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Who has moved their battery to the trunk??

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Old 11-04-2002, 03:24 PM
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Car: 99 Formula
Engine: LS1
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Who has moved their battery to the trunk??

Is it really worth it, to have that little bit of extra weight in the rear?

Does it ever get in the way?? I was thinking of getting the summit kit that is $43.
Old 11-04-2002, 03:31 PM
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Is it really worth it, to have that little bit of extra weight in the rear?

Does it ever get in the way?? I was thinking of getting the summit kit that is $43.
Oh Cmon Mark... Does it ever get in the way ?

Give me a break.

Hey Guys, Im thinking of Installing a Carbon Fiber Shift ****, Opinions ? Does it really Work ?

Do the LED"s in it Really light up ?
Old 11-04-2002, 03:34 PM
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Car: 99 Formula
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Originally posted by Bort62
Oh Cmon Mark... Does it ever get in the way ?

Give me a break.

Hey Guys, Im thinking of Installing a Carbon Fiber Shift ****, Opinions ? Does it really Work ?

Do the LED"s in it Really light up ?
WTF, I guess for now on, I need a disclaimer, jackazzes need not enter.

Like , where are they usually mounted, I assume in the bottom part of the trunk where it dips down,, geezuz, sorry for asking.

Last edited by Mark A Shields; 11-04-2002 at 03:36 PM.
Old 11-04-2002, 03:36 PM
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Its usually mounted where ever You feel like Mounting it.

Pick a place that dosent "get in the way"

Does it help ? Of course it does. You Just moved 30-40 lbs from the very front of your car, to the very rear. Helps weight dist a bit.
Old 11-04-2002, 03:37 PM
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Oh yeah, and that 43$ Kit AFAIK is not externally vented and therfore not NHRA legal.

(Just trying to make SOMETHING useful out of this post)
Old 11-04-2002, 03:37 PM
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Ahhh, I didn't realize it weighed that much, guess I'm too strong for my own good. lol, j/k

That is a bit of weight to put over the tires, so , yes I realize now, my question sounded dumb, sorry, oh massaterful one.:hail:
Old 11-04-2002, 03:40 PM
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Hey bort, no need to include your sig 2x in one post, if I want to see what you have , I'll scroll up, you're slowing down my T1.
Old 11-04-2002, 03:51 PM
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if you do move it to the rear, put it over the passenger side (rightside) rear axle, not the bottom part of the truck. you want the extra weight of the battery over the axle/wheel, where it will help traction the most.
Old 11-04-2002, 03:55 PM
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it can be moved... to the luggage area leagally

it requires a moroso seal BBox. It has a vent to the outside.
And yes, i moved mine.. placed slightly off to the right. Would not fit in the spare tire well. Traction sucks regardless with ~500hp and 4.10 gears.

I don't use first really.. second will still roast them on most roads.
Old 11-04-2002, 04:00 PM
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Re: it can be moved... to the luggage area leagally

Originally posted by jcb999
it requires a moroso seal BBox. It has a vent to the outside.
And yes, i moved mine.. placed slightly off to the right. Would not fit in the spare tire well. Traction sucks regardless with ~500hp and 4.10 gears.

I don't use first really.. second will still roast them on most roads.
Thanks for the info.
Old 11-04-2002, 04:17 PM
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LMFAO @ darbleinad

You Don't nessicarily want to place it over the right rear.

Putting it in the left rear will help the car launch straiter (not an issue for 99.9% of this board )
Old 11-04-2002, 04:23 PM
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hmmm...i always thought it was best to place in on the passneger side, at least everything i have read. why do you say drivers side (leftside) is better. i am not flaming at all , i just would like to learn why. thanks.
Old 11-04-2002, 07:47 PM
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Because if you have ever seen a Car launch on a good 60' ( 1.5 ish ) The pass side rear bumper tries to kiss the ground.

