My WIP

[rayray086]

Battery relocation wasn't as fun as the false floor. Lots of trips to Jaycar was made as we kept changing plans and kept missing this and that. It was also frustrating to route all the cables around so they'd be secure and well insulated, trying to keep them as hidden as possible.

The battery was originally meant to go on the passenger side to take advantage of weight distribution, but because of the trap door, it wasn't physically possible. I also have a sub and amp going in soon and having the battery there would ruin a lot of our plans. So it was decided to mount it just behind the rear seats on the driver side.



The main 2AWG cable from the positive post to the starter was routed down under the through the false floor, and then through the body into the rear passenger wheel well. Pipe brackets were used to hold the cables as close to the body as possible to avoid any rubbing, and is working very well so far.



The cable was then routed down under the side sills about 1 inch away from the jacking points. It sits under the jacking points too so any grounding out from driving over huge bumps shouldn't damage the cables in any way.



The cable was then routed up behind the plastic wheel guards in the front passenger side wheel well. I made a few cuts on these plastic guards to ensure the cable doesn't interfere with proper fitting of these guards



It's then routed through an already made hole that reaches under the rain tray (I'm assuming it's the same hole used by the side indicator wires) and then routed through to the engine bay by the same grommet used to route the ECU wires I believe:



From there, it follows the existing wiring to the starter motor. From the starter, a 4AWG cable connects up to a distribution block which runs two 8AWG cables that were originally connected directly to the positive post. I have no idea where they go to (if I had to guess, fusebox and ECU?) but the car starts and works exactly the same as before, so I'm not worried.



Another 4AWG links the starter to the alternator:

[rayray086]

Some pics of the engine bay now:





And another of the battery in the boot:



It started up fine the first time But my battery was low and went flat. It's now running a heavy duty ACDelco item that should last me another few years

I'll be redoing a few things in the near future to tidy up the setup, including improving the earthing and using a battery box/enclosure.

[rayray086]

Haha George, it was very intimate, but Louis is taken

[gpk_gti]

sorry ray,but that wire next to your rear tyre and on the side doesnt look safe... you sure thats not a defect?(not that im scared of a defect or two!)??? why didnt you pass it under your carpet just next to your transmission tunnel?

[rayray086]

I've made measures to keep it held tightly so it won't come loose, but you do have a point :S I've been reading around and most suggest to run it outside of the car, just as a safety issue if a freak fire was to erupt from any shorts. I guess I took this tip a bit too far and routed it outside of the car at the closest possible point... What do others think?

[99gti]

From previous experience I many years ago had an ET pulsar. The first mod for these is to move the batter to the boot so you can re-route the exhaust from the turbo. I ran the cable under all the carpet etc and it was very hard to try to find any problems when they happened.

My only tip would be to make sure it's as secure as a nuns virginity!

[cameo]

very cool ray, very cool. the fake timber gives quite the comical feel, whereas the exterior contasts that with that aggressive stance.

i guess this a silly comment but do you have any troubles with the hatch vibrating while idleing or just driving around? or is secured somehow?

regardless, inspiration right 'ere!

[gpk_gti]

is it bolted or self tappers??

[rayray086]

Nah mate, not a silly question! It was actually one of the things I considered when making it, and I went to the trouble of putting in a few magnets on the trapdoor where they would sit on the L brackets when in the resting position. The magnets aren't very strong though, but do the job. And yeah, false floor has been bolted down by three L brackets onto the body of the car (under the hatch door when it's closed), so it won't move around. That was important for me as the battery was to be secured on the false floor. Removing the whole false floor would need the rear bumper off as the bolts extend under it. I took the time to spray on several coats of fish oil followed by a few coats of clear so I don't expect any rust to surface up.

I get no vibrations The only sound it makes is an occasional clank by the handle when I go over sudden bumps.

[DubSteve]

Nice work Raymond, this looks very good, I have been doing abit of research and through this I am going to give it a go, going to be doing abit differently but same sought of princibles top work mate!