Battery relocation

[Russell]

Hey guys! I'm gonna need to relocate my battery to the other side of my rad, what all would I need to do as much? Just a longer positive battery cable and a driver's side battery try from a dual battery truck?

[Grim Reaper]

Yep that's basicly it. Get as fat of a cable as you can.

Dealer was able to still get the driverside batery bracket and the battery tray (the tray is same left right bracket is the different part). They got me $12 for the tray and I thing the bracket was like $15.

[Senor_paco]

I'm making a battery box, and mig welding it to the inside of the frame under the cab. It'll be away from exhaust, and will be a pair of sealed optima batteries. I'm gonna have a couple of heavy bungee bands holding them in place. The main reason for this, other than moving the weight back, is to have a central location for the starter/electrical system power, as well as the 2 1000w sony amps under the bench seat. I currently use 4ga instead of 6ga to the starter, and it spins like a turbine when I hit the key. also, 4 ga will handle the max 2000w, whereas 6ga handles about 1000w. I'm using 16ga, and will drill some holes in the back to help with the mig welding to the frame. then just unfasten a couple of bolts, and the old battery tray and support bracket are history.

[cliffsta]

lol my battery is being held in place by a belt. not an automotive belt, a wear-around-your-jeans belt. the battery tray is like almost non existent; but don't worry im ordering a new tray and everything like next week or sooner since my battery is acting like it is time...

[1FaastC10]

Originally Posted by Senor_paco

I'm making a battery box, and mig welding it to the inside of the frame under the cab. It'll be away from exhaust, and will be a pair of sealed optima batteries. I'm gonna have a couple of heavy bungee bands holding them in place.

nice... since you're going to be doing some fab work anyways, why not make something that will hold them in securely, rather than turning a good mod into a hack job.

[Tom]

In my black truck I used a nice hold down bar for the battery....I had two batterys end up upside down, empty and dead. I have one bungee cord on the battery in the 79, its given me years of not one single problem. You call it a hack job, I call it somthing that works.

[RockHQ]

You can get get a good frame mount battery tray from 1997 or newer vans with diesels (or any van with dual battery RPO). It mounts to the side of the frame with 4 bolts. Earlier model Vans had a frame mount battery option but it's not as easy to adapt.

[Grim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Tom

In my black truck I used a nice hold down bar for the battery....I had two batterys end up upside down, empty and dead. I have one bungee cord on the battery in the 79, its given me years of not one single problem. You call it a hack job, I call it somthing that works.

I call it a good way to get a battery tossed into a radiator on a good bump.
My 4x4 club will not let you ride with them if tha battery is like that. We require the battery be bolted down like facotr or better. Why? cause more then once we have had to patch radiators back together 2-3 miles of hard trail into the woods. One time the battery ended up upside down on the frame and welded itself there and caught fire. That was when the rule was made.

It doesn't take a lot of effort do get a good battery tray BOLTED in. They are readily available in universal form at most parts stores. It's a lot cheaper then a radiator or a truck.

[Senor_paco]

Originally Posted by 1FaastC10

nice... since you're going to be doing some fab work anyways, why not make something that will hold them in securely, rather than turning a good mod into a hack job.

I thought the solid rubber would be good to keep them put. I'm not a fan of threaded rods, but was planning to put a couple of holes across the top, to pass a 1/4" or so bar to keep them in place, with a washer on one end, and a hitch clip in the other, to facilitate easy removal. the bungee was just to minimize any vibration not handled by the rubber pad on the bottom. and since these are completely sealed batteries, I don't have to worry about venting or leakage or corrosion (yay!)

[Senor_paco]

He'd be a lot better off getting a battery box, bolting or welding(if metal) to the front pass corner of the bed by the bulkhead. that space is hardly used anyway (at least by me). my .02

[SanitysBane]

i just bought a cheap black plastic box from wallmart, used the suplied mounting hardwere, and used 1/0 ga wire from home depo as well as some rubber inserts to put in the holes in the bed, dad got some crimp on 1/0 ga lugs for the started and i heat shricked it as well, i got a cheap-o bolt on to the end of the wire type clamb for the battery end of the wire and heatshrinked that end too, my truck came with a 2 ga wire and that had a hard time of turning the starter on my 454 due to voltage drop across the wire, i got a 1/0 battery cable from tractor suply or auto zone has them, that worked, but i got tired of having my battery tied down with a pice of string and a tauntline hitch(im an eagle scout so i know knots) its been working great, xpt im afraid of some idiots stealing my battery at school, its not NHRA certified cause the battery would need to a suport system welded to the bed, but i have an IHRA track here so im not to worried about it, for any battery cable i would use 1/0 wire or maybe even 2/0 if you were moving it all the way to the bed, i wish that i did use 2/0, but i didn't think to at the time,

[apstguy]

Why do you want to relocate it? The only reason I can think of is so that the positive battery yerminal isn't so close to the core support. If that is your only reason, they have reverse polarity batteries.

[Russell]

My TPI air cleaner will sit pretty much right where the battery tray is right now, so I gotta move it to the Driver's side.