FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Ive decided to put my battery in the boot, any good sugesstions or any one who has done this??  Also what is a good product to clean the engine bay with, its lookingf a bit sad from the new body paint

                                                           tayz

I'm using a batt box from Super cheap or rares and Earthing into chasis. with positive I'm running up inside of car (and insulating well incl a fuse) to the starter motor. I'll be cutting it half way to install a kill switch but run a positive to the radio (if I ever buy one) before the kill switch so memory of radio stations etc is kept.
Thats the plan anyway

How much are battery boxes?? My mate is geting me the cables hopefully, it looks like a fairly straight forward job to do

Tayz,

Use a product called 'Shift It' to clean your engine bay.

Available from Repco/Supercheap and does work.

Make sure you run an earth cable at both ends, battery to chassis (clean metal), and engine block to chassis (clean metal). We always used welding cable, high AMP multi-strand and well insulated. Solder and crimp the connections, this will give a lower contact resistance.

Cheers,

Craig

Thanks craig, a mate came over before and told me the same thing about earthing it, hes going to give me a hand to do it.  I will try that product this weekend, thanks for the tip!!
8)
                                                                 tayz

Another thing Tayz, IMHO you should run the battery cable under the car, not in it.

This is high current you are dealing with and if there is a short inside the car it will catch fire quickly.

Usually its best to run it on the opposite side chassis rail to the fuel line and mount it using rubberised mounting clips. Go to your local electrical wholesaler and tell him what you are doing, they are sure to recommend the right clips and connectors. Also ensure each time it crosses through the chassis you double insulate it - the sheath on the cable is one level of insulation, a grommet is two levels, but a third would be wise insurance.

Have fun.

Cheers,

Craig.

PS: Just an opinion, but I'm not a fan of batteries in boots. Dangerous and generally unwarranted in a street driven car. Show cars OK, street driven, I don't see the point.

If you really have to fit the battery in the boot at least fit a completly sealed one or one with a vent tube like the BMW's and Merc's.
The battery would also have to have a higher CCA rating to allow for some volt drop.
You also wouldn't want a cell to short out creating explosive gases which could enter the cab or worst still,ignite via a boot light switch.

Seb

hi tayz, the battery im using in mine ( installed in boot)
is a sealed calcium battery, very very good and only a little more expensive, these apparently do not need to be encased in a battery box as they are not vented but i am going to pop mine in a box just to keep the rego boys happy when i go over the pits.
it is also rated to put out 720 cold cranking amps, but when we put a decent meter on it in the battery shop it pushed out another 10% on top of that , there is heaps of power to turn even the most stubourn engine over.

also as craig said, run the cable outside the vehicle, very easy to do and if you runb it along the inside of the sills it will exit nice and neat right under the starter motor.
the only other thing to keep in mind especially if you are going to use welding cable is that they dont like moisture at all. so if you can seal the ends of the cable especially at the starter motor,you will get a longer safer charge flow. i have been told of this by an electrical engineer.
cheers
dean

Thanks for the replys fellas Ive taken all info on board.  My FC is definately not a show car but it also probably wont see the road all that much either, I think the battery gone looks heaps better.  I priced a box tonight at REPCO and it was 50 bucks, is that what they are??  I checked the bay and they are half that with about 7 bucks postage.  Craig, shift it was 7 bucks!! nice price and it works well thanks for the tip (I will buy a new battrey like yrs smithy)

                                                             tayz

Glad you liked the Shift It Tayz, can't wait to see the car finished.

Just be careful because it can affect the original paint finish.

Cheers,

Craig.

All very good advice,also if running the cable under the car,can be an idea to feed the cable through a flexible corrugated electrical conduit for extra insulation/mechanical protection.Use at least size 0 multistrand auto starter cable or 00 if you can afford it to reduce the voltage drop(there's a lot over that distance) when cranking.Heat shrink the ends for moisture(as mentioned by Smithy). I saw supercheap had battery boxes for $15 to $20.Make sure the battery is clamped down with a proper battery clamp(not rattling around in the box) This is compulsory if you ever do any racing at a drag strip,and just makes the whole install safer. :)