Battery Location... Wheres The Best Place

[NZM.031]

hey guys,

just wondering where you'z have put your batteries.. i have been thinking of it putting one under the empty dash on top of the tranny tunnel.., it will only be the bare minimum yay by yay big, room isnt an issue, the only issue thats stopping me is if its allowed there by CAMS, scrutineers etc..

what does it need in the way of isolator switches?? one inside and one outside?? or just one thats easily accessible in the way of an accident?? whats the go there??

last thing i want is to make up a neat as bracket, tidy as wiring, and then get turned away from the track because its not allowed..

im thinking something like this.. dont want a fully enclosed box, as if its under the dash... removing it will be an issue if its properly secured.

cheers

Linton

[zebra]

Best place is as low in the car as possible....and counter balancing the car...ie on the passenger side

But I dont like the idea of it being under the dash...sounds like it would be too hard to get too etc.

Mine is in the factory boot spot but i will move it down into the spare wheel well

[zebra]

For the isolator switch...CAMS needs to be able to kill the power to the car at the base of the drivers side A-pillar

the switch can be on the dash aslong as it has one one pull cables running to the spot mentioned above

[NZM.031]

thanks zebra.. i have seen one of the pull cables.. thats handy to know..

i had read about an ae86 that had the battery under the dash... i thought it might be good, out of the way, all cables can be short and neat and hidden away. no pics of it though..

with everything gone from inside the dash, there is tonnes of room in there.

[TRB-001]

id go the counter balancing route, but u also forget that the battery produces acid vapor and apart from it being bad for your lungs and smelling rotten, it can be very corrosive to any metal directly above it....

personally i would steer clear of the dash idea....and if u think a 'maintenance free' one will still work, they are the same, they still vent the gas, they still work the same way.

also iv seens batteries literally blow up due the the alternator regulator being faulty (it may never happen to u) but if it does i would not like it to happen right above my lap/legs.

Edited April 14, 2010 by TRB-001

[phunky_monkey]

Here is my setup, mounted behind the passenger seat.

[zebra]

id go the counter balancing route, but u also forget that the battery produces acid vapor and apart from it being bad for your lungs and smelling rotten, it can be very corrosive to any metal directly above it....

personally i would steer clear of the dash idea....and if u think a 'maintenance free' one will still work, they are the same, they still vent the gas, they still work the same way.

also iv seens batteries literally blow up due the the alternator regulator being faulty (it may never happen to u) but if it does i would not like it to happen right above my lap/legs.

You can get sealed batteries....like what NZM.031 has

I like phunkys setup though

[nismoman]

I've got mine mounted behind where the passenger seat would be.

In a battery box with lid, strap and bolted through the floor with a clamp.

[Beer Baron]

phunky's set-up and the one nismoman describes is the way to go. no question. there are many reasons why nearly every race car you put your head in will have the battery there, or in the boot.

it needs to be accessible. due to the nature of the use of race cars they often need batteries charged or replaced.

you don't want it near you.

you want it low and secure.

you want it easy to wire up.

so yeah, floor, passenger side, as far back as possible is the place to put it. easy to get to but still out of the way.

under the dash, not a good idea.

[DJRIFT]

Bens new build we are going for the boot due to the fact that there is no room behind the passenger seat.

behind the drivers seat the abs unit is mounted.

[sav man]

if you get a lite battery it gives you some more freedom of where you can put it. I'm getting a 4.3kg battery from braile, and it's going in the passengers side of the boot, working off corner weights it should take some weight off the drivers side front (which is where alllll the weight is)

[NZM.031]

thanks everyone... and phunky... id completly missed that with a sealed battery you can lay it flat.. my thoughts were purely on normal style ones that have to be upright.. thanks a tonne for posting that pic..

thanks ben, i will be seeing the battery shop tomorrow to work out the size and battery needed... it doesnt need to do anything other than start the car really, could probably use a torch battery.. haha.

ill make up the mounting box and start the wiring.. when the time comes to corner weight it, if its better in the boot then i will move it there... it will just be a matter of running longer cables to the isolator switch.

thanks again.

Linton

[BezerkR32]

just remember that an engine kill/isolater switch is required, not just a normal battery isolater switch.

Means it must switch through engine ignition so that when it is switched off the engine dies unlike with a battery isolater switch.

[NZM.031]

as in just a toggle switch like on most of the aftermarket ignition switch panel... or a battery master/isolator switch that also switches the engine circuit??

im confused now... so this is what i had thought it was..

Battery > battery isolator switch > kill switch > junction box > ignition start circuit ???

i always thought the kill switch is just like the "ON" position on your normal ignition barrel, has to be on to start then flick that switch off and the whole thing shuts down??

[zebra]

you will need a 6-pin switch...they have the 2 big battery cable posts and 4 pins on the back to hook your ign wiring too.

[nismoman]

For 6 pin isolation kit go for this:

http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/index...rimary&CDO=

Meets all CAMS needs.

[NZM.031]

done and dusted... thanks Nismo Man, you should be a super hero.

[femno]

I have mine right in the back left of the boot, up against where the factory jack usually goes.

I too had the weight counterbalance in mind.

[nismoman]

HAHA! no worries. All part of being a fellow motorsport enthusiast.

After I stuffed around with 2 pin isolator switches, I realised it was easier to buy the kit and do it right. It comes with instructions and is very easy to fit.

I felt better/safer knowing that if I crashed and I was out to it, then at least a marshall can easily pull the ring cable and kill the engine/ignition/battery all in one.

[phunky_monkey]

For reference, the RPM switch linked above is what's in my car.