I hope the alternator charge wire config shown above is the pre rerouted version....

 

The beginning of the routing is the 2nd pic from the top. I ran it under and along the CAI and through the front radiator core support. From there it runs across the front of the car to the battery. I did this several years ago when I initially upgraded to the 3G alternator. I didn't like the idea of routing it across the distributor; although that is the shortest route. You can see where I ghetto-rigged the cover for the 170A mega fuse in my trans cooler pics. Intend to remove the duct tape and wire loom; and slip the heavy-duty heat shrink over top of the mega fuse to seal it. Or find a marine supply place and purchase the fuse cover and do it properly.

That bottom picture is of the 2AWG cable for the starter power supply. All of the cables I used for this project (and other vehicles) came off of the welding rig when we took it apart.

 

I was specifically referring to the uninsulated connection of the output alternator lead to the next piece of lead leading to the battery.

Seems terribly unsafe to leave such a high current lead uninsulated at the top of the engine compartment. If you catch that with one forearm and ground yourself with your other hand, you are a current path from the battery to ground. And although your bodily resistance is high, it is the current path likely through your heart that concerns me. Doesn't take a lot to stop your heart. It's not the voltage level that necessarily kills you, it is the current that stops your heart.

That aside, you run the unnecessary risk of getting zapped, accidentally shorting it to ground with a tool etc. Not fun for you, and in the case of highly conductive tools, not good for the battery or the tool. It's equivalent to a dead short across your battery if the tool has no significant resistance to current flow.

Once had a friend in high school who fumbled a short breaker bar that landed across the terminals of the battery. By the time he returned from the garage with a wooden handled shovel, the thing was bright red. He wedged the shovel handle under the breaker bar and with the force he exerted to free it, it flew halfway across the yard and smoldered in the grass.

Not trying to be a nitpicking Nelly.
Just trying to look out for you, man.

 

Totally understand; and thanks for looking out for me. I misread the other post; that was the pre-rerouted picture. I removed the wire loom and duct tape that was covering the copper terminals; and replaced that with heavy-duty heat shrink. Hoping that seals it better than what I had put on there. Also, the 3G I have on there now had tabs by the charging stud that pointed the cable up or down; I have since broken them off so I can orient the charge cable across the back of the alternator so it can follow the routing I had. If I get out there tonight or during the weekend to install the shift linkage and dipstick; I will snap a pic of how it looks.

 

And the dipstick install was a fail. Just couldn't get around the motor mount to clear the no. 3 and 4 primaries. After 2 hours of bending the dipstick tube, I realized that I created a stress point and at that point; I was just going to get the routing for another dipstick. Then it got jammed against the underside of the CAI and the X-member; and as I wriggled it free, it broke at the stress point. Since the Canton dipsticks are realtively cheap, I will get 2 more and try different methods of bending; hopefully something works. Annoyed with myself; but not mad.

I did get a pic of the alternator charge cable as it sits now; so I guess there is a win in this endeavor

 

Maybe try heating one with a propane torch and bending it around a socket or something like that to get the correct angle. That or try a tubing bender, depending on how thick the dipstick tube is.

 

I will try some heat and using my tubing bender. The Canton dipstick tube is fairly rigid and after a few passes it simply started to squish at the stress points. What I ended up doing is purchasing another dipstick like the one I just destroyed; and I got a braided dipstick in case that doesn't work. Hopefully one of them works and I can move on to getting this project semi-finished. I ended up getting a Lokar dipstick for the AOD; as the stock dipstick tube has the same OD as my tubing bender; and would not work. Too bad; as I painted the stock tube up nice with Dupli-Color Royal Blue.

I attempted to indent the floor pan with the car jack and a piece of 90* angle steel. Unfortunately either the car isn't heavy enough; or the floor pan on the passenger side is too thick to bend with just the weight of the car. I will see what my alternative is for shaping the floor pan for the cutouts. Most likely will be a hammer of some sort.

All this trouble for a car that very few people other than my Mom likes. Here's a pic of the Lokar AOD dipstick.

 

Well, mom and brought you into this world so you might as well make sure continues to have a good time while she's here. (I know you already are). She's not trusting her happiness to just anyone, mind you

 

I called an audible and got the braided dipstick instead of the hard tube dipstick. I worked from home yesterday as I was scheduled to take the J&J vaccine. SInce I had a few hours in the morning before that appointment, I slid underneath the Crown Vic and installed the braided dipstick. I had to play around with it quite a bit; threading it in and back out until I got the angle correct and wasn't in danger of cross-threading. I had to remove the bracket that was attached to the dipstick as it was too high to attach to one of the header bolts. I had to unthread the hose end to remove the bracket; and when I did that, I noticed tiny aluminum specs from unthreading. Since my Harbor Freight compressor is down and had to use what little was left of the air tank to blow anything out of the braided hose. Then I reattached the dipstick to the oil pan and washed it out with WD-40. I hope I removed that material.

After the vaccination, I was still feeling spry despite the sore shoulder. So I went back out and got a good look at the dipstick; and figured out that I will get a 3/8 x 4"L stud for one of the primary# 3 bolts to use with a tube clamp in order to hold the dipstick in place. Also, I will replace most of the header bolts with grade 8 allen head bolts. They are easier to install and tighten down; especially the no. 4 cylinder in the rear of the driver side. I also had some heat shielding leftover from the fuel line install and slipped that over the dipstick hose in an attempt to keep the header heat away. We'll see how that works.

Whilst looking in the basement for the heat shield; I found the 3G alternator that I had on the Ranger; forgot that I saved it. I noticed that I didn't remove the tabs by the charging posts; but I remembered that he alternator was on the passenger side of the engine and right next to the battery; so I pointed the cable down and to the left for that short run. On the Crown Vic I simply snapped those tabs off to get that cable in correct orientation. I was feeling good up until 9PM last night; then the side effects hit me like a truck hauling rotten produce. Much better now (except for a low-grade fever); but I will wait until the weekend to work on the Crown Vic again.

 

So I found the missing piece of the shift linkage..............so-to-speak

Yup, I think I failed to take it off of the original trans before junking that whole assembly. At the time, I hastily pulled what I thought I would need to reuse off the stock engine. I failed to pull the crank pulley, flexplate, and that linkage rod. I reached out to the Panther community (Ford platform for these cars) for a shift linkage. Otherwise, it's either a trip to the junkyard; or an aftermarket floor shifter; which I want to avoid with this car.