Putting it on the driver side will help even out the weight on launch.
Old 11-04-2002, 07:50 PM
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good point. however, at least in no posi, applications, such as my car, it is not usually the passenger side rear tire that spins? it is on my car. however, i do have a posi unit to install to remedy this situation.
Old 11-04-2002, 07:51 PM
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Originally posted by Bort62
Because if you have ever seen a Car launch on a good 60' ( 1.5 ish ) The pass side rear bumper tries to kiss the ground.

Putting it on the driver side will help even out the weight on launch.
You mean like this??
Old 11-04-2002, 07:52 PM
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now that is a sweet lauch, nothing like hanging the front tires in the air
Old 11-04-2002, 08:52 PM
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I used the Summit kit. If I had it to do all over again I wouldn't have bought the kit. The only thing I ended up using was the box and the negative cable. Started out with the positive in the kit (2gage) but moved up to 1o. Didn't like the way they used J bolts, so I made up some studs. The lack of venting probably isn't the best thing, but my battery's a little more blocked off (G-body, have an actual trunk). If you do this, make sure to add a good ground from the engine to the frame, and add a remote solenoid.
Old 11-05-2002, 08:00 PM
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I get hassled for mine every now and then. You are very correct Bort, the summit isn't legal in a hatch. The tech inspectors remind me of that every chance they get.

They completely forget about the 10# bottle in the back.

Last edited by Free Bird; 11-05-2002 at 08:06 PM.
Old 11-06-2002, 08:20 AM
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Originally posted by Mark A Shields
WTF, I guess for now on, I need a disclaimer, jackazzes need not enter.
That's a sure way to get them to post! Not like jackazzes need any encouragement....


I like mounting the battery in the spare tire well, though you do give up your spare (cellphone and AAA is all you need anyway!). The Summit kit is ok, but not NHRA legal in your car. If thats a concern, use one of the steel or aluminum boxes, vent the battery box outside the car, and run an external cutoff switch. Otherwise you'll fail tech.

Last edited by LT1guy; 11-06-2002 at 08:22 AM.
Old 11-06-2002, 08:36 AM
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buy the moroso box, welding cables, and a ford starter selonoid. really a good idea to have a external on off switch and a couple of post for charging/jumping it without having to take everything apart to get at it.
Old 11-06-2002, 03:52 PM
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Buy a lightweight battery for $60 and keep it where it is and save the weight

you actually gain weight by moving the battery to the back with all the heavy cable that is involved
Old 11-06-2002, 05:18 PM
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That's not THAT good of a launch. Definitely has some power, but look how much the whole car is twisting. Now if he could get the same seperation between the passenger side tire and the fenderwell as on the driver's side, then that would be a GOOD launch. Twisting the car that much sure isn't good for the car, and he's wasting a lot of energy that could be going to the ground by twisting the car like that.
Old 11-06-2002, 09:48 PM
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Originally posted by 89ProchargedROC
you actually gain weight by moving the battery to the back with all the heavy cable that is involved
You may gain a few pounds overall from added cables and whatever after moving the battery to the rear, but relocating 35+ pounds from the nose of the car to the rear end is fairly significant.
Old 11-06-2002, 10:21 PM
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Car: yy wife, crazy.
Engine: 350, Vortecs, 650DP
Transmission: TH-350
Axle/Gears: 8.5", 3.42
Get this........ It's 13.5 lbs.
http://www.performancedistributors.com/specials.htm

Originally posted by usa1racing
That's not THAT good of a launch. Definitely has some power, but look how much the whole car is twisting. Now if he could get the same seperation between the passenger side tire and the fenderwell as on the driver's side, then that would be a GOOD launch. Twisting the car that much sure isn't good for the car, and he's wasting a lot of energy that could be going to the ground by twisting the car like that.
The first time I saw that pic I thought "subframe connectors"!!! Then "lift bars"!!!!! And last but not least, "air bag"!!!!!

