Weight distribution of '65-6 Chevy C10

[thelawdoc]

Gentlemen, Has anyone weighed their truck 'at the corners?' I have a '65-'66 C10, 250 w/alum 2spd auto Powerglide, gas tank at the rear, under the bed. She is pretty much stock, wooden boards on bed. I am looking to put on a battery box in the vicinity of the front of the bed and to remove the battery that is currently in the engine bay, at the front, passenger's corner. Would like to 'fine tune' the placement as best as I can. Thanks, guys.

[ChrisDollins]

I'd love to see some of these figures too. The fbody world was full of weight loss lists and distribution tricks. Would love for the pickup community to get into it more too. Every truck will be a little different. Only way to know is to pick some scales up or find a friend and weight it there (what I do).

Chris

[PGSigns]

With that small a weight you will not notice any difference no matter where you put it. Truck weighs about 3300 pounds and a battery and box is less than 2% of that.
Jimmy

[thelawdoc]

Chris, I suppose there must be a shop that has such scales, but I never heard of one. I only came to know of such a thing when I read an online article about the significance of battery weight. For me, I need to put in a larger battery than the stock size. I know I could enlarge the stock area, but I prefer to put up a battery box more to the rear so that I can also stuff in there a deep cycle. I was supposing that of the thousands of guys here, someone must have done the numbers and then I can just estimate off of theirs. Alden

[thelawdoc]

PGSigns, Yes, that is pretty much what I read, except that they say it is a change that can be felt on turns. I am just trying to figure out whether I would put the batteries in the center, or off to one side, at the head of the bed. I am not all that concerned about what I may or may not feel on turns, but I figured that if there be any difference between placing them centered, or off to one side, I might as well place them accordingly. -Alden

[ChrisDollins]

They are individual scales that go under each wheel. That way you can corner balance. The battery won't make a huge difference, but I would figure passenger side would be best to offset driver weight.

Chris

[thelawdoc]

Chris, yep. Certainly makes sense to keep it on the same side. Seems almost obvious. I was not sure that there was a real need to get the corner weights but when the more experienced write articles saying so...

[ChrisDollins]

If you're going to be doing any sort of racing, drag or auto-x/road racing, it is very helpful information. I didn't splurge for my own set when I was eat up into drag racing, but a friend of mine in town had a set that I used a couple of times. Really helped in adjusting the coilovers and moving weight around to get it to stick well.

Chris

[thelawdoc]

Chris, Ahhh. The race guys. Now I get it. Nooooo. My babe is no racer. I will be doing some camping trips up into Labrador, but mostly the truck will be helping me out at my backwoods property in north-eastern Maine. So I am not going to fret about the precise placement of the batteries. Thanks. Alden

[LostMy65]

We sit on one side.
Someone else may ride with us.

[ChrisDollins]

Lol, then you definitely don't need to worry about battery placement! I just thought the way you were talking about weight distribution and feeling it in the corners that's what you were doing with the truck. I wouldn't move the battery at all. It's much more convenient where it is.

Chris

[ChrisDollins]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

We sit on one side.
Someone else may ride with us.

Most of the time on a race track, the driver is alone. I thought that was where this thread was headed. My bad!

Chris

[thelawdoc]

LostMy65, Chris, Yes, it may be convenient, but I want to swap it out for some extra CCA's, which come at the best price in a larger battery, and the cutting and welding would be a chore for me. Plus, I have to put on a battery box anyway for the deep cycle, so I will just do them up together. -Alden

[ChrisDollins]

Oh ok cool. Seems like I've seen a drop out box located behind the passenger door under the bed. If it was an easy to work box and had long enough cables, it would be easy to get to.

Chris

Edit: I used a red top optima for a long time and had no issues. Not sure how much money you're wanting to save, but be sure to factor in the box, hardware, and longer cables if needed. May actually be more than buying the better battery that would fit in the factory spot.

