Locating battery to trunk?

84convertablegt · May 12, 2005

OK, pretty self explanatory but i have a few questions.... where did you all route your wire? where did you connect the negative wire in the trunk? what did you do with the negative wire in the engine compartment that used to hook up to the battery? if anyone has pictures to go along with there story, i like visuals although not really neccesary! thanks

ron67fb · May 12, 2005

My positive wire is run between the passenger seat and rocker panel, I didn't bother hiding it, then through a grommet in the firewall. Negative cable is run through the trunk floor through a grommet, then bolted onto the frame rail. There is also a rubber vent hose going through the floor.

I left the original cables up front. I might put the battery back in front since battery acid in the trunk has been bad news to me, even with a sealed box. I'll leave a pair of remote terminals in the trunk though, as jump starting through the trunk is so much easier. Charging my battery without opening the hood is also a plus.

grego37 · May 12, 2005

route your Neg. from the battery to a good solid ground near the battery.I bolted it to the inner bracket of the bumper where it comes off the frame.

Run the positive from the battery all the way up to the starter solonoid. I ran it from the trunk , over the inner wheel well, under the still plate, up under the dash, and out inside the pass fender up high, using adel clamps off the underside of the fender bolts, and drilled a hole to come out right at the starter solonoid.
I used 1GA welding cable.
dont forget to ground your engine to your chassis with a ground strap.
good luck.

be sure and use rubber gromets when going through any hole.

Edbert · May 12, 2005

I ran my B+ cable the same way, but under the carpet. In the trunk I connected the B- to the frame of my battery mount, got a good ground there and did not want any new holes. I took the negative cable out of the engine compartment altogether, but don;t forget to ground the block, use a strap instead of a cable, if you put a hold-down on the driver's side it can serve two purposes "D

grego37 · May 12, 2005

Edbert said:
, but don;t forget to ground the block, use a strap instead of a cable, if you put a hold-down on the driver's side it can serve two purposes "D

That is if your torque strap is solid metal (turn buckle etc...) .
But if it's made from nylon (seatbelt material) in wont work as a chassis ground. But im sure you know that.

Billgear · May 12, 2005

I ran the wires up over the rear wheel well and then down under door sill and finally crossed under the front fender into engine compartment. I welded a bolt into the trunk area for the ground, behind battery box. I also moved the selinoid to the trunk, so the starter wire was only hot during engine cranking. The other wires can be fused to avoid the issue of running big power leads through the car. The starter wire can't be fused. I used cutoff switch (see fuseable links) to be race legal. You could use a similar switch inside the trunk for added theft protection or as quick way of disconnecting the battery.
The negative wire up front is removed, just make sure that the engine has a good ground to the chassis. In place of the selinoid, you can use a terminal post to pick-up your needed hot leads up under the hood.

HistoricMustang · May 12, 2005

grego37 said:
route your Neg. from the battery to a good solid ground near the battery.I bolted it to the inner bracket of the bumper where it comes off the frame.

Run the positive from the battery all the way up to the starter solonoid. I ran it from the trunk , over the inner wheel well, under the still plate, up under the dash, and out inside the pass fender up high, using adel clamps off the underside of the fender bolts, and drilled a hole to come out right at the starter solonoid.
I used 1GA welding cable.
dont forget to ground your engine to your chassis with a ground strap.
good luck.

be sure and use rubber gromets when going through any hole.

I did the exact same thing!

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

Pathfinder65 · May 12, 2005

HistoricMustang said:
I did the exact same thing!

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

I also routed it this way. Very clean. I also put cable wrap (that black plastic sleeving)around the battery cable all along the length except under the hood.
Dave

stangman67 · May 12, 2005

I put a grommet in the trunk floor and ran a 2 gauge cable under the car. Held to the frame rails, subframe connector, and up to the solinoid.

rufusbooth · May 12, 2005

ron67fb said:
I might put the battery back in front since battery acid in the trunk has been bad news

Just a suggestion for everyone concerned about acid in the trunk. Get an Optima battery. They last longer than a conventional battery and it is a gel acid that will not leak. In fact, they contain acid so well that I no longer use anti-corrosion material of any kind on my battery terminals. No corrosion at all.

