Trunk Mount Battery Cable

[PlainBrownR2]

So, you wanna mount a trunk mounted battery. Future Modifications are going to require real estate(in my case I'm looking at a couple of exhaust driven compressors up there), and you need to move the battery but retain the starting capabilities. Well, you could use a stock 12 volt cable, but long thin cables compared to their stock counterparts can make for increased resistance in the wire. According to the properties of electricity in a wire, ideally, we need something as short and fat as possible. You can use welding cable which is never a bad idea, but if you have a Farm and Fleet with a healthy Agricultural section, you can also get 25' of 2 Gauge wire on a spool for 40 bucks, like I did, if welding cable is unavailable [)]. This also came in spools of 4 and 6 gauge and in lower length quantity.





Don't forget your matching 2 gauge terminals and connectors as well



This will also help those of you with that troublesome six volt situation, but in this case it will provide you with a lifetime supply if you get the big roll [)]. I'll quit the wiseguy act now, lol...

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[ROADRACELARK]

You also can buy the connector for the battery end that can be soldered on. Makes for a neater installation and is much less likely to corrode. That's what I installed on the car below when I built it 20yrs ago, and it still looks new.

Dan Miller
Auburn, GA

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Road Racers turn left AND right.

[PlainBrownR2]

Being copper, more than likely I'll tin some soldier on the end of the cable and tin some soldier to the lug, and slide em together while the copper is warm. Yeah, it also keeps the lugs from popping loose if the cable has to come off as well as provide better conductivity.

Oh the battery end, yeah I could that. I'm easy though on how that end is put together. Usually I'll pop the terminal loose and wire brush the cable end down and put it back together. The only thing I don't like about these things is somebody thought it would be better if they made these from a low grade of potmetal and sell them through Walmart. I bring this up because those inhumane things will really leave you stranded if all needed was a jump and they have to come off. If you had to service them or the battery too many times the potmetal will twist and split, so if you use them, find the steel lug guys.

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[Dan Timberlake]

The jegs kit comes with #2 cable. Mr GAsket says theirs uses #4.

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/10260/10002/-1

I got in trouble carelessly running the battery vent tube on my motorcycle. Ate some electonics, and some paint.
I'd want to vent a trunk nattery VERY carefully. Maybe even briefly consider using one of those outrageously expensive gel batteries

[PlainBrownR2]

I'm looking at the Optima route on the battery. The same place I got the cable also carries the batteries as well . Just have to remember the formula for engine size and CCA and I'll be golden. I'll have to look at some of the street rodder site on the web for which way the vent needs to go. Yeah, I know it's a bad day for everyone when you have an exploding battery coupled to hydrogen gas floating around in the same space, yuck.

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[PackardV8]

JMHO, but a gel cell battery, such as the Optima is the only way to go for mounting in the trunk.

I'm mounting one on its' side with the bottom inside the frame rails in the middle of my C-cab. I'll post photos soon.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

[wcarroll@outrageous.net]

Making your own cables is the only way to go IMHO.

I've used both welding cable and regular cable. The biggest advantage to the welding cable is it is more flexible and easier to route in tight places.

And I second the use of an Optima for trunk mounting.

If your looking for a nice battery holder that's affordable, well constructed, and easy to mount have a look at these. I think they make (2) sizes. The smaller fits quite well in the passenger corner of an Avanti trunk And it's way easier to slide a battery out of one of these than a plastic box with a top cover!!

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AFC-50301/

http://community.webshots.com/user/s2dbaker?vhost=community

[ralt12]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-40100/

http://www.taylorvertex.com/Products/index.cgi/batteryBoxes

The Painless cable system is top-notch, and so is the battery box from Taylor. Depends on your tastes and budget; these are probably top of the line.

'53 Commander
Art Morrison chassis
LS6 ASA/4L60E

[PlainBrownR2]

That's great guys. As you guys can guess I'm a big DIYer. I'm not shy about wiring or electrics, even if it means soldiering and splicing. In fact I lamented that putting new wiring(that's going to Menards and buying the individual spools now), was akin to wiring a pole barn on four wheels. Anyway, I do have some ideas running around on what I would like for a battery box and where I want it. I'd like it over the axle hump behind the seat. This places whatever little weight on top of the axle which will move the weight of the batter from the front fender to over the driving wheels that need it more(IE a permanent sand weenie). I would also like it enclosed, but since it would be difficult to lift out of the box back there on the shelf, I'm thinking of a custom box where the front flips open to reveal some clamping mechanism similar to how it's held down in the Lark. This will give my MIG welder a little activity in this case. I can assure you it WILL have a hold down inside, it WILL NOT be bungee cords, and I am going to try and avoid the diamond plate route(sorry guys ).

