Battery Relocation ?'s

SeventyMach1

Keep it lubed .... keep it straight .... and keep
Mar 30, 2005
1,940
2
36
North Carolina
Okay ... I just got a red top Optima (thanks for the help Ernan ... the 34/78 is great). I notched the factory tray (which is now busted up where the bottom bolt goes). I don't have a "hold down" yet .... and I really needed to extend the cables since the posts are narrower.


So now I'm considering putting it in the trunk. I don't feel like paying $190 for a relocation kit.


1.) Is it true that you don't need a battery box with these batteries?


2.) What exactly all do I need to mount & wire this thing into the trunk?
 
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ok, the general rule is that if the battery is a gel-cell type/SLA(sealed lead acid) - then you do not require a closed battery box since there is nowhere for battery acid to leak from.

If you move it to the trunk, keep in mind the extra weight gained from the cable too.

Edit: If you mount the battery in the trunk without a box, check with your local laws as to the standard of bolt/strap required to hold it down the the body.
 
Justin, if you wanted, you could use a marine battery box (under 10 bucks at wally mart). You could trim-it-out nicely I bet (cover it in vinyl, red crushed velvet velour, etc). :D

Just an option.

Good luck mang.
 
I just installed the Summit battery relocation kit in my trunk. I have an Optima, and wasnt worried about IHRA/NHRA rules so the Summit kit worked well, since it came with all of the cable, ends, box, etc. The only thing is that I have to figure out a way to tie the battery down, since the supplied bracket doesnt fit along the sides of my Optima while in the box, and I don't trust the box the keep the battery in.
 
i use the same optima battery in a upr box in the trunk. wiring is straightforward, i ran the positive from the trunk, under all carpet and rear sear delete, and through the hole in the firewall where the cruise control vacuum hose was (deleted cruise control also) and connected it right to the underhood fuse box. for the ground i used the factory ground cable, its a double ground. the big ground i ran through a hole in the trunk an bolted it to a bolt near the quad schock bracket. the small one i just grounded to the stud that runs through the trunk that mounts the box. i have an almost brand new battery tray if anyone needs it.
 
SM0k3 said:
might be doing this soon. Anyone know what gauge the positive wire is?, need to buy that and the ends.

I know the summit kit I bought came with 2 guage cable. I wouldn' go any smaller than that for the length of cable needed to go from the trunk to the engine bay.
 
SM0k3 said:
word, technically anything changed much from the way it came from the factory isnt legal, but i dont think anyone is that much of a dick haha
so true :lol:

what NON-auto technical people (lawmakers) are trying to throw at everyone is that battery = spark and spark closer to a gas tank is bad :rlaugh:
 
I gott the jegs or summit kit back when they just came out and were selling it for $25 bux. I thought it was a sweet deal. I mean you cant even get 20' of 2 ga. cable for that much now a days. Although I dont really like the plastic box, I'm still running it and I road raced with it once so far however they didn't like it too much at tech. I need to get a nice sturdy metal box. But yea I ran the main fuse box wire to the starter and the wire from the battery to the starter underneath the car through a hole in the trunk. Been working good for a while now.
 
I got the Summit kit and didn't like the plastic box much either. The rest of the kit worked great. I had a piece of thin guage channel iron laying around that I notched, bent and welded into a battery tray. I welded the studs from the kit onto it, painted it up and bolted it into the trunk. I would (and did) drop the tank before doing any drilling through the trunk floor pan. The tank is pretty tight to the pan as the previous owner of my car found out. He put three sheet metal screws through the tank when installing his amp in the trunk.

EDIT: I have an Optima battery also. I wouldn't use a wet cell in the trunk unless it was fully enclosed and vented.