AJ
Old 11-06-2002, 10:29 PM
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Originally posted by AJ_92RS
Get this........ It's 13.5 lbs.
http://www.performancedistributors.com/specials.htm

AJ

I can think of $130 better spent. Like some suspension work that I'm goin to need now.
Old 11-06-2002, 11:07 PM
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Originally posted by slow305
You may gain a few pounds overall from added cables and whatever after moving the battery to the rear, but relocating 35+ pounds from the nose of the car to the rear end is fairly significant.
thats why i said to just run a lightweight battery.....i know PLENTY of LS1 guys that run a cheap lightweight "hawker" battery (dynabatt is just a relabeled hawker) and dont have issues, then you can keep the battery where it is
Old 11-06-2002, 11:09 PM
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don't waste your money with the summit box, It's crap. Wal mart sells the same box for seven dollars, and then you can go to an audio store and buy your own cable. The mounting hardware they give you is garbage, your better off making your own studs like mentioned above. In the end you'll be spending about the same amount fo money, but it will work better.

BTW, i'm running this setup in my car, and i've never gotten any grief. i have an optima batt, so theres nothing to vent anyhow. I did get on tech guy asking em to open the box, he was gonna give me trouble, but he saw it was a gell batt. and let it go. The cut off switch is the biggest thing they look for...

Eric
Old 11-07-2002, 09:02 AM
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Originally posted by Mark A Shields
You mean like this??

I want to be able to do that in my 'bird someday....
Old 11-07-2002, 11:30 AM
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I think I'd rather do this.
Attached Thumbnails Who has moved their battery to the trunk??-wheelie1.jpg  
Old 11-07-2002, 11:52 AM
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Two questions

1)What does the red one have that the white one doesn't that allows it to launch so straight?
2)How do you fabricate studs?

Thanks
Old 11-07-2002, 02:44 PM
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2)How do you fabricate studs?
Went to the hardware store and bought like six feet of 3/8 threaded rod and some nuts and washers. Cut the rod to the length I needed, put it through the hole in the car, and ran the nut down on both sides of it (probably need someone to help you with this). This way whenever I need to pull the battery out I don't have to crawl under the car.
Old 11-07-2002, 04:50 PM
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Re: Two questions

Originally posted by Homer
1)What does the red one have that the white one doesn't that allows it to launch so straight?

Thanks
Originally posted by AJ_92RS
The first time I saw that pic I thought "subframe connectors"!!! Then "lift bars"!!!!! And last but not least, "air bag"!!!!!
Those are the things that car needs. Obviously the red one has some of those if not all of them.

AJ
Old 11-07-2002, 05:31 PM
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Well lets see, the Red ones is tubbed, therefore it has more than the simple items. More like a four-link or ladder-bar suspension, not just your typical bars and bags.

Theroetically, moving the battery from the front of the chassis to the rear, equates to moving about 200-250 pounds off the frontend of the car (with a typical 30 lb battery). It has to do with more than the weight of the battery itself. The reason for this has to do with leverage-fulcrum angles and basic weight transfer theroy.

It doesnt really matter where you put it, but the farther back and the lower the battery is in the chassis, the better.
Old 11-07-2002, 07:14 PM
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make sure you run a hot wire from the starter to the junction block

Or the alternator won't charge. It has to replicate the battery cable that is used in the front mount (and there is a bout an 8 gauge wire that goes from the + terminal to the junctionblock on near the radiator support.
Old 11-08-2002, 06:06 AM
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8?

I wouldnt use anything less than 0 guage.
Old 11-08-2002, 09:42 AM
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the wire Im talking about does not carry starter load..

it carries alternator load. Also, you really can't put much bigger than a #8 on the junction block bc of terminal size.

Look at the postitive side of a front mount (factory) battery and you will see what I mean.
Old 11-08-2002, 04:28 PM
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Never mind my last post......



Actually I use a 4 guage from the Alt to the Starter Sol, and 2/O from the starter through a master disconnect switch and then to the battery. You can purchase lugs that screw into the side terminals that will except larger terminal connerctors........cuz I totally forgot about the stock type/size battery, I use a dual post Optima, so there are options.....
Old 11-08-2002, 05:19 PM
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I bought the summit kit. Dont forget to get the safety turn off switch if you plan on racing. Its kinda a pain in the *ss to move and run the wires but I think well worth it. I did it to make my engine compartment look good. As far as weight transfer, what's another 30lbs in the trunk really gonna do??
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