rear mount batt - cable routing

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

Gear grabber said:
With a sealed battery,no need to vent.

Current battery is not sealed

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

I’ll just go ahead and drill straight through bottom of box and floor. I’ll extend the tube inside of the box closer to the top. That no different than drilling a hole higher in the box.

My goal is concealing as much cable and tubing as reasonably possible

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

Like so

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

Ok, got a liitle done in the heat today. It was 100 degrees in the metal garage but lots of ice cold iced tea got me through.

I wanted the battery box above the floor insulation so I cut out the block under the box. This will always stay in place but still allow the spare tire cover with its attached insulation to be removed without needing to move the battery box.

I traced and cut out the carpet including a small slit at the side to allow easy removal of carpet.

The box will be held down by the battery hold down rods and also two additional fasteners. I did not drop the tank to get this done. I drilled the holes from above and installed rivot nuts which you put down through the hole, then tighten with tool and they expand on the underside.

Here's where the vent tube goes through the bottom corner of the box interior, through the floor exiting above the gas tank.

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

I'm gonna put the fuse block right under the access cover for the upper rear shock mount so its really easy to access. The cables will exit the the bottom of the box and go directly behind the rocker cover. I will post more pics as I continue.....

a91what · Jul 21, 2019

Looking good, gutsy drilling with the tank in place but doable as you proved.

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

a91what said:
Looking good, gutsy drilling with the tank in place but doable as you proved.

I'm aware of the risk and made sure the areas I drilled had some air space under them and not in proximity to lines. Then when drilling I barely push on the drill, use a sharp bit and let it cut. You can usually feel when it's about to pop through because the bit starts to vibrate a little. Then you push ever so gently but tense up your entire upper body such that when the bit pops through, it only goes down a small amount. That sounds about right don't it? I'm sure you've been that and done that many times.

General karthief · Jul 21, 2019

I'm kinda leary on the vent tube thing. I think it will not work like that, not sure though.
after some research some batteries have a vent built in to the top portion of the battery, look for a hole near the top side of the battery case.

JD1964 · Jul 21, 2019

General karthief said:
I'm kinda leary on the vent tube thing. I think it will not work like that, not sure though.
after some research some batteries have a vent built in to the top portion of the battery, look for a hole near the top side of the battery case.

I understand your concern, and that's why I asked about it earlier in this thread. I was thinking the battery gasses might rise inside of the enclosure and be trapped if the vent hole was too low. But, extending the tube up high in the box such as shown in post #23 above is basically the same thing as a hole drilled higher up on the side of the box. I'm interested if you can tell me how >> how is that going to have a different effect as sticking the tube through a hole drilled in the side of the box at the same height, then having it turn down the outside of the box and go through the floor. It's the same effect the way I look at it. But if it can be pointed out how I'm wrong, I'm listening.

Honestly i'ts not much of a functional vent either way. A functional vent would have a place where gas can escape, and include a place where clean air can come in. In my opinion, neither way would really "vent" the box, but it would only act as a relief opening to keep air pressure the same on the inside and out. Pressure changes cause by temperature changes is what I mean.

General karthief · Jul 21, 2019

Oh I am in no way saying you are wrong and I was thinking the same thing with the air in, acid gases out. Seems there are conflicting opinions on the internet on whether a vent is even needed, Optima actually has a disclaimer that states in part about using a non vented battery box at your own risk. If I where installing a battery in a hatch I would use a sealed box with a vent tube mounted on the back side near the top using a L and a tube down to the trunk floor and past a few inches down.

JD1964 · Jul 27, 2019

The position I figured I’d pass through the firewall works. I cut the hole from the outside, a small hole first and stuck a screw through to make sure the position was good. There was a little work cutting the insulation away but not too much. I cut the final hole from the engine compartment side of the firewall. I did it with a Dremel. It was a little awkward due to the angle of approach. 3/4” heater hose was fed through and sealed in place with high temp silicone. The cables in the pictures are not secured in their final spot but they bend easy and will be pulled against the firewall en route to their connections. In the last pic I show the Fastronix ($22) fuse block where it will be located under the shock mount access cover. The fuse block comes with boots and I’ll also slide some fuel hose over the shock stud for extra protection.

JD1964 · Jul 28, 2019

I got a some more done today.

Cables come out of battery box and go directly behind rear quarter trim panel. Red goes to fuse holder mounted under shock access cover. One of the blacks goes through the floor behind the panel and connects to the quad shock mount bolt. The other black goes all the way to the engine compartment and bolts to the back of the passenger side cylinder head.

Here's the final position of the fuse holder.

Here they are running under the rear seat. Note some heater hose for extra shielding where it might be needed.

They run along the side of the trans tunnel and enter the engine compartment through the firewall as I showed in previous post.

The white arrows show the neg which is bolted to the head. There's a pigtail loop for freedom of movement. The positive runs under the firewall pinch weld and over towards the solenoid.

TOOLOW91 · Jul 28, 2019

I really hope you get some mesh split loom or even black reg loom to hide the wire in the engine bay some

JD1964 · Jul 28, 2019

TOOLOW91 said:
I really hope you get some mesh split loom or even black reg loom to hide the wire in the engine bay some

You mean for looks? As in the fat red cable is gaudy?

TOOLOW91 · Jul 28, 2019

John Dirks Jr said:
You mean for looks? As in the fat red cable is gaudy?

Yes I get it isn’t a show car but the fat red welding cable just looks out of place there

JD1964 · Jul 31, 2019

Battery in place.

JD1964 · Aug 4, 2019

I finished the rear battery installation and drove the car last night. I truly recognize an improvement. 2nd gear holds traction much better. Still slippery in first but better there too. I have the Lakewood adjustable struts in the garage and I'm ready to put them in. The black battery box blends in good with the interior trim color and the subwoofer box. That woofer box is pretty heavy which helps the traction too I'm sure. The speaker box fits perfect under the hatch at the far rear.

rear mount batt - cable routing

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

a91what

SendMeUrDataLog

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

TOOLOW91

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

TOOLOW91

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to

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