battery relocation tech Q:

[NUTCASE]

my mustang is a hatchback. and I want to relocate the battery from the engine bay to the back of the car.

now, my car is not really that fast where I need all sorts of safty equipment and such. however, from what I have heard if you hve the batt in the back of the car you have to get an external cutoff swich. this is a daily driven street car so I don't want to have a handle sticking out the back of my car.

I do know you have to have the batt in an enclosed case that is bolted down with a vent tube. but do I really need to have the cutoff swich?

what have some of you hatchback guys done for the safty inspect?

oh yeah, forgot, I use an optima red top batt, dunno if that effects anything

 

[MATREDGT]

If you plan on ever running your car at the track you must have a cut-off switch on the rear of the vehicle in plain view. With the "OFF" Position clearly marked. This of course is if the track is following NHRA etc...., rules. If not you may get away with not having one on the car. The switch must also kill the car completely. This means that if the car is running and the switch is turned of the car must die (the alternator must be hooked up to the switch as well).

If you use a Push/Pull kill switch (Flaming River), the Push function must turn the car off and the Pull on. Lastly no matter what type of battery you run it must be in an approved sealed box. Even though the Optima's, don't give off any vapors they still must be in a box and have a vent tube. This is unless you have a firewall between the battery and the driver, in which case the battery just needs to be secured to the car.

Now I used a Moroso switch and I mounted it behind my license plate so you can't see it. To the average person they can't even tell that my plate is spaced out from the car. If you were to use say the Flaming River Push/Pull switch the handle is easily unscrewed and removed so nothing sticks out the back of the car. Only thing is then you have to worry about the hole that the handle leaves and how to plug it.

Hope this helps and maybe someone else can chime in if some of my info is wrong. If you want some pics of my switch just let me know and I can go take some.

 

[2000xp8]

Matred gave some good advice.

Definetely make sure you run 2 wires, you need to cut the aternator too as he said, this is very important and most tracks will require it.

And make sure to mount the battery cross wise, not front to back (like i did) because the battery's have plates inside of them, and when you mash the throttle they eventually fall into each other and ruin the battery. I don't know if this effects all batteries, but i do know it's true.

 

[MATREDGT]

And make sure to mount the battery cross wise, not front to back (like i did) because the battery's have plates inside of them, and when you mash the throttle they eventually fall into each other and ruin the battery. I don't know if this effects all batteries, but i do know it's true.

You've got to be kidding me. I had no idea that such a thing would happen. I mounted mine front to back, because that is the way I have seen almost every other one mounted. Thanks for the info, but I think I'm gonna wait to kill this battery before I drop the gas tank and remount the box

 

[2000xp8]

You've got to be kidding me. I had no idea that such a thing would happen. I mounted mine front to back, because that is the way I have seen almost every other one mounted. Thanks for the info, but I think I'm gonna wait to kill this battery before I drop the gas tank and remount the box

Don't worry, i haven't had a problem with mine, and it's been quite a while, but the info comes from a very reliable source.

 

[87TTopGT]

Matred gave some good advice.

Definetely make sure you run 2 wires, you need to cut the aternator too as he said, this is very important and most tracks will require it.

And make sure to mount the battery cross wise, not front to back (like i did) because the battery's have plates inside of them, and when you mash the throttle they eventually fall into each other and ruin the battery. I don't know if this effects all batteries, but i do know it's true.

If this is true, it is not applicable with the Optima. They have circular wound substrate material, think of 6 slim rolls of toilet paper packed inside the case. You can mount it any position you want to, it doesn't matter.