ill be doing this soon enough any tips ?

Moconnor i used your writeup as well when i did my relocation. It helped wonderfully. Here is some old pictures of my crazy battery. I know mine doesnt compare to yours, but i would like to do some more work on it and clean up alot of things about it. I just havnt gotten there yet. Time or proper tools really.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...g/HPIM1121.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...g/HPIM1122.jpg

Here's a couple photos of mine. I used an Optima yellow and came across this Tsunami battery topper online. It has 2 fused 12v outputs, 2 non-fused 12v outputs and 4 ground connections. I ran 1/0 gauge cable to a streetwires fuse under the hood, then to a 400A battery cutout switch.

Looks good. If you put some black molding around the edge of that flat panel it would look OEM.

Why didn't you extend the panel the entire length of the bin?

To show off the battery and have easier access in there if i needed it. I have thought about making a panel to just cover the whole thing, but just havnt gotten there. In the future i might do this when i dont need to have easy access to the bin. It does not help that my key does not work with the lock :( All in due time it will be done to a much higher standard.

Here is a picture of mine before I finished it up. Don't mind the dust, this was taken when I was painting the car/ redoing everything. The plexi glass is a perfect fit(I had it tilted in the picture). It's bolted down now and in a tray. I think I might paint the back side of the plexi glass to clean up the install even more. I also used the Westco Miata battery and a high quality 4 gauge wire.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...X7Parts055.jpg

I've always been interested in relocating my battery in one of the bins but have always been a little paranoid by some things I've read. Here is one specifically...

Other places I've read similar things say the mixture is only produced when the battery is being overcharged, however it's always put me off starting the project.

I think I'd like to clear this up once and for all. Are any gases produced under normal operation?

Also Crispy some batteries need to be vented. This is why certain closed batteries are chosen. The optima red/yellow is a common choice, Westco Sealed battery odyssey, or my giant lithium ion battery (not cheap). Even with the battery in your engine bay, these risks are there. The relocation is simply moving it with a longer power wire running to the same positive position in the front of the car, or the alternator is an alternate. If your car is in good healthy running order electrically, then overcharging or discharged too low to damage the battery, then there should not be any issues.

Thank goodness mine isn't a street car then. :gwink:

It is never safe to have a spark or an open flame near a battery, but I don't see how this would effect battery relocation?

Ok, that sounds a lot better and has put my mind at rest. I had nightmare visions of batteries exploding behind the seats. ;) The yellow top battery looks to be in my price range too. :)

Could well be a winter project.

Thanks.

Unless you have a high watt audio system I would get the Westco battery instead. It is cheaper, lighter, and fits in the bins without destroying them.

The westco battery was indeed nice. It was amongst the top of my choice list until i found my current battery from Volt Phreaks (link). That is a link to a comparable battery to when i bought mine. Very nice, light and strong. But as i stated before expensive. I have a small system in my car and have no issues with it what so ever. You can also install mine with out hacking up the bin, perhaps even less. I opted to cut out the bottom to make a nice secure mounting bracket which is welded onto the floor pan for that extra piece of mind. From my above pic, you wouldnt know it ;)

I do appreciate that write up again Moconnor :) :icon_tup:

^umm... WOW.

1800 watts of Alpine baby!!!!!

You weren't joking about it being expensive then, haha. ;) Think I'll wait for my lottery win on that one, I'm due for one soon ... in theory...

I've had a look at the WestCo website and the only car battery listed is for the MX-5 (Miata). Is that the one you're talking about? Here's the link.

thats the one! good battery for the price.

Mounting in the hatch could be better for drag-only use.

Wow Gordon, that is one helluva set up!! I completely forgot about that. Whatever happened to that car? Didn't some kid wreck it shortly after you sold it?

integrity and reform...................... well, he'll fit in well with the other crooked politicians. Still love the look of your old gauge setup.

Another good battery to put in the storage bin is an optima yellow top for a honda. They are smaller than the conventional yellow top and arent that expensive. Costco sells them out here. I'm not a big fan of those little racing batteries that barely crank a car for 30 secconds.

Unless they have changed the size of the 51R battery it will require that the bins are cut to fit. The Westco is not a racing battery and requires no cutting.

here's a pic of my pass side bin circa 2007. at the time i was running the Alkycontrol AI system. since certain parts of the control system were on top of the steering wheel bezel and the alcohol pump is situated near the rear driver's side half shaft i located the relay near the battery so as to have a short primary pump drive wire. i removed my ABS and chose to use the 40 Amp relay from the ABS which you will see at 9 o'clock in pic 1.

other items:

at 7 o'clock is the Alkycontrol pump controller module. at 12 o'clock is the Kenne Bell Boost A Pump (BAP). at 2 o'clock is the BAP voltage control selector... easily reached from the driver's seat.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/8316/p1000700ea6.jpg

my driver's side compartment is purposely devoid of anything but my ignition amps to discourage any elec interference. each amp runs one leading spark plug. they are purposely located as far from each other as possible and all signal wires are shielded.
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/733/p1000696ba8.jpg
here;s another pic from 07. note the master elec cutoff switch again easily accessable from the driver's seat. i often use it when parking my car in a spot where i want it to be there upon return if you get my drift. also i think it is essential to be able to disable the battery in a flash whether you are working on the car's electrics or have a short. the black module at 9 o'clock is another part of the Alkycontrol AI system.
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/993/p1000701rr1.jpg
here's my compartment for 08. i now run a FJO alcohol system and have been able to clean up the compartment a bit. BTW, love my Odyssey battery. i have run it since 1999.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3079/p1000751ob1.jpg

hc

Listen up LazY93RX7,

If you want to come on here and get sarcastic about knowledgeable responses as to the downfalls of your setup, then WHY even post at all? (This is a rhetorical question, As I don't care about your uneducated response.)

Your placement has these traits:
1. Worse CG (Center of Gravity) Location
2. Aesthetics (Looks terrible)

Get over yourself.

And to be completely fair: I do like the actual mounting plate you used. That is a nice looking piece, but it doesn't need to be showed off. It is, after all, just a battery tie-down. The rest of the install looks amateur.