Cheers, Rufus

ron67fb · May 13, 2005

rufusbooth said:
Just a suggestion for everyone concerned about acid in the trunk. Get an Optima battery. They last longer than a conventional battery and it is a gel acid that will not leak. In fact, they contain acid so well that I no longer use anti-corrosion material of any kind on my battery terminals. No corrosion at all.

Cheers, Rufus

Yeah I think my next battery is going to be an Optima. I can't believe the trunk still rusted with a sealed box. But for now moving the battery back up front will cost me nothing.

HistoricMustang · May 13, 2005

rufusbooth said:
Just a suggestion for everyone concerned about acid in the trunk. Get an Optima battery. They last longer than a conventional battery and it is a gel acid that will not leak. In fact, they contain acid so well that I no longer use anti-corrosion material of any kind on my battery terminals. No corrosion at all.

Cheers, Rufus

I am also going this route. Thanks.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

Hack · May 13, 2005

rufusbooth said:
Just a suggestion for everyone concerned about acid in the trunk. Get an Optima battery. They last longer than a conventional battery and it is a gel acid that will not leak. In fact, they contain acid so well that I no longer use anti-corrosion material of any kind on my battery terminals. No corrosion at all.

Cheers, Rufus

One thing I've heard about Optima batteries is that they're fine for vehicles that get used daily, but not good for occasional use. At the parts store I go to (they know my name I go there so much), there's a guy who's into old Mustangs and street rods. He's tried Optima batteries in street rods and didn't like the results.

grego37 · May 13, 2005

Hack said:
One thing I've heard about Optima batteries is that they're fine for vehicles that get used daily, but not good for occasional use. At the parts store I go to (they know my name I go there so much), there's a guy who's into old Mustangs and street rods. He's tried Optima batteries in street rods and didn't like the results.

I've never heard anything like that. I've heard the direct opposite, due to their spiral design and gel, they have much longer shelf life, they hold their charge longer. I've been using them for years , never had a problem, wouldn't use anything else. However, like any battery dont let it sit there for 6 months without use, and dont leave it sitting on the cement floor, just be sure and get the red one (for starting)
the yellow one is deep cycle, for RV's ,Boats, camping ,deep cycle.

Edbert · May 13, 2005

Hack · May 13, 2005

grego37 said:
I've never heard anything like that. I've heard the direct opposite, due to their spiral design and gel, they have much longer shelf life, they hold their charge longer. I've been using them for years , never had a problem, wouldn't use anything else. However, like any battery dont let it sit there for 6 months without use, and dont leave it sitting on the cement floor, just be sure and get the red one (for starting)
the yellow one is deep cycle, for RV's ,Boats, camping ,deep cycle.

In Minnesota with a classic car, the car doesn't get used for 4-6 months out of the year - every year. Just a fact of life.

The cement floor thing is a myth. I let my battery sit on a cement floor for 4-6 months every winter and I don't have any problems.

Alarus · May 13, 2005

Im thinking about doing the very same thing but have no idea where to start...ive picked up that i should put the bat near the rear bumper and ground it on the bumper where it touches the frame, how much wire would i need (1973 stang if that makes a diff from your 60's) and how would i go about the wireing

BLOWN 5.0 FOX · May 13, 2005

1/0 welding cable is where its at. I can not praise it enough! Well worth the money ( $2+ /ft)

Route666 · May 13, 2005

So no-one bothered with running an earth cable from the battery negative up to the front?

I think the optima dry cell might be the only choice in some places, I think here it's illegal to put a battery in a sealed place, especially the passenger compartment, which I think (here at least) the trunk is considered also. Although a standard lead-acid battery may be alright in a sealed, vented box in the trunk.

Edbert · May 14, 2005

Route666 said:
So no-one bothered with running an earth cable from the battery negative up to the front?

I see zero benefit to this, all I can think of is negatives...LOL!

Locating battery to trunk?

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