rear battery move bagged 69 stepside

[Jimbabwe]

Where have people with 67-72 stepsides put their battery when moving out back on a bagged truck? My tank and compressors are in the spare tire area where people move the gas tank to. Fleetsides seem to have more options with the wider space underneath. I'm not putting it in the bed. Looking for ideas. Thanks.

[lolife99]

Are you going to be using a raised bed floor?

[Jimbabwe]

I'd like to leave it the stock height and only build the floor up and over the bridge, but I may raise the floor at a later date.
Seems like you can put it just about anywhere with the fleet, but not so with the stepper.
I'm thinking maybe on the outside of the frame, inside the step fender, behind the rear wheel, or maybe inside the frame just behind the cab, out of the way of the trailing arm range of motion. I don't think it would fit under the cab where people sometimes put their air tanks, do you?

[502ms]

you need to map out your exhaust, your air lines, your compressor and tank locations. once you have all of that in place, you can decide on battery placement. I have been thinking of this idea as well, but I already raised my floor. I think it is a great idea to put it in the rear, just know where you want to place it, as a lot of wires will need to be routed back there.

[Jimbabwe]

You can see where I put the tank and compressors in the above photo. The air lines and wires run along the inside of the frame on the passenger side. I'm keeping the six cylinder, so the passenger side is open as far as exhaust, but outside the frame is tough with a step bed. I'm not sure the battery can be mounted all the way out back on the outside of the frame and wind up inside the step fender, behind the wheel (toward the back of the truck, not in between the wheel and the frame--the rear was narrowed)
It would help if I just got to the shop and we put the bed back on (cutting it first), but I haven't been able to, so I'm trying to picture it in my head! That's why I thought some various things people have done would be good to see.
Is your battery still up front? It looks like I might be able to keep the heater box with my 18's , but the battery has to go...or maybe just move inward and hack/round-off the side of the tray.

[Spnknu]

Could you build a box on the outside of the frame under the cab with an access panel under the carpet? or just a side post battery incase you ever needed a jump or service the battery.

[Jimbabwe]

Hell, you COULD do anything!

[Spnknu]

Not exactly what I meant, I have a 72 stepside and the way I had planned on placing my battery was building a box and placing it underneath the cab with an access panel under the seat that way it was concealed. I got the idea from my dad's 37 Chevrolet Sedan which utilized this type of fabrication. It wouldn't exactly work for me since my exhaust runs outside the frame thus no place to put a battery box. My solution...I went and bought a fleetside box.

Good luck on whatever you end up doing...

[Jimbabwe]

Yeah, that area under the side of the cab is worth considering. I thought for sure some of those bagged steps I've seen might have a pic of their battery placement, but no biggie. Don't give up so easily on the stepside, everybody's got a fleet! Hell, I even have a fleetside bed sitting in my yard I'm gonna get rid of and stick with the red headed stepchild.

[lolife99]

Have you had your stepside bed on since you installed the Porterbuilt stuff?

[Jimbabwe]

No. Still have to do a few things. Brake lines, driveshaft, exhaust...and cut the bedsides because I narrowed the rear. That would make it easier to see where the space to play is. Just figured I'd see what else had been done.

[Jimbabwe]

That "Oh, I like that one." kind of a thing.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by Jimbabwe

No. Still have to do a few things. Brake lines, driveshaft, exhaust...and cut the bedsides because I narrowed the rear. That would make it easier to see where the space to play is. Just figured I'd see what else had been done.

You might want to mock it up.
I have a stepside with a PB 4-link.
The wheel opening in a stepside bed is approx. 1" closer to the cab than on a fleetside bed.
Talk about a surprise when I threw my stepside bed on for the first time.
The rear wheel wasn't centered in the stepside fender.
(the wheel was too far back).

Long story short,... I ended up moving the PB notch forward and shortening my 4-link bars.
Just a heads up,... in case you want to use the fleetside bed after all.

[lolife99]

There are not many stepside 67-72 trucks with the Dropmember.
That's why this is not well known.

[BLK2K2SILVY]

Originally Posted by Jimbabwe

Hell, you COULD do anything!

