My sedan sits really low and I don't know where to mount the battery. My frame is kicked up 15" in the rear so I have a little space in front of the rearend. Then I was also thinking of mounting it inside on top of the kickup or under the dash. Just wanted to see what you guys did or any sugg.
Put it in the trunk the kick up would be OK and run o welding cable and a second solenoid to boost compensating for the distance to the trunk. CRUISER
Sealed batteries like Optimas can be mounted sideways or upside down if it'll help make it fit. I've seen some guys use two 6 volt Optimas hooked up in series because they're each skinnier than a 12 volt Optima, and easier to cram into some tight location around the rear axle or something. The stock location on a lot of old pickups and sedans is on the passenger side under the front passenger's feet, hanging down a little lower than the bottom of the frame rail, and with a removable cover. Putting the battery over the rear tires will give you better traction in back by shifting more weight to the rear of the car. If you mount the battery some goofy hard-to-reach place, or under the floor, you should mount a kill switch somewhere that's easy to reach to make it easier to disconnect the battery when you're working on electrical junk.
I'd also put it in the back, right rear helps traction the most (I think). I'd also NOT opt for a split Optima set up. Sure, it looks racy, but it also gives you two more battery terminals / connections to go bad or work their way loose. Gary
I just went thru this, the battery box is in the right hand corner of this picture (you can barely see the box, an optima goes in there sideways. I have a 15" kickup too and didnt want it in the back window. I actually cut three inches off of the aluminum tank to make that happen.
Each car is so unique, make yourself a cardboard box that's battery sized and hop in there til you find the best spot. Two things I would recommend against, first is sideways mounting or anything that would prevent you from installing a 24 hour wal-mart wet cell to get home. Optimas are great, but not foolproof. My 4x4 friends have been using them for over a decade and rarely get 5 years service. That's well within normal wet-cell lifespan. Second thing hasn't been brought up, but will eventually, those tiny dry cell batteries that are supposed to have enough juice to start the car. Not optimas, we're talking motorcycle battery size dry cells. I was highly encouraged to use them last year and resisted the pressure. Good thing, the encourager ran into tiny battery problems as soon as his car hit the road.
forget the battery look cool make it a crank start but if you do not used a sealed battery i would not put it on the inside of the car batterys do give off hydrogen fumes when charging and other corrisives fumes this will only give connection problems later on and for a smelly interior a option would be to use a 12volt battery but a antique looking one and put in the engine comparment a real retro look i have seen 12volt batts that look like early 50s 6volt i like thi side so much i just talked my self into project this saturday
I've had an unsealed battery in the interior of a street sleeper for 2 decades. It's in a permanently installed toolbox with a gasketed lid (slit vacuum hose for a gasket), and two 1/4" holes in the bottom. One has a road draft tube to generate airflow when driving or parked in a breeze. I've garden hosed it out 2 or 3 times over the years. Zero rust, zero fumes. Box and vent the battery and put it wherever it needs to be. If you steal the toolbox idea, don't forget to ask anyone near it to hand ya the tool box. Even people that know will fall for it over and over if you're nonchalant enough. Good luck
Ive got the new yellow top from optima(it was built for the honda civic), its about half the size and just a smidge weaker than the full size. I mounted it on its side under the dash on my modified. I have a high compression SBC and it turns it over plenty fast enough all day long.
I have seen small batteries being put up under the cowl, that is the way that the guys at Custom Auto did with some of their cars. Mine is behind my back seat, which folds forward. Where do you get those Optimas like hr31hr has?
Not an Optima but still an AGM, link below... http://www.gotbatteries.com/items.asp?params=batteries/SLA/1/Hawker/PC680T/SL105/37L105S4
Hot Rod & Custom Stuff put two 6-volt batteries in series behind the back seat in a '29 Tudor sedan. Here's a pic and a link to the rest of the build: http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/GonzModA-24.html
My frame also has a big Z in the back so here is how I mounted my tank and Optima battery. Nothing fancy, just built a tray out of angle iron.
I dont remember exactly but it is an RCI from Summit, 7x17x30 and used to hold 17 gallons before I cut it.
Thanks for that. I just like the fact that it has a narrow width. It seems like you have some good options with it.
This thread has convinced me that my battery will end up back in the engine compartment next to the 6. I have the opposite issue of you Z'd guys. I am TRYING to save as much cabin space as I can.
If you want a car that requires a jump start every time you accidentally flood it a little, that's the battery to build your car around. I'm not being a jerk, just relating what I've seen with those batteries in the real world trying to turn over V8s. In a few years the battery technology will be there. Not today.
I found room under the passenger seat between the frame rails and out riggers. The bottom of the box is even with the bottom of the frame, so the battery is up into the seat riser a bit. The starter solenoid will be next to the battery, so the welder cable up to the starter will not be hot all the time. Hope this helps.
Make sure you've got plenty of space above the battery. VW's had the battery in the back seat and would short out if you had a couple fatties in the back Shawn
I modified an old ammo can to house the battery in my old Econoline. SImilar to Shifty's toolbox idea. They have the gasket seal, they're cheap, they look cool, and kept things sealed up right good in the giant box that was the Econoline.
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