Relocating battery to the trunk?

[Jeff73Mach1]

I would like to perform this modification to both improve weight balance and to give me an opportunity to clean up the engine compartment a bit.

Who here has done it?

Did you ground to the chassis, or did you run a heavy wire back to the engine and ground there as well?

I know that for my application I need a sealed battery box. If you have done this mod did you install a disconnect switch?

Is there a good reason not to do this modification?

 

[hyena429]

I dont see any big issues..Besides takes a big copper cable...I seen welding leads on one set up on my freinds nova...he ended up moving it back to original spot thou...Always took too much cranking amps to start from putting the battery so far back from the starter ...Plus trunks like too rust out all the time...Couldnt imagine dealing with a leaky bat on top of it in there.....it counts how much you like your trunk or not..lol

 

[helldive]

I'm putting mine in the trunk. It puts more weight in the rear. Secures the battery (theft deterrent) and gets the

battery away from under hood heat.

 

[caspianwendell]

I have done this to other cars in which i always use a disconnect switch. Make sure you bolt the ground to thick metal and ground the engine to the body.

 

[c9zx]

The battery has been in the trunk of my Cougar since 1986. Negative lead grounded to frame. Welding cable not required although the cable is larger than standard. No problems. Chuck

 

[sm3570]

My dad put the battery in the trunk before I got the car. Good body grounds and the battery is inside a vented box. No issues so far and it's been close to 10 years probably.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

Thanks all. It is not the next mod, but it is up there on the list of things to do. I am trying to stick to 1 day projects for now so that I can enjoy the nice days and drive. This looks like it will easily fit the bill.

 

[marks73]

When I did mine years ago, Used a sealed battery tray, I used a #2AWG for positive, #4AWG from battery to rear frame, and #8AWG from front frame to engine. Never had any electrical issues.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

When I did my boat, I went ahead and used #2AWG for both positive and negative. Thick stuff, but worked great. I'll likely follow your lead. . . lol

 

[BigPinoyHunk]

i did it to mine as well and the engine bay looks so much cleaner without it. i have a 1000 cranking amp battery and i used 2 gauge battery cables, with a sealed summit box. to be legal at the track, you have to use a battery disconnect switch. doing this to be NHRA legal, you have to have the alternator charge wire routed to the rear of the car and have it connected to the battery side of the disconnect switch. if you don't put it on the battery sideo of the switch, you can flip the switch while its running and it'll still run.

and to be track legal, if you have that rear trap door and you don't have it put on, you must have it sealed. if you have the trap door up or have the seat up or whatever to close that hold, then you can just use 3/8 hold down bolts on the battery.

i don't have pics right now cuz i'm in england for a few weeks, but i do have pics of the disconnect switch of the battery on the rear tail panel though. doing this on a sealed box however, makes it a tad hard to charge the battery. but all i do is put the charge wire onto the starter solenoid on the firewall and put the ground anywhere on the ground. i use a simple 6amp charger so it works. i haven't yet bought a remote terminals and i don't know where i could possibly put them.

 

[hyena429]

i did it to mine as well and the engine bay looks so much cleaner without it. i have a 1000 cranking amp battery and i used 2 gauge battery cables, with a sealed summit box. to be legal at the track, you have to use a battery disconnect switch. doing this to be NHRA legal, you have to have the alternator charge wire routed to the rear of the car and have it connected to the battery side of the disconnect switch. if you don't put it on the battery sideo of the switch, you can flip the switch while its running and it'll still run.

and to be track legal, if you have that rear trap door and you don't have it put on, you must have it sealed. if you have the trap door up or have the seat up or whatever to close that hold, then you can just use 3/8 hold down bolts on the battery.

i don't have pics right now cuz i'm in england for a few weeks, but i do have pics of the disconnect switch of the battery on the rear tail panel though. doing this on a sealed box however, makes it a tad hard to charge the battery. but all i do is put the charge wire onto the starter solenoid on the firewall and put the ground anywhere on the ground. i use a simple 6amp charger so it works. i haven't yet bought a remote terminals and i don't know where i could possibly put them.

1000 cranking amps..makes me sick how spendy bats have got in the last few years...I was shocked when i went to price them last week.lol

 

[Joe Stang]

I run an Optima battery in the truck for many years now. All of the above posts have good info.

Run as big of a cable as possible. Run a disconnect switch for sure. You will need one if you are going to race it. A regular battery discharged over the winter and mega rusted my trunk.

The extra weight will help with traction in the rear. This is a good idea. Look @ how far forward of the shock towers the engine sits!