Well you could just install it with an open mount on the actual step! You just said you didn't want it IN the bed!

[Jimbabwe]

Originally Posted by lolife99

The wheel opening in a stepside bed is approx. 1" closer to the cab than on a fleetside bed.
Long story short,... I ended up moving the PB notch forward and shortening my 4-link bars.

Oh, I was aware of that. Nate mentioned it a while back, and there was someone who posted a video on youtube of his stepside with front and rear porterbuilt goodies who mentioned that--although not happily!

The trailing arm crossmember has different holes for just that reason, and they've updated their instruction pdf to make you aware!

[Jimbabwe]

Originally Posted by BLK2K2SILVY

Well you could just install it with an open mount on the actual step! You just said you didn't want it IN the bed!

It's funny, I just imagined that last night after seeing someone with an ammo box on his step.

[502ms]

You know, now that I think about it, there is no real room to mount the battery on the outer banks of the frame. Are you doing a notched floor or a total raised floor? Now if you do the raised floor, your options open up! I have considered mounting the battery near the tailgate since I have done the raised floor - I mean, I have tons of room under there, unless, of course, I decide to put the tank back there. But here is what my area looked like before I mounted the false floor.














At this point, battery can go anywhere that you decide to mount it...

[Jimbabwe]

Thanks for those shots, Leon. I'm thinking outside the frame, right behind the notch. Looks like there's a decent amount of space. Even if you needed to cut a bit of the bedside, the battery would maybe be slightly inside the rear of the fender, and that cut would still be unseen under the floor.
I like the raised floor. The truck looks great!
I'm diggin' the train horns too! I've been thinking of doing that. Even posted about it a month or so ago, although it's illegal to use it within the city limits of new york shi%ty. But then, so is running a bike with a 2 into 1 stepped header open megaphone pipe that sounds like a funny car, and no blinkers, and no horn, and...

[lolife99]

What about running a very slim Optima battery?
Only 5-1/16" wide.
http://www.aev.ae/optima-deep-cycle-...lim_1_437.html

[Jimbabwe]

Thumbs up on that. Thanks lolife!!

[lolife99]

My buddy ran one of these slim Optima's in his bagged '63 Caddy for years.
There are several different ones.
So check out the specs.

[502ms]

Originally Posted by Jimbabwe

Thanks for those shots, Leon. I'm thinking outside the frame, right behind the notch. Looks like there's a decent amount of space. Even if you needed to cut a bit of the bedside, the battery would maybe be slightly inside the rear of the fender, and that cut would still be unseen under the floor.
I like the raised floor. The truck looks great!
I'm diggin' the train horns too! I've been thinking of doing that. Even posted about it a month or so ago, although it's illegal to use it within the city limits of new york shi%ty. But then, so is running a bike with a 2 into 1 stepped header open megaphone pipe that sounds like a funny car, and no blinkers, and no horn, and...

That should work -especially if you do the slim Optima! Thanks for the compliments! I love my train horns! They make people move...especially those texting at the light, or sleeping in the turn lane...or driving slow next to another car and blocking 3 miles of traffic behind us...or just for fun! LOL!
I don't care. I got a ticket ($500), but I think it was worth it. This happened when I first started driving it. But the cop was an @$$. Lady literally sleeping at the light. I blew the horn to wake her up. We were sitting in a turn lane, at a green light, with NO ONE coming.

The firefighters love it. The EMS's love it. (I clear a path for them when people are blocking them from going through).

[king-918]

Originally Posted by Jimbabwe

Thanks for those shots, Leon. I'm thinking outside the frame, right behind the notch. Looks like there's a decent amount of space. Even if you needed to cut a bit of the bedside, the battery would maybe be slightly inside the rear of the fender, and that cut would still be unseen under the floor.
I like the raised floor. The truck looks great!
I'm diggin' the train horns too! I've been thinking of doing that. Even posted about it a month or so ago, although it's illegal to use it within the city limits of new york shi%ty. But then, so is running a bike with a 2 into 1 stepped header open megaphone pipe that sounds like a funny car, and no blinkers, and no horn, and...

Do the horns. Best mod yet and my truck is still being built
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[king-918]

Oh yeah nice work
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