|
Questions about relocating the battery.
#696105
05/12/10 02:30 PM
05/12/10 02:30 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
64physhy
OP
member
|
OP
member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
|
I'm relocating my battery to the trunk ('74 Duster)and have a couple questions.
1. Where on the battery box should the vent tube go? High, low, or does it matter?
2. Ground; I know normally, you would ground to the frame, but since it's uni-body, couldn't I just ground it anywhere on the body? I was thinking of grounding it to the vertical support toward the rear where the jack stows.
3. Routing of Positive cable; I'm also going to be mounting a kill switch on the bumper. From there, should I route the cable under the car inside the frame rail, outside the frame rail, or should I route it inside the car and go through the firewall?
Thanks in advance for recommendations, and pics would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: 64physhy]
#696107
05/12/10 06:16 PM
05/12/10 06:16 PM
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,325
Truckville, the capital of NY
85_Ram_4speed
master
|
master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,325
Truckville, the capital of NY
|
My battery was on a tray--no box. Venting i don't think is a big issue in the trunk. I also had a rear firewall between the seat and rear diagonal supports---i believe that is required for a rear mount battery--or maybe it was for a fuel cell---per NHRA. I don't remember which mod required that to go in but i feel its a good idea anyhow.
As far as running the cable, i ran it through the inside of the car and ran it under the drivers sill plate (be carefull putting the screws back in), but there was a "channel" that had all the wires for the taillights and what not running through it and thats what i ran it through. I feel the less stuff on the outside of the vehicle, the better---except for fuel lines of course. But electrical and brakelines, i put them all in the car.
Grounding, i welded a bolt to the trunk floor so it was like a stud sticking up. for me this worked the best, and you know for sure its always a good contact. I also used it to ground other relays i had in the trunk. But to answer your question, as it is a unibody car, any where on the car is fine. Just make sure the connections are clean of rust and paint.
Outcast Dodge guy.
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: Hemiruss]
#696110
05/12/10 09:06 PM
05/12/10 09:06 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Magnum
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
|
Another option to get around the venting issue is dry cell batteries. They can also be mounted in any postion except upside down.
If you just wire the positive cable through the kill switch. It will not actually kill the engine. The charging system will render it useless.
It's a bit more wiring but a safer and NHRA track legal set up is to run the alternator wire right back to the battery and run a charge wire from the rear switch to feed your fusebox.
I also like to use a Ford style solenoid at the rear. This set up leaves the big heavy starter wire dead until cranking.
69 Super Bee, 93 Mustang LX, 04 Allure Super
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: Magnum]
#696114
05/12/10 10:56 PM
05/12/10 10:56 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,150
Tucson, AZ
Ramrod39
My New Title
|
My New Title
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,150
Tucson, AZ
|
Quote:
If you just wire the positive cable through the kill switch. It will not actually kill the engine. The charging system will render it useless.
It's a bit more wiring but a safer and NHRA track legal set up is to run the alternator wire right back to the battery and run a charge wire from the rear switch to feed your fusebox.
Are you saying that just running the positive cable through the kill switch is not NHRA legal?
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: Magnum]
#696116
05/13/10 10:27 AM
05/13/10 10:27 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
64physhy
OP
member
|
OP
member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
|
Quote:
Another option to get around the venting issue is dry cell batteries. They can also be mounted in any postion except upside down.
If you just wire the positive cable through the kill switch. It will not actually kill the engine. The charging system will render it useless.
It's a bit more wiring but a safer and NHRA track legal set up is to run the alternator wire right back to the battery and run a charge wire from the rear switch to feed your fusebox.
I also like to use a Ford style solenoid at the rear. This set up leaves the big heavy starter wire dead until cranking.
The instructions that came with the switch only show the positive lead hooking up to it. Makes sense though that it won't kill the car. So, let me get this straight; run the alternator wire directly to the battery, then from the battery, both the alternator wire and positive cable will go through the switch. Alternator wire goes to the fuse block, and positive cable to the starter. I'm kind of lost on the relay part. The smaller wire to the starter goes through something, not sure if it's a relay or what, but the big one doesn't go through anything. I had another car once that wasn't a Ford and someone put a Ford relay on it, and it never cranked or started right until I took that relay out.
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: 64physhy]
#696117
05/13/10 06:49 PM
05/13/10 06:49 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Magnum
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,791
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
|
 The only thing I would add to this diagram is a saftey neutral switch wire. With a Ford starter solenoid it will have 2 large and 2 small lugs. To energize the solenoid it needs pos and one lug which will be the small yellow wire from your Dodge starter relay which is hot during cranking. The other lug needs to be grounded. This will come from the transmission saftey neutral switch when in Park or Neutral. Also for a 2 lugs on your Dodge starter will need to be permanently crossed together.
69 Super Bee, 93 Mustang LX, 04 Allure Super
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: HealthServices]
#696119
05/14/10 11:26 AM
05/14/10 11:26 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
64physhy
OP
member
|
OP
member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
|
Thanks for the schematics. I just picked up the Ford Solenoid, now I'm going to go out and try to get this all wired up.
Wouldn't it be easier, and work just as well, to run the hot wire from the alternator back to the cut off switch, so that when the switch is turned off, it also cuts off alternator power to the rest of the system? So the wire would go from the alt to the switch, then from the switch to the starter relay. That would eliminate the need for the Ford Solenoid and all the other extra wiring, and kill the car when the switch is shut off, unless I'm missing something here
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: 64physhy]
#696120
05/14/10 11:58 AM
05/14/10 11:58 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
|
Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
|
You mean like this? This is the way I currently have mined wired. I do not like it because of two things.
- 1. One constant switched large hot wire to the front at all times. If this shorts for any reason it can cause a lot of damage.
- 2. One smaller hot wire that is constantly hot even when the switch is off,
Do it once because if you are like me, you may never find the time to change it to the way you would like it later. 
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: HealthServices]
#696121
05/14/10 12:07 PM
05/14/10 12:07 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
|
Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
|
It would be a good idea to put a fusable link at the battery. couple more versions here https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...page=0&vc=1
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
|
|
|
Re: Questions about relocating the battery.
[Re: HealthServices]
#696124
05/14/10 01:07 PM
05/14/10 01:07 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
64physhy
OP
member
|
OP
member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 154
Escondido, CA
|
I have an MSD E-curve. The red wire from it goes to the coil, and so does an orange one. The original positive wire also goes to the coil, so on the positive side of the coil, there's the positive and the red wire to the MSD (power). The only other wires to the MSD are a green one (tach) and a black one (ground). So wiring it in any of the ways that the alt power is cut off with the switch should cut off the ignition. Like I said, I really hate wiring.
I currently have the engine out to drop in my stroker after I get it all wired up, so it's important that its right so I'm not cranking forever or have something go wrong during break-in. Which just made me think of another question, I'm running an electric fuel pump, that's also not wired up yet. So one wire to the ignition, and the other to the Cut-off switch so power is cut on it with the switch off? Or would it somehow have to run through the Ford solenoid, too? I hate wiring.
|
|
|
|
|