Anything to add weight to the rear and take it off the front is a good thing.

I ran the cables inside the rocker panels and used many Adel style line clamps to hold the cable in place.

I also did a battery delete under hood panel to get rid of the battery tray and hump in the panel. It was a trick I saw in Mustang Magazine in the 80's.

 

[BigPinoyHunk]

i did it to mine as well and the engine bay looks so much cleaner without it. i have a 1000 cranking amp battery and i used 2 gauge battery cables, with a sealed summit box. to be legal at the track, you have to use a battery disconnect switch. doing this to be NHRA legal, you have to have the alternator charge wire routed to the rear of the car and have it connected to the battery side of the disconnect switch. if you don't put it on the battery sideo of the switch, you can flip the switch while its running and it'll still run.

and to be track legal, if you have that rear trap door and you don't have it put on, you must have it sealed. if you have the trap door up or have the seat up or whatever to close that hold, then you can just use 3/8 hold down bolts on the battery.

i don't have pics right now cuz i'm in england for a few weeks, but i do have pics of the disconnect switch of the battery on the rear tail panel though. doing this on a sealed box however, makes it a tad hard to charge the battery. but all i do is put the charge wire onto the starter solenoid on the firewall and put the ground anywhere on the ground. i use a simple 6amp charger so it works. i haven't yet bought a remote terminals and i don't know where i could possibly put them.

1000 cranking amps..makes me sick how spendy bats have got in the last few years...I was shocked when i went to price them last week.lol

IF YOU WANNA PLAY, YOU GOTTA PAY!! NO WAY AROUND IT!!! i bought mine for 78 dollars at O'reilly's with a military discount. i didn't want to spend 160 for an optima, and even with a pro shop racer discount its still 142 dollars, so i went with a plain jane battery from the parts house.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

Battery delete looks real good. I am thinking of doing that and adding a underhood power distribution center to run relays for things like the headlights and the electric fan and the A/C compressor clutch and solenoid. I may see if I can pull one out of a newer ford at the junk yard to make it look nice and neat.

I could wire up a d cell battery to look like it replaced the actual battery lol

 

[jorgem2]

I did mine years ago with an odyssey brand AGM battery, and never had issues.

Just make sure to run the one hot cable forward inside the car to protect it from jacks and road hazards. it fits nicely under the rocker sill plate.

I grounded my battery inside the trunk to a bolt that holds the bumper on, then grounded the enine to the frame in the front. Dont run a negative cable all the way forward, its a waste of money time and space.

 

[mrbill4]

Just for another point of view, I went the other way.....when I bought the car, the battery (inside a battery box), a perfectly good alpine base unit & amplifier were in my trunk taking up for me what is valueable space. So I had the stupid base & amplifier removed (now sitting in the garage) and the battery put back up front. Now I have room for my spare tire, lawn chair & all my cleaning products (inside the battery box) for attending car shows.

 

[Joe Stang]

Just for another point of view, I went the other way.....when I bought the car, the battery (inside a battery box), a perfectly good alpine base unit & amplifier were in my trunk taking up for me what is valueable space. So I had the stupid base & amplifier removed (now sitting in the garage) and the battery put back up front. Now I have room for my spare tire, lawn chair & all my cleaning products (inside the battery box) for attending car shows.

this is an important point. Unles thier is a performance gain that you need or a buring desire to do this you should keep it up front.Being a SCCA/Drag Racer kind of guy it works for me. The down side is with the Batt and 22 gal fuel cell I can only fit a pair of socks in the trunk now.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

With 17 inch wheels, and oversized brakes, my spare tire was so useless I removed it and the remains of the mount. If I travel anywhere in the car I will just throw luggage on the folded down rear seat.

Mr. Bill if you want me to store that stupid base unit and amplifier, I think I can find a place for them

 

[cobra3073]

During the time I was REALLY into racing, I had the battery in the trunk of Fire (my '73 mach 1). I returned it to the engine compartment after I replaced the Cleveland with the 428CJ motor.

As Chuck and a couple of others have stated and/or inferred, it wasn't a big deal.

That having been said, I have come to the realization that unless one is trying to get EVERY bit of power to the ground from their application or just doing this modification to clean up the engine compartment, it is probably not worth the effort. It is now very, very easy (and relatively cheap) to build a 500HP (Small Block) or 700+ HP (Big Block) that will be all that most of us really need "on the street."

Of course, if you are "into SERIOUS" racing, every little trick is to your advantage.

BT