battery relocation to trunk

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battery relocation to trunk

Postby rtm » Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:54 pm

As with every facet of my build so far,
I tend to OVER research a subject, and end up confused :rolleyes:
I have read that a "generic" battery relocation kit (summit or jegs etc.) utilizes inferior parts/ too light (guage) cable.
what components should I be looking for to route the battery to the trunk, and have a junction block of some sort underhood?
also, what about shut off switches (for tech inspection purposes/ NHRA legal ?)
I have a local shop that specializes in starters/alternators and related components, but am on a budget.
looking for reliable combos.
also, what about placing my battery in the rear wheelwell (where spare tire would go)?
I've heard that placing the battery lengthwise will "slam" the plates together inside the battery when you accelerate , causing it to fail.
also heard negative things about OPTIMA spiral cell batteries.
have had good luck with dekka batteries, but, don't know if they offer anything other than a traditional "plate style" battery?
thanx for any/ all advice :th:
rick the mason
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
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3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby my79monza » Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:26 am

This what I am going to do on my Monza, battery location is optional.
I will use a Ford solonoid on the passenger side inner fender panel, battery + cable connects directly to the solenoid with a short cable on down to the starter.
On the starter you install a short jumper between the battery cable and the factory solenoid.
The main wiring harness will connect to the Ford solenoid along with any fusible links which are now accessable rather than down behind the headers close to the starter.
If you have a welder I would weld a bolt to the unibody to connect the battery ground cable.
Up front remember to run a good ground wire from unibody to the engine.
I know I'm not saying anything that you don't already know but a reminder never hurt anyone. :D
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby chevy art » Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:54 am

rick and merle some of the guys say its im portant to find a good seam (where the body parts are pinched together) to get the best ground , as the metal is doubled. i think some of the racers run the ground cableall the way up to the tranny case and attach it there. im going to use #1 battery cable for my rear battery setup., i always use the ford solenoid up front. i feel that is the best way and you can also use it as a sort of power takeoff up front(using relays of course) for all electrical parts. battery terminals definitely must run side to side. i heard it is not necessary with the so called magical optima batteries. you do need a kill switch for nhra. connects to positive cable of battery. i think NASCAR does just the opposite(to negative) and my engine builders father who has been racing since the 50s says NASCAR way is the right way(safest) dont understand electricity so i cant explain that one. can someone out there explain.? art
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby heapster » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:24 am

Can't help you on the Batt- relocate, don't have time to type that much. On the optima battery thing I keep hearing that they are junk also, when I hear that I usually just smile and nod. Here is my experience with one of their batteries. Bought it new in 1994 and put it in my CJ bounced the ever-living crap out of it for two years untill I broke the CJ. Sat in CJ for four years, never charged it only used it for electrical systems check while rebuilding CJ. Finished CJ in 2000 bounced the crap out of it for six more months untill I broke the Jeep again. Sat w/o being charged until 2004 (seeing a pattern here?) Ran the CJ for about a month and broke it AGAIN. battery sat forgotten for about a year until the wally world special in the (ex) wifes Cherokee died. Didn't have time to go get a battery that day so I just grabbed the Optima out of the CJ and threw it in her car. Ran there until the Divorce (2008) pulled it and gave her one of the un-nameable batteries out of one of the other cars. Six months later the wally-world battery in my Grand took a dump (why anyone would buy a battery from them is beyond me , everyone I have seen dies a quick death) you guess it threw the Optima in and its still there. Last week I stoppped by a friends Dojo to drop of some info, was only going to be in there for a minute so I didn't shut my headlights off, ended up working out for an hour. Jeep started right up with no hesitation when I left. This is of course in Mi where the temps arent exactly Battery friendly.Are Optima Batteries Junk? I'm sure a some are . Did I just get realy lucky with mine? Maybe but that isn't the normal pattern with my life. Just felt the urge to throw this out there.

Doug
Hmm. seems I did have the time to do a write up on battery relocation :lol:
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby heapster » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:30 am

Art , the possible thinking on the disconect location is the that current, in a DC circuit flows from Negative to Positive if I remember what I was supposed to have learned many years ago (I could and have been know to be wrong). Personally I don't see why placement would make a difference since as soon as you break the circuit flow stops but who am I to say?

