ok guys give me the rundown on relocating the battery to the trunk...now before people get into the nhra and rulebook theory throw that out the window as this is a street raced car and just looking for some extra weight transfer. this is what i was thinking and tell me if this is good to go for a basic relocation. get a battery box, mount it in the spare tire hole, run a 0-1 guage wire to starter threw the frame, run a 2 guage ground wire to the frame and also a ground to the body in teh back and extra grounds up front for the motor, then finally run the alternator wire all the way back to the battery as well in a thick guage. i will run the ecm power wire to a fuse coming off the back of the alternator. looking to do this cheap and legal is not of the concern as i dont go to the track. throw some ideas at me if i missed any with this install....thanks guys
battery relocating to trunk....
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FastRegalWE2
Wish I had another Buick!
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I saw a nifty little connector at the speed shop last time I was in there. It had a rubber center and brass studs on either end. It ran threw the body panel, The pos cable would be attatched on one end and then on the other continuing to either the battery or the starter. That way the wire doesnt actually have to pass through the body panel.
Scott Atk
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no need to run a second cable from the alternator to the battery. Just run the pos. cable from battery to starter then another cable from starter to alternator. Id use single 0 to the starter and 4 ga. to the alternator.
I guess I am a simple man.... I ran an 0 welding cable (not too expensive and I definately wouldn't go ANY smaller) from the battery to the starter....then one from the battery to the frame....15k miles it has worked fine. I just taped up the old positive battery cable under the hood...so it wouldn't short to anything.. and zip tied it out of the way.
NHRA legal... no..... but daily driver friendly....
no problems as of yet....
NHRA legal... no..... but daily driver friendly....
no problems as of yet....
Turbo Indian
worlds quickest 6cyl bird
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do you know what brand this thing was? I can not find one of them. I don't even know what they are even called.
Just a Six??
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Like you, this is what I did for 10 years until last summer. You need a wire from alt to battery that is 4 guage as a "dedicated charge wire" otherwise your charging but its going back thru the system to the starter then to battery. Not the best & defnately you lose some voltage. I went from 12.5 to 13.5 with the 4 guage added this year!
ok so this is the plan so far then after all the posts...im gonna grab one of the summit plastic boxes and mount it in the spare tire area hole. im gonna run so 0 guage welding cable to the back from the starter. im gonna run a 1guage off the battery to the frame for a ground. im also gonna run a little bit lighter ground wire from battery to the body. im gonna run a ground from the frame and body to the motor up front. im gonna run at least a 4 gauge wire from the alternator to the back for its own dedicated wire. i should be set with this setup. where do you get 0 guage welding cable or can i just grab some car udio thick 0 guage from the local place?? whats best to go with?? thanks for all the help so far i should be able to do this really cheap.
Just a Six??
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Acklands Grainger has the welding cable. Its really heavy duty! The nice thing is its real flexible!
Warp6
Mine since '92
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Do you any of you have a fuse inline somewhere just in case you're in an accident? I don't but I've thought about it. Just a thought.
Just a Six??
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I have a kill switch under the bumper that also swings down & locks in place for track duty. Makes a good kill switch!
Depending on how you want it to look, you may run into a problem when trying to fit an actual battery box in the spare well as it isn't very wide. I custom made my mounts from aluminum - see pic. If done correctly, you shouldn't need to run a separate ground to the motor but it sure won't hurt anything. I used 1/0 car audio spec cable from the starter to the rear and 4ga from the alternator to the starter. I also integrated a 200amp continuous duty solenoid under the plate as a remote power disconnect - I can totally shut down all power to the car with a switch in the console - good anti-theft measure too. No need to run a separate wire from the alt to the batt if you use the 1/0 cable. An inline 200amp fuse or ciruit breaker right at the battery is not a bad idea - just be sure you use good quality fuses or it will blow when starting.
Just a Six??
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Your correct that with a #4 to starter then you dont need #4 to battery, but you need one or the other. Either way is fine but without one of them you will lose a good 1 volt like I did for years, going back thru the little 12-14 guage stuff. Also, the trunk wheelwell is pretty tight as mentioned! Up on the shelf under the speaker is where mine is. Have Fun!
Just a Six??
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PS: That battery set up looks good! A-1!
Scott Atk
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Here's the bulkhead connectors that were mentioned.
JEG'S Through Panel Connector - JEGS
Also, understand this. The 0 ga. cable is only for high current draw during starting. Once the car is running it is overkill for battery charging. So running a second dedicated cable for charging is double overkill. You're just adding weight and another cable that could possibly rub through and cause a dead short.
JEG'S Through Panel Connector - JEGS
Also, understand this. The 0 ga. cable is only for high current draw during starting. Once the car is running it is overkill for battery charging. So running a second dedicated cable for charging is double overkill. You're just adding weight and another cable that could possibly rub through and cause a dead short.
GNVYUS 1
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You could save a lot of time, $$ and weight by just getting a dry cell battery and leaving it in the stock location.
Saves you 16lbs and has the same cranking amps as the one already in your GN.
Saves you 16lbs and has the same cranking amps as the one already in your GN.
ok im pretty much set how to do it with the wiring, what type of wiring, and where to go. my last question is i see some people saying to run a 4guage wire to the starter from the alternator to charge the battery instead of running its own dedictated wire all the way back to the battery..what the final say on this???
AFTER LOOKING AT THAT FIRST PIC IM ASHAMED OF EVEN SHOWING MINE:redface: THAT THING LOOKS AWSOME (ALSO GIVES ME SOME MORE IDEAS:biggrin: ) IM STILL DOING CONSTRUCTION & OTHER THINGS TO MINE BUT ANY WAY TOMMOROW I PROMISE I WILL CLEAN THIS THING UP MY TRUNK IS NASTY. .. BUT IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN.. MY SET UP IS CHEAP AND EFFECIENT THE WHOLE WIRES & TRAY ALL COST AROUND 50 BUCKS. PLEASE DISREGARD THIS FILTHY TRUNK WILL BE RECTIFIED TOMMOROW SORRY BUT HERE GOES DONT SAY I DIDNT WARN YOU. POSITIVE CABLE GOES DIRECTLY TO THE STARTER. STILL HAVE 13.6 VOLTS.......OH YEAH I NEED TO AMP THE CAR WITH MY AMP METER TO SEE WHAT SIZE FUSE TO PUT IN LINE WITH THE POSITIVE WHEN CRANKING THE CAR, THE GUY ABOVE USED A 200AMP I SEE. THE ONLY THING ABOUT WHY I HAVENT DONE IT YET BUT IS STILL A GOOD IDEA IS THAT THE CAR DOESNT HAVE A FUSE IN LINE WITH IT FROM THE FACTORY... IVE GOTTA FIGURE THAT OUT IT WILL STILL BE GOOD TO HAVE. NO PROBLEMS YET BUT WHY WAIT..
