Projects Battery location in a fat ford

I have the battery in my 47 coupe mounted in the trunk, behind the rear seat bulkhead. Also, room for subwoofer tube, scissor jack and tools behind the bulkhead. Still, way more trunk space than any of our late models. Or so it seems.

 

My 36 Chevy is in the fender well, hung off the frame. Been there since 1980.

 

I did this per olscrounger's suggestion, worked great! No battery cluttering up the engine compartment, and no LONG runs of battery cable from the trunk, the battery was about a foot away from the starter.

 

My '55 F100 has battery in the floor below p***enger feet. Maybe 36" from starter, is securely cable-grounded to frame, bellhousing, and body. (!)
Most jobs I did further (or 'finish' work) on came in with hood, body straps disconnected!
A wiseguy said, "They're only grounds...why do you care about grounds?" Like the ground isn't part.
Hell, the ground completes an otherwise OPEN CIRCUIT. Would he listen?
It's akin to Leaving home, and running out of gas partway back. Or forgetting the way.
Boy Scouts learn early on to 'Blaze a trail'. ("You gonna connect those straps now? How come?")
I just recall an echo of a song..."Find Your way back..."

 

Sorry, that doesn't compute. Yes, the fine-strand wire does have a higher current rating, but it's not due to more area. AWG sizes are defined by the actual cross-sectional area of the conductors, end of story. They do make 'compact' wire (where as much space as possible is 'squeezed out' between the strands) that is physically slightly smaller in diameter but still has the same size rating. Check the diameter of a 'standard' conductor with the same maximum current rating as the fine-strand and it will be MUCH larger than the welding cable with a corresponding lower resistance per foot, there simply isn't that much 'unused' space in a standard conductor.

ALL 1/0 copper wire types will have the same voltage drop for a given length, regardless of current rating. As current goes up, so does the drop.

 

Because my headers hit it

 

To get really deep, current is carried on the outer skin of the wire. Stranded wire has a higher rating because there is more surface area on the conductors. That is the reason wire strippers do not hit the conductor. No scratches, groves or gouges, they all increase the resistivity of the conductor.

 

Ah yes, the fabled 'skin effect'. It is a real thing, but of interest only if you're a utility transmitting power hundreds of miles at extreme voltage, in the 100+KV range. This crept into 'general knowledge' via the 'High End' audio cable sellers to tout their products. They used technobabble like skin effect, oxygen-free copper, capacitance-coupled to justify their product prices. It was/is all smoke and mirrors... Proof? There was a highly regarded reviewer at Stereo Review magazine by the name of Emil Hirsch who turned a skeptical eye on these when they first appeared and posted a $10K bond to be paid to any manufacturer who could identify their product in a double-blind listening test. He never paid off. Only one had the nuts to try, they failed. All the rest carefully pretended he didn't exist. Eventually he retired and the publisher decided their advertising dollars were more important than truth.

As to conductor damage when stripping, that's only an issue with aluminum wire, and only if you 'ring' it (nick it at 90 degrees to its length). This can cause the softer aluminum to break/burn off at the nick but that is caused by mechanical stresses while in use, resistance has nothing to do with it.

 

The copper does not run 100s of dollars. The cost is for a battery box not the copper. Most guys just run the cheap plastic marine boxes. You can move the battery for less than 200 bucks and cheaper if you cheap out on the battery box.

Under the floor is a good option for a battery as well. Hang the battery ray off the ch***is and make a hole in the floor to drop that battery in. It takes a little fabrication, but that hot rodding.

 

When I put the Cad in my '40 a couple of years ago the battery had to move and I intended to put it under the p***. fender as several have done with good luck. So I placed the battery on a jack, raised it into what looked to be a good position then mocked up the fender and inner panel. Looked at it from both above and below and said nope! I'm getting too old to be trying to reach and service a battery down in a hole like that. So, it went into the trunk and the remote oil filter is mounted under the fender... it's a lot lighter than a battery.

Not trying to bad mouth the ones who have put the battery under the fender; if it works for you go for it!

 

the Wire insulation has an affect on the amperage rating of the wire

 

I just want to remind the young guys that hot rodders are innovative. When I was young and had not tools or money I would have drilled a hole in a 1/4" piece of steel that matched the lug, sawed the piece at the hole so it was half a hole, and had a crimping tool. B4 I had a lathe I spun parts in an electric drill and used a file or sandpaper to "machine " the part to size. I am not unique by any means. A lot of clever guys out there doing clever stuff. Real hot rodders.Thats why the "build is the adventure for me, not the completion. I enjoy looking at the finished product and remembering all the little challenges and successes. 70 years now I have been doing it and the joy never stops

 

On mine I welded extensions onto the legs of the factory battery box. Cut in the middlish, added the measured amount needed, welded it up.

Super simple and never had a problem.

 

I'll be ****ed, I took a picture of the 'after modification'. Glad I like to take pictures of everything sometimes....

A previous owner made the replacement tray but it was stock otherwise.