice. But crimping on a large eye and using the same bolt that tightens the connector - that will work.

That still leaves the question of why the previous owner used such a large cable to tun to the fender.

 

that cable looks original

 

Just bought a couple of battery cable lugs for $4. The sales guy said bring the cable back and he'll crimp it for free!

 

Welll, I guess this isn't supposed to happen right away. I went to remove the negative cable from the side of the engine, in one of the more hard-to-reach places I should add, and the bolt has an exra inch or so sticking out past the nut. I don't have any deep sockets that can take that off. Tried spark plug sockets but a bit too big. Any idea what size that nut is so I can buy a deep socket to remove the cable?

 

What no Monkey wrench?

 

C'mon Man! (as they say on the ESPN football games)!
I figured someone with an engine as clean as yours would know every nut and bolt size from top to bottom.
And yes, I have 3 crescent wrenches that will never see the inside of my engine compartment!

 

Yes that is a factory ground strap. Ideally any engine had 3 ground points- the back of each cylinder head to the frame and the front of the block (ideally each side of the block, but usually one point suffices) to either the frame or directly to the battery. The battery is then grounded to the frame and optionally to the block.

On the camaro, we have a 00 welding cable going from the positive battery post to the starter solenoid and a 4 gauge from the battery to the main power distribution buss bar. Then we have a 4 gauge negative going from the battery to the main ground distribution buss bar, a #4 from the block to the frame rail, a #10 from each cylinder head to the buss bar, a #10 from the buss bar to the frame, and a 8 from the battery to the frame. Lots of redundancy.

Here's some images to show how our wiring is done. If only OEM harnesses were this easy! Taken with my phone so not great focus but it gives you the idea. You can see the 2 head straps off the firewall, the block strap on the pass side framerail, and the 2 buss bars on the firewall and gauge cluster blocks under the dash.

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