I need ballast, however, I appreciate new, viable technology.

Dynabatt fan here. I’ve only had it for a year, but sometimes it sits for a month at a time; lowest voltage has been 12.08. Crank it up and within 5 minutes it’s at 12.8. Price friendly too!

I have been using the Powerlite from Altronics for about 5 years with good results. I have no alternator and it charges up pretty quickly between rounds. Weighs 10 lbs. and it’s 16 volts cranks over my 16-1 small block just fine. Good way to save weight for me. Much better than the 16 volt Turbo Start that I used to use and had to be replaced every year and weighed almost 50 lbs.

Just measured my Optima Red Top... 39.8 lbs. There's an easy 20+ lbs without even going to one of the super small options.

I like Andy's idea of the clamp-on ammeter to do spot-checks on charging characteristics.

Not sure if i agree about your needing ballast. I have a Dakota lithium 60 ah battery that weighs 16 lbs. It delivers the same reserve as a 100ah due to the difference in how the voltage stays up during discharge. It is also 60 amp alternater compatible. With that battery up front, you can dump the long cables to the trunk, saving another 10+ lbs. That would be a minimum reduction of 34 lbs in most cases, more in some. I haven't run it yet, but will in the spring.

as the inner fender below the battery box in my charger is slightly eaten up by acid leaking/gassing, i'm tempted to modify that area to mount a small, lightweight battery, and get rid of the factory mounting tray.
as already said, it would save a bunch of work by not moving the battery into the trunk.
however, what would one do for a cutoff switch at the rear ? a morse cable would work, but what size cable [not the outer sheath] would be appropriate ?
if there was enough room, could the cable possibly be routed along the interior sill plate and pass through the firewall to the front frame rail, and still operate smoothly ?

i have a rear cutoff using a morse cable to the switch up front. Nhra doesn't require a cutoff with a stock battery location up front. No sure on hood requirements

what size cable are you using Greg ?

Originally Posted by moparx
as the inner fender below the battery box in my charger is slightly eaten up by acid leaking/gassing, i'm tempted to modify that area to mount a small, lightweight battery, and get rid of the factory mounting tray.
as already said, it would save a bunch of work by not moving the battery into the trunk.
however, what would one do for a cutoff switch at the rear ? a morse cable would work, but what size cable [not the outer sheath] would be appropriate ?
if there was enough room, could the cable possibly be routed along the interior sill plate and pass through the firewall to the front frame rail, and still operate smoothly ?
beer

i have a rear cutoff using a morse cable to the switch up front. Nhra doesn't require a cutoff with a stock battery location up front. No sure on hood requirements

Exactly what I did. I cut down a repop battery tray, leaving enough room for a cut off switch. Although not required, it is piece of mind to shut off the car's electrical system as needed. Bad pic, but I will post an updates pic later.

Can't remember exactly, maybe 0? About 3/8 fine stranded welding cable. Since everything is up front, a size smaller is ok versus a rear mount cable.

Here are a couple of more pics. Please forgive the wiring mess; I’m changing a few things and haven’t wrapped it back up.