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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby spencerforhire » Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:34 am

There's a couple of reasons to switch the positive not the negative; the biggest is safety- if the negative is switched, and the battery is dislodged from it's hold down, the neg. terminal could make contact with nearby metal and still be connected. Also some sensitive electronics don't seem to like having the ground disconnected. I'm not sure why some of the old school and circle track folks used to put the disconnect on the negative. Besides, the NHRA rulebook wants the disconnect on the positive side; enough said.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby monzaaddict » Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:19 am

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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby chevy art » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:47 am

spence i think i had heard that same explanation as yours a long time ago as to why the disconnect has to be wired to the positive side of battery. it makes sense. now that you explained it. mine has been done that way since i built the race car in early 90s. like you said: thats the way NHRA says it has to be done. no questions asked art
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby rtm » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:05 pm

o.k. , I picked up a remote solenoid,
now for the wiring aspect,
I am running #1 AWG cable from the trunk mounted battery, to the starter, then "jumping" to one of the large posts of the remote soleniod.
the large red wire from the engine wiring harness then goes to the small post on the remote soleniod, and "jumps" to the corresponding (original ) pin on the starter.
NOW,what about the purple wire (from the oil pressure switch/ wiring harness , that connects to the spade on the starter ?
do I leave it as is ? or does it need to be routed to the remote soleniod as well?
I may have left out a few details, as this is from memory.
I want the oil press. sw. to operate as it should,
any body already done this?
what am I missing/ screwing up ? :rolleyes:
what about the other large post on the remote soleniod ?
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I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson, (Attributed)
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby spencerforhire » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:06 pm

Please clarify exactly what you're trying to do with this solenoid; are you using it to ensure the starter will work even if it gets hot? This is the usual reason for adding a remote solenoid. If so, you've started off on the wrong foot. The power wire from the rear mounted battery goes to one large terminal on the new solenoid together with the smaller 10g. red feeds for the fuse box and ignition switch. The other larger terminal goes to the main larger terminal on the starter AND the smaller starter terminal that used to have the violet start wire on it. Then the violet wire now goes to the small terminal on the solenoid. What this does is take the load off the starters own solenoid(which is prone to "heat soak") and transfers it to the new solenoid which is mounted in a cooler, more accessible location.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby RONS PROVEGA » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:18 pm

If you have the "Ford" type remote solenoid like I do then route the cable from the battery to one side of the remote solenoid then you must make a short cable with eyelets on both ends and hook up one end to the other side of the remote solenoid then to the starter solenoid on the starter motor....You'll also need to make a small jumper wire from the large terminal on the starter solenoid to the small terminal on the starter solenoid.....The existing starter switch wire will hook up to the small terminal on the remote solenoid. :th:
IM001369.JPG
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby rtm » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:27 pm

:shock:
o.k. I got it
i think :rolleyes:
oh hell I'm gonnna havvta go drink about it :wink:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson, (Attributed)
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby RONS PROVEGA » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:37 pm

rtm wrote::shock:
o.k. I got it
i think :rolleyes:
oh hell I'm gonnna havvta go drink about it :wink:



Let me know how it turns out, I'll be burnin a doobie waiting for your reply! :th:
Ron

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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby rtm » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:36 am

what about the alternator?
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I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson, (Attributed)
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
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Re: battery relocation to trunk

Postby my79monza » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:57 am

The thing to remember is that in essence all you are doing is remote mounting the starter solenoid.
the purple wire is most likely to the oil pressure switch downstream of its normal power source, jumping it if you will, that wat to send power to the electric fuel pump during cranking.
As soon as the starter switch is released the power goes back to normal from fuse box through the OP switch and on to the pump.
As for the Alternator the big red wire would go on the battery side of your new solenoid same as would have been on the one on the starter.
If this car will aslo be a street machine also the fusible links will connect there also.
Actually I mean at the main disconnect, battery side.
This is how my Monza will be, no need to run all those wires down into that heat.
This is probably the best idea ford ever had. :D

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