Battery in a tight space

[jaybee]

I'm looking for solutions to put a battery in a place where access is limited.  Picture up between the outer fender and bed of a fleetside pickup, where there is no room for side mount terminals or access to the top.  Possibly it could drop out the bottom or be accessed through the wheel well like a stock car.  Who's done this and how did you do it?

[tom36]

Optima or other gel cell batteries can be mounted upside down or sideways if that will help you any.  Tom...

[WZ JUNK]

I'm looking for solutions to put a battery in a place where access is limited.  Picture up between the outer fender and bed of a fleetside pickup, where there is no room for side mount terminals or access to the top.  Possibly it could drop out the bottom or be accessed through the wheel well like a stock car.  Who's done this and how did you do it?

There is a drop down battery box available through various streetrod suppliers.  It is pricy but it does work nice.  You hook up the battery and slide it up into place until it catches on its latch.  To remove it, you undo the catch and it drops down. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/xq/aspx/display_id.5047/itemNo.battery+box/qx/Product.htm

You can make your own, if you are handy.

John

[fatkoop]

After having my battery in several different locations, most of which were kinda scary, I mounted a Optima on it's side in a tilt-down bracket under the floor of my '36 coupe, right where the narrow part of the "X" is in the frame.  It really fits nice and is easy to get to.  The battery cables are also short, right to the starter.  All in all, works very well, hidden from view, and the frame provides protection.  

[GPster]

Or you could use several garden tractor batteries in different places and connect them in paralell. I knew of a guy that had a small forinh car that had 6 volt batteries under the seats wired in series and he replaced them with small 12 volt batteries and wired them in paralell. GPster

[jaybee]

Good suggestions, I appreciate the assistance.  Maybe something like this one http://www.speedwaymotors.com/xq/aspx/path.900-949+2ND/img.916-66006_L.jpg/deptId.71/displayId.3455/qx/ProductLargeView.htm would work, but with the hold down catching the end of the battery instead of the long side?  The battery would then slide endwise out of its hole.  Cables would need to be routed to allow hook up before it's slid completely into place.

[enjenjo]

I did one a few years ago, the battery was difficult to impossible to hook up once it was in place. So I used a 350 amp forklift charging plug, so the battery could be hooke up electrically after it was in place.

[donsrods]

In the T I'm building I have almost no room for a battery, and came across an Odyssey battery that is like 7 inches x 3 inches wide, and 7 inches high.  I spoke to the factory, and they use it in cars with blown big blocks, and it works fine.  I bought one and am installing it now.

Here is a website .www.odysseybatteries.com                                                                          
                                                                                                                               They have bigger ones available, but told me I didn't need one for my 350 Chevy.

Here also is a picture of mine.

Don

[Rayvyn]

I did one a few years ago, the battery was difficult to impossible to hook up once it was in place. So I used a 350 amp forklift charging plug, so the battery could be hooke up electrically after it was in place.

I like the idea, but how do you go about jump starting the car if need be?
Did you put in a remote set of contacts on the firewall or other accessible place?
I had to do this on my Plymouth since the Battery was under the seat.

[enjenjo]

Moroso makes a set of remote boosting terminals that I have used in the past.  http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=mor-74140

[jaybee]

I kind of like that forklift plug idea.  Makes a lot of sense as swinging a wrench in a confined space is tough enough without it throwing sparks if you accidentally hit steel!