Battery relocation and ground points.

[rxKaffee]

I have come to realize, that a biggest problem with my current electrical system is the rusted grounds, and corroded battery cables(big surprise? ).

 

And like all of these zx's... my battery tray is completely rusted. So I'm thinking I will re-locate the battery somewhere out of the engine bay since I'm rewireing and busting out the tray. It should free up a little more room for when a V8 goes in .

 

I've got a nice little plastic battery box with lid that I'm going to tap at the bottom for a silicone hose that will hang out underneath the body of the car. I think this should be sufficient for keeping the fumes out of the cabin.

 

The big question is... Where should I put it?

 

I'd like to not just toss it in the hatch, as thats a big chunk of weight to be so high up. I've been thinking about the passenger side spare tire well, but its got a fist sized hole from rust in the bottom that I haven't fixed yet. If it comes down to it, I guess I could sacrifice one of the behind-seat storage bins.

 

Toss me some location ideas, and I'll tackle the ground-points part later

 

rx

[turboboost]

I like the idea of the spare tire well, but if it was me, I would just keep it in the stock location. That is unless I was doing any sort of drag racing or really needed the weight distribution.

[rxKaffee]

Well the immediate problem with the stock location is the severe rusting of the tray. Probably enough that a hard stop would break the battery loose of it. Definetly enough that I want to get that rust out of the engine bay so it doesn't spread. And it will definetly be in the way of plans that I have for the v8 conversion. I don't have the welding resources right now to reconstruct the tray.

 

I'm thinking about passenger floorboard, pushed as close to the firewall as possible, right in the middle. It looks to go back pretty deep, but then again I don't have a seat over there right now to see just how much legroom it would kill. If I put it there, it will be running the longest part of the battery in parallel with the driveshaft, so the passenger could straddle it with their feet if its too long.

rx

[Pilgrim]

Unless you have a battery leak, I'm not sure why progression of rust in the engine compartment would be a problem. if you want to de-rust the engine compartment, you'll have to do it regardless of whether you move the battery. My vote is to clean it up, have a welding shop replace the old platform, get another plastic battery tray to replace the original, and leave the battery where it is. It's pretty convenient there. I'd much rather have a battery outside the passenger compartment!

[tjcannon]

I have my Optima in a plastic battery box in the spare tire well and I've never had a problem with it. Do what you want. Don't move it just for the V8 though. My 355 fits with plenty of room even if the battery was up front.

[mark]

If the car is as rusty as it sounds, maybe you need to find another car for the V-8.

 

Not trying to be an A$$.

[ArnZ]

If you do relocate inside, a sealed battery like a Optima is the way to go. Although they still "vent", it is not near as much as traditional battery.

[Z-8]

I also went with the Optima battery in a plastic box in the spare tire spot. It had a little rust which I fixed with some por-15. I also had to get about 21 feet of 0 size positive cable(to get to the starter) from a trailer supply shop. There are some good spots to attach a ground cable to, some bolts that go right to the frame. And I also welded a flat piece of sheet metal to put the battery on, although I could have welded it a little bit lower.

[Dragonfly]

Another Optima in a plastic box in the spare tire well. I also realized that of all the pictures I have of my car I do not have any of the battery/location.

 

Dragonfly

[m1ghtymaxXx]

I also went with the Optima battery in a plastic box in the spare tire spot. It had a little rust which I fixed with some por-15. I also had to get about 21 feet of 0 size positive cable(to get to the starter) from a trailer supply shop. There are some good spots to attach a ground cable to, some bolts that go right to the frame. And I also welded a flat piece of sheet metal to put the battery on, although I could have welded it a little bit lower.

 

Got any pics?

 

Also, did you run your positive cable under the car, or through the passenger compartment?

 

I'm thinking of doing this next year, but just with a conventional lead acid battery (will be broke after turbo swap).

 

I've already got a 5 guage cable running through the passenger compartment to my amp in the hatch, so wiring shouldn't be hard.

[e_racer1999]

optima battery in aluminum box in the right rear. i'll get pics up tonight or tomorrow. BTW - for sanctioned racing you'll need a rear mounted cutoff switch.

[e_racer1999]

here's the taylor battery box. one of the studs goes through the framerail. the neg cable goes through a grommet in the floor and grounds to the same framerail.

 

here's the back of the cutoff switch. from the switch it runs through the car with a 2 gauge wire through the firewall to a terminal block

 

here's the cut off switch from the outside

 

and here's the terminal block. has to spots for 0-2 gauge (one in, one out) and 4 for 6-8 gauge (for accessories). it's not all wired yet. oh, and see that rusty stuff? from a leaky water pump. that S#it does NOT want to go away!

[KiwiCowboy]

I was thinking or relocating my battery too. My fuel tank has some deep scrapes and needs to be replacedin the near future, I am looking for a shorter tank so I can fabricate a battery storage below the rear cargo deck. I want to keep the battery as close to centerline as possible in my 83 280ZX 2+2 so the battery weight could be evenly distributed. If you don't care about uneven weight, there is room to fabricate the same box with the OEM fuel tank in place by the left rear behind the wheel on my 280ZX.

 

Just a suggestion.