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[55coupe]

I like the idea of battries in the trunk for two reasons weight and more room under the hood. The question I have is has anyone put a 6volt in the back? Is the length to much for 6volts do you lose to many amps? Thanks for great topics and knowledge.

[ralt12]

Clearance in that location is tight, as you might expect. But here's what it looks like anyway.
I made a little spacer to take up the distance between the bottom of the battery box and the indentation in the trunk floor.


'53 Commander
Art Morrison chassis
LS6 ASA/4L60E

[mweiss]

plain brown:

Just curious how you're about to route your battery wire to the starter, along the right frame rail, or thru the cabin, and thence thru the firewall to the starter. How do you plan to armor it for protection? How about also putting the solenoid in the trunk, and using a 300 amp ANL fuse to keep from burning up, in the event of a dead short, along with a run for the alternator, with a fusible link and/or sufficient amperage fuse ? thanks, m weiss

ok

[PlainBrownR2]

As far as routing, I have to still figure that out once I get under there . I can run it through and around the board behind the backseat through the compartment area, much as I did with the CB antenna wire on the Lark(magnetic base that sits on my trunk), but I'd have to find a way to hide the "lump" of this large cable once I get to the interior stage. I could run it around under the car, possibly above my already fashioned torque boxes(I had to put some in last year as its a hardtop and they were rotted out), but I have to keep it away from things like the driveshaft, the exhaust pipe, and anything that can cause it to bind or cinch the cable. In either case, the armor would be not just the insulation of the cable itself, but also the body of the car. I don't want it hanging down past the frame rails under the car, that's for sure.

I would think the solenoid would need to stay as close to the starter as possible. Of course that's probably an either/or in this setup, because it's just an electrical switch, that's just closing the circuit. Just don't mount it in a place where it can potentially short.

As far as fusible links, always a good idea. I was never really one for using them, but that's me. My philosophy has been that if an individual wires it correctly and the cables are out of harm's way the fusible link shouldn't be necessary. In the years of working on the electrics with the Lark and the truck, it wasn't necessary for me to use fusible links. Now with things like my FI on the other thread, that is riddled with glass fuses, because if something shorts and it's unknown where in the circuit that it's occurring, that can potenially be a 200 dollar loss there with the brainbox. Tempting fate I know, but when it came to electrics, I've always been under the impression that if it shorts, you'll know it shorts pretty quick.

That does also remind that when I have to route the cable, that the exposed ends, solenoids, etc need to be in an easy to get to and serviceable area. If you have a short, you don't want it in a potential spot that you can't see or get to. One doesn't want to route the cables through an area of the car that requires some contortioning to get to, to inspect things. The cabling also does give some thought on using one of those switches that you undo, that sits on the battery post. In the event of an emergency it would just be a matter of turning the thumbscrew to shut off the electricity from the battery.

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[sweetolbob]

PBR2

This is my fusible link/remote shutoff setup in the 54K.

I ran my trunk mounted battery cable under the car along the passenger side hog trough. I ran a piece of PVC Conduit along the route and then pushed the cable through it. The conduit runs from the trunk floor above the rear axle to just short of the SBC starter. I did it to be sure the cable is not hit by something I didn't plan for.

The remote shutoff came from a trailer supply house and has both an On and Off terminal, and draws no current to keep in position so it only requires a momentary three position switch.



Bob

,

[mweiss]

This, (prior post), is what I was driving at. Conduit should be considered, either metal armored , available from rhode island wiring inc, or pvc flexible or rigid. In an accident , or any unexpected trauma, if you short that cable, you may not necessarily 'know about it' before it's too late. The right frame is better since the fuel line is usually left sided. Putting the solenoid in the trunk alongside the battery keeps the large wire to the starter from being hot all the time, only being hot when actually cranking. A 300 A ANL fuse protects even the battery cable if you're so inclined. The solenoid uses #8 or larger cable to go to the alternator, and a power post on the firewall distrubutes power to the rest of the circuits. Running the battery cable thru the interior is easier if a center console is used, but it definitely should pass through a conduit to avoid inadvertent trauma. Elsewhere in the forum, MAD Electric has been referenced, and if you metasearch this outfit, they have a nice succinct tech section, and sell only slightly overpriced kits to do all this.Using marine cable, and marine shutoff switches is a little more expensive, but the quality and saftey of these materials/ devices is worth it (www.genuinedealz.com).Welding wire insulation is typically not rigid and abrasion-proof enough for mobile use, but is more flexible. Thanks, m weiss

ok