[thelawdoc]

Chris, yes, I have seen them. Real nice, and some are pretty fancy. I'm just going to keep it simple.

[ChrisDollins]

I understand! Post up pics when you do it, I'd like to see it. I've recently thought about changing mine up and doing some weight reduction. But with the 250/3 on the column, it seems kind of pointless haha.

Chris

[66Submarine]

What's the deal with the giant cranking battery? I think you might be overthinking things a bit; you are only spinning over a little 250.

[thelawdoc]

66, just a comfort factor. The starting battery will be about 700/900 cca/ca, which is just a small step up from regular truck batteries, but it is a couple inches too large for the stock shelf. But the larger lead acid is much cheaper than the smaller, stock size. As for the deep cycle, I have to have that for camping trips up into northeastern Canada. Since I have to tack on a battery box for the deep cycle, I figured I would do one to take the starter battery as well, and save some money. -Alden

[thelawdoc]

Chris, sorry, I missed your added comment up above. I have welder's cable and enough sheet steel to do up a box. The distance from the front of the bed to the starter is not all that much longer than what we have now; I do not see voltage drop to be a problem. I have seen batteries moved to the rear using cable that is smaller gauge than welding cable. I also have 0gg and I think some 00gg at my brother's place. Optimas are great, I am sure, but I do not feel that I have to spend that money. I am constantly around my truck, checking stuff and maintaining stuff is no hassle. Alden

[LVPhotos]

My red top Optima is 900 cca with high torque starter and 9.5 : 1 compression. Durango ran a yellow top deep cycle at 900 and now I got two red tops sparking my Cummins. Save the cash and get one of these. As cold as it is there you have an oil warmer? Sure that 250 turns well. Drop the oil weight and all that for winter?

[66Submarine]

FWIW, the battery in my truck now is a cheap ($62) marine battery rated @ 625MCA, which is apparently only 500CCA.

[thelawdoc]

LVPhotos, the northern winters and bitter cold must be reckoned with. My 250 turns over real nice -here in NYC winters. I have not had her out yet in a Canadian winter. The extra capacity cca might be appreciated. I will also have a small winch. The starter battery is not a deep cycle. My deep cycle battery is a separate battery, with a separate, smart, charge controller, not slated for recharging via the alternator. Rather it would be charged with solar and wind, on site. We spend time in some pretty remote places, with the usual toys- laptops, sat.dish, LED lighting. No grid up there. Battery warmers and oil pan heaters are great items if you have utility supply. There are battery warmers and oil pan heaters and some other items that will give the few hours needed for warmup off of a battery, but it has to be a d.c. battery. Alden

[ChrisDollins]

I've heard people talk about voltage drop as well. I relocated a red top in my Z28 to the trunk and used larger cable. Never had any issues. As long as you have good clean connections and a good ground, I highly doubt you will have any trouble. I was only talking about the money stand point. But if you can weld and have the stuff already, I say go for it. I can't weld and don't have the equipment, so I have to buy lol.

Chris

[ChrisDollins]

Double post....

Chris

[ChrisDollins]

Originally Posted by thelawdoc

LVPhotos, the northern winters and bitter cold must be reckoned with. My 250 turns over real nice -here in NYC winters. I have not had her out yet in a Canadian winter. The extra capacity cca might be appreciated. I will also have a small winch. The starter battery is not a deep cycle. My deep cycle battery is a separate battery, with a separate, smart, charge controller, not slated for recharging via the alternator. Rather it would be charged with solar and wind, on site. We spend time in some pretty remote places, with the usual toys- laptops, sat.dish, LED lighting. No grid up there. Battery warmers and oil pan heaters are great items if you have utility supply. There are battery warmers and oil pan heaters and some other items that will give the few hours needed for warmup off of a battery, but it has to be a d.c. battery. Alden

Sounds like a cool adventure! I would want to be prepared up there as well!

Chris