Summit Racing battery relo. box - How to make track legal?

[criticman]

So I bought the Summit Racing battery relocation kit a LONG time ago...never got around to returning it when I found it was not track legal.

So, is there any way to make it track legal in a hatchback? Any mods to the box, running a vent tube, etc?

At the very least, what wires are necessary to make sure it is useful...I recall reading numerous places about how the wires with the kit are too small.

 

[COP TZER]

NHRA and IHRA rules say you must run a sealed type battery box in a hatchback. Like the Moroso blue battery box. It has a sealed screw down top and has a vent tube to run to the outside.

If you have the box with the lid and a strap and cant return it i would either sell the kit to someone that has a trunk model car or just install that one til you have the money to get the right one. I think the Moroso kit runs about 110-130. Most tracks will let you run for a little while but you do need a sealed type box.

Locating the battery to the trunk you must also have a cut off switch on the back of the car that is labeled on and off and it has to cut the car off as soon is the switch is cut off.

 

[Hickfied]

I thought that if you ran a bulkhead, it would be legal?

 

[COP TZER]

Whats a bulkhead?

 

[criticman]

It seems to me that, since the Moroso blue battery box you refer to is plastic and the only difference is the way it seals (has foam around edge to keep it "air tight" and the "easy release" fasteners around the lid), that you could convert the Summit box into a street legal piece.

Get a foam seal for the lid (make one out of Home Depot/Lowes parts) and then use another way to secure the lid instead of the straps (again, from hardware store parts).

If someone has thoughts on whether or not that would clear a tech inspection, let me know.

On the other question I asked - what gauge wires (and what length) are necessary to properly wire up a battery relocated to the trunk. As I said up top, I know the Summit box does not have good cabling.

Hmm, I wonder since it doesn't state a return policy time frame on the receipt if I could just send the damn thing back to Summit for a refund of the $4x.xx it cost me a year ago?

 

[COP TZER]

If its the box im thinking of, its the same "marine" type box they sell at auto zone. I guess you could spend a few hours working on the box and about 20-30 dollars at the hardware store. But why go through all that in the end you still have a POS plastic box. Why not just sell the kit for 30 bucks and spend another 90 and get the real deal. At least you know that its safe and its not gonna come apart in a crash. Not sure if you have ever had battery acid on you in a crash but it doesnt look fun.

As far as wire i would use at least 4 gauge. I think 6-8 gauge comes with the kit and that fine, but if you want something that lasts 2 or 4 gauge. Play if safe and get a 20 foot roll.

 

[2000xp8]

The summit box is a glorified camper battery holder, meant to be outside in the free air, not in the car.

Get the moroso or taylor box. I have the taylor kit, got it NIB off of ebay for $70, then another $25 on the disconnect which is also needed.

If i had to do it again, it would be the moroso, and aluminum box with jumper cables is a nightmare.

 

[criticman]

...aluminum box with jumper cables is a nightmare.

Heh, yeah.

I think I will see about returning it to Summit, then get a good box.

Where do people mount them? In the spare tire well? Just drop the tank, drill holes, bolt them down?

 

[2000xp8]

You mount them right over the P side wheel.
Not where the spare goes.

If i remember correctly, i got both the hold down threaded rods through the frame.

 

[90lxcoupe]

why would you want it over the passenger wheel and not the drivers side? and how much work is it to do the switch?

 

[criticman]

Pass. side instead of driver side to offset driver weight from left to right.

The switches don't seem too hard to setup, but hiding them from idiots out in public is another story.

 

[2000xp8]

A mustang is prone to spinning the passenger tire first, and most. The car tends to torque all it's weight on to it.

The switch can be a PITA, because you need to also run a wire to the alternator so when they test it at the track, it shuts the car off. If you just kill the battery, the car still runs, making it purposeless.

 

[jrichker]

Rear mounted battery ground wiring. Follow this plan and
you will have zero ground problems.

One 1 gauge or 1/0 gauge wire from battery negative post
to a clean shiny spot on the chassis near the battery. Use
a 5/16” bolt and bolt it down to make the rear ground.
Use a 1 gauge or 1/0 gauge wire from the rear ground
bolt to a clean shiny spot on the block.

One 4 gauge wire from the block where you connected
the battery ground wire to the chassis ground where the
battery was mounted up front. Use a 5/16” bolt and bolt
down the 4 gauge engine to chassis ground, make sure
that it the metal around the bolt is clean & shiny. This
is the alternator power ground.

The computer has a dedicated power ground wire with
a cylindrical quick connect (about 2 ½”long by 1” diameter.
It comes out of the wiring harness near the ignition coil &
starter solenoid (or relay). Be sure to bolt it to the chassis
ground in the same place as you bolted the alternator power
ground. This is an absolute don’t overlook it item for EFI cars

Picture courtesy of timewarped1972

Crimp or even better, solder the lugs on the all the wire.
The local auto stereo shop will have them if the auto parts
store doesn't. Use some heat shrink tubing to cover the lugs
and make things look nice.

For a battery cut off switch, see http://www.moroso.com/catalog/categorydisplay.asp?catcode=42225
is the switch http://www.moroso.com/catalog/images/74102_inst.pdf is the installation instructions.
Use the super duty switch and the following tech note to wire it and you will
be good to go.

Use the Moroso plan for the alternator wiring and you risk a fire. The 10
gauge wire they recommend is even less adequate that the stock Mustang
wiring.

There is a solution, but it will require about 40' of 18 gauge green wire.

Wire the battery to the two 1/4" posts as shown in the diagram.

The alternator requires a different approach. On the small alternator plug
there is a green wire. It is the sense lead that turns the regulator on when
the ignition switch is in the run position: look for a wire marked 904 on the
lower RH side of the attached diagram. Cut the green wire and solder the
40' of green wire between the two pieces. Use some heat shrink to cover the
splices. See http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=7 for some excellent
help on soldering & using heat shrink tubing.

Run the green wire back to the Moroso switch and cut off the excess wire.
Try to run the green wire inside the car and protect it from getting cut or
chaffed. Crimp a 18 gauge ring terminal (red is 18 gauge color code for the crimp
on terminals) on each wire. Bolt one ring terminal to each of the 3/16" studs.
Do not add the jumper between the 1/4" stud and the 3/16" stud as shown it the
Moroso diagram.

How it works:
The green wire is the ignition on sense feed to the regulator. It supplies power
to the regulator when the ignition switch is in the run position. Turn the
Moroso switch to off, and the sense voltage goes away, the voltage
regulator shuts off and the alternator quits making power.

See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) &
Stang&2Birds (website host) for help on 88-90 wiring and lots more…

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/IgnitionSwitchWiring.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/88-91eecPinout.gif

Diagram courtesy of Tmoss and Stang&2birds.