battery relocation?

J

jonnyboygt4

New member
I was just curious....from what i read on previous posts on the forum regarding this topic...id like to do it on a budget....

what id like to know is....do i have to use the same negative post as whats under the hood? or can i just set it up to ground? another is for the positive cable....can i use say a power cable from a subwoofer (0 gauge)? and just attach it to the current positive cable under the hood?

also would i need to run a on/off switch? i know ill have to make some sort of battery bracket to hold it down...ive got that part figured out....

your help is always appreciated... :D
 
S

Simba

New member
"Doing it on a budget" is an easy way to burn your car to the ground. Do it properly or don't.

You want a large fuse or breaker very close to the battery, not a switch, and certainly not straight cable.

You can ground it anywhere, but it needs to be a GOOD ground. Shock tower is a good place.

For the positive side, err on the side of too much. I used 0/1 gauge welding cable. I would not trust the small strand car audio stuff.

My setup is here.
 
J

jonnyboygt4

New member
Simba":v9x7vjup said:
"Doing it on a budget" is an easy way to burn your car to the ground. Do it properly or don't.

You want a large fuse or breaker very close to the battery, not a switch, and certainly not straight cable.

You can ground it anywhere, but it needs to be a GOOD ground. Shock tower is a good place.

For the positive side, err on the side of too much. I used 0/1 gauge welding cable. I would not trust the small strand car audio stuff.

My setup is here.
Click to expand...


thx for your input....ill be doing it right....
 
2

2of81

New member
Probablly wont hurt in this application like I have seen in others but welding cable isn't resistant to oil like real battery cable is.
 
D

deecee

New member
actually, it is dependant on the insulation. A lot of welding cable is double insulated and I've never had any issues with the use of welding cable as battery cable in the relocations I have done over the years.
 
S

Simba

New member
The cable I used is double insulated, sheathed with synthetic rubber. It's impervious to oil and most contaminants.

However, a proper wire run goes through the interior of the car with proper sheathing, and generally doesn't run anywhere where chemicals would become an issue to begin with.
 
K

klue

New member
Simba":ws89tpsm said:
The cable I used is double insulated, sheathed with synthetic rubber. It's impervious to oil and most contaminants.

However, a proper wire run goes through the interior of the car with proper sheathing, and generally doesn't run anywhere where chemicals would become an issue to begin with.
Click to expand...
word
 
A

aus jd 2703

New member
do u have to run a earth/-ve cable the full length or can you just run a short earth to the rear shock tower or the floor pan?
 
D

deecee

New member
short earth to a chassis rail is the best. Or the rail that goes between the strut towers. Strut tower and floor pan are thin metal spot welded to the main chassis rails and don't conduct as well as the main pieces of metal in the car.

Short answer, no need for full length negative cable.
 
J

jonnyboygt4

New member
can anyone tell me....ive started to look at the wiring for the battery....now...it looks like the factory wiring is pretty small...looks to be either 6 or 8 gauge...?


now i have some 4 gauge wiring already ran for my sub...would this not be good enough to use ?

also the 2 wires that come off the negative under the hood....one is enigine ground and the other is a body ground? so if i were to run the battery in the rear i would just need to make sure the engine was ground.. and could just ditch the body ground as I would be grounding it in the rear anyways ?

just want to clear this up before i actually do this lol....

ive already purchased everything i think i need....new connectors, battery box, gel cell battery....and 200amp breaker ...
 
S

Simba

New member
jonnyboygt4":1yvp41ol said:
can anyone tell me....ive started to look at the wiring for the battery....now...it looks like the factory wiring is pretty small...looks to be either 6 or 8 gauge...?
Click to expand...

Yes, there's a reason: It's short. The longer the distance, the heavier the gauge required.

now i have some 4 gauge wiring already ran for my sub...would this not be good enough to use ?
Click to expand...

Is it worth saving $100 or so on the correct cable to have your car potentially burn to the ground?

also the 2 wires that come off the negative under the hood....one is enigine ground and the other is a body ground? so if i were to run the battery in the rear i would just need to make sure the engine was ground.. and could just ditch the body ground as I would be grounding it in the rear anyways ?
Click to expand...

One is the transmission ground. You want to connect that point to a good chassis ground. The rest is not needed with the battery elsewhere.
 
J

jonnyboygt4

New member
now i have some 4 gauge wiring already ran for my sub...would this not be good enough to use ?
Click to expand...

Is it worth saving $100 or so on the correct cable to have your car potentially burn to the ground?

[/quote]


I see what your saying...but Ive read elsewhere that people had been running 4 gauge wire without problem....wouldn't the fuse or breaker take care of any issues that would occur preventing your vehicle from actually catching fire? the 4 gauge insulated cable I have seems at least double the size of the factory cable....?

this question is strictly out of curiosity....I have since ordered a 0 gauge wiring kit and will be installing that...but i dont think im gonna go the replace all the grounds route tho....unless of course its easier than I think?

but just to clear things up from that tutorial ...? to replace the starter wire and engine ground what all needs to come off....i would imagine, the air box, and all that stuff in that area?
 
W

WarTowels

Active member
jonnyboygt4":f1l7xjzg said:
I see what your saying...but Ive read elsewhere that people had been running 4 gauge wire without problem....wouldn't the fuse or breaker take care of any issues that would occur preventing your vehicle from actually catching fire? the 4 gauge insulated cable I have seems at least double the size of the factory cable....?
Click to expand...

No, not necessarily. I've seen fuses melt themselves and their holders.

jonnyboygt4":f1l7xjzg said:
this question is strictly out of curiosity....I have since ordered a 0 gauge wiring kit and will be installing that...but i dont think im gonna go the replace all the grounds route tho....unless of course its easier than I think?
Click to expand...

It's very easy to replace the negative grounds. You can use your left over 0 gauge wire, or the 4 gauge wire should be okay if it's short runs.

jonnyboygt4":f1l7xjzg said:
but just to clear things up from that tutorial ...? to replace the starter wire and engine ground what all needs to come off....i would imagine, the air box, and all that stuff in that area?
Click to expand...

Just take it as you go, the more you remove the easier it is to work.

Follow DeeCee's tutorial, it's very good.


But really think about what your doing. Do you have a battery box? New terminals? What and how are you going to mount everything? Do you have a sealed battery, and if not- do you have a ventilation system in mind?

I relocated my battery to my trunk sparing no expenses. I hate it. I'm going to be undoing it. It's not worth the time and effort involved in my opinion. I'm going to go with a small racing battery and a custom relocation in the front engine bay.

-Towels
 
J

jonnyboygt4

New member
But really think about what your doing. Do you have a battery box? New terminals? What and how are you going to mount everything? Do you have a sealed battery, and if not- do you have a ventilation system in mind?

I relocated my battery to my trunk sparing no expenses. I hate it. I'm going to be undoing it. It's not worth the time and effort involved in my opinion. I'm going to go with a small racing battery and a custom relocation in the front engine bay.

-Towels[/quote]


Yup i got a battery box, the battery is a sealed unit and I replaced everything except the grounds...its all working fine...the only thing ive noticed is once in a while the car cranks over a little longer than it did before, before it starts....but other than that no problem what so ever.... its a real clean install and im happy with the overall turnout...I grounded the battery to the strut tower and removed my seats and ran the positive 0 gauge cable under the carpet, through the strut tower area then drilled a hole in the plastic and ran it directly to the battery....running through a 200 amp fuse....the fuse hasnt blown in the 4 weeks ive been running the car...if it does ive got a 250 amp breaker that ill try...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top