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| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher |
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| Battery relocation. | Rating: 
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| Posted: 01-31-2007 05:34 pm |
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1st Post |
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jcdean Member
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Has anyone relocated the battery to the trunk? If so were there issues? Looks like an easy way to clean up the engine bay and make available a wider array of battery choices. Yes, it will be in a certified, vented, and very well grounded battery box. Joey
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| Posted: 01-31-2007 08:41 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator 
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Since the primary reason to relocate the battery is weight distribution there is not much call for it in the JH which has 51% of the weight in the rear already due to it's "front mid engine" design.
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| Posted: 01-31-2007 08:47 pm |
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3rd Post |
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jcdean Member
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I understand what your saying, but once again that was not my reason. I'm simply trying to get it to a place that will allow more battery choices without having to rebuild a battery tray. Please understand, I can find batteries that fit the car. Just not really happy about the choices. Joey
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| Posted: 02-01-2007 12:51 am |
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4th Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member 
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You can do what you're asking about, but there are significant practical problems that need to be addressed. Those that occur to me at the moment are: Battery positive side. You'll need a cable that carries 450-600 amps peak, and that will carry 60-100 amperes steady-state with a voltage drop of perhaps 0.25-0.50 volt. I couldn't find any battery cable specs in a brief online search, but based on experience I'd be amazed if 4/0 cable was adequate. A 6/0 cable might do the job. DANGER: if this cable runs along the right frame rail adjacent to the fuel lines, and if its jacket is ever damaged to the point that the copper wire is exposed, you'll be fortunate to avoid a fire that envelops the entire car before the occupants can escape. Give serious thought to running the cable in a PVC pipe, clear vinyl tubing, or some similar protection. Battery negative side. If you connect it to the chassis, you can use 4/0 cable (perhaps even 2/0 cable if it's a very short run), but must guarantee superior electrical contact with the frame. If you run a cable forward to the transmission, bell housing, or engine block, it'll need to be the same size as the positive cable. Expect the cables and their connectors to need frequent inspection and maintenance, and occasional replacement. If the battery is allowed to bounce around, it will fail abruptly. Depending on the alternator you have, you may need to run its regulator sense line all the way back to the battery, to guarantee that it gets fully charged. This can possibly result in a reduced life span for the various light bulbs and perhaps aftertmarket electronics.
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| Posted: 02-01-2007 04:28 am |
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5th Post |
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jcdean Member
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Thanks Mark, I'm changing to a 1 wire alternator, I have about 25 feet of 0/0 cable laying around, and I also have massive amounts of oversize shrink tubing/snake skin/adel clamps laying around for routing. I have access to a hydraulic crimper for the terminal ends as well. Your point about routing is very well taken and duly noted. Pictures will be posted if and when I do this. Still not convinced, but I just like to fiddle with things. Joey
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| Posted: 02-01-2007 04:40 am |
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6th Post |
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Paul Koehler Member 
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You might want to check out the tech articles written by car electric guru, Mark Hamilton, at his web site:http://www.madelectric.com. A lot of good stuff there, although, he seems partial to American "muscle cars", it is pretty well applicable to all marques. He is very personable on the phone, and can probalby head you in the right direction. PK
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| Posted: 02-01-2007 03:30 pm |
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7th Post |
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Scott Robinson Member
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When I did it 10 years or so back I used a battery relocation kit sold by Summit that had everything needed, from the cable to the hold downs to a plastic battery box. Has worked without issue since. Only real surgery required is a hole for the through -panel connector in the trunk floor. I can use virtually any battery, so I use a big one and I put mine on the passenger side to offset some of my weight on the driver's side. I used the former battery location for my ignition CD box. Scott
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| Posted: 02-02-2007 12:26 am |
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8th Post |
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Ron Earp Member 
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I've done a bunch like this. Most times I just buy the 00 cable I need at Advance Auto and do it myself. I like to sheath the cable in one of those plastic wire tubes for a little additional insulation. Cover the terminals, etc, use common sense, and you'll have zero problems. I tend to use 1 wire alternators and simply connect the alternator to the starter terminal lug where the battery cable goes. Feed from there, you'll have no charging issues either and it cuts down on the number of wires needed. I wouldn't mind freeing up a little space in the engine bay myself but I've got to retain the battery in the stock location per race class rules. A Miata battery would be a good choice for you. Light, powerful, and not too expensive. Incidentally, Miatas also have them mounted in the trunk, passenger side. Ron Last edited on 02-02-2007 12:28 am by Ron Earp |
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| Posted: 02-02-2007 10:53 am |
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9th Post |
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normv Member 
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Use a odyssey battery http://www.odysseybatteries.com/ They are much smaller in size per output, A small Jensen healey sized battery will easily operate a V8 race car, they come in various sizes and best of all they are also deep cycle so they can handle being left unused going flat in the car and being recharges without killing the battery. They are more expensive but last heaps longer so they pay for themselves, particularly in infrequent use cars..
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| Posted: 06-04-2007 05:47 am |
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10th Post |
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timeforwalkies Member
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I moved the battery to the trunk about 15 years ago. No problems except I can no longer fit a set of clubs. As I recall my salesman at Oakland British Motors in 1974, "one of the design criteria for the car was to take two sets of clubs in the trunk." Didn't golf then so didn't care. Now I want to move the battery back to the origional location. Still don't think two sets will fit. So Norm. Are you suggesting the Odyssey battery for the trunk or for the original location? Thanks, Clif Last edited on 06-04-2007 05:48 am by timeforwalkies |
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