Dumb battery question - orientation on a battery tray

[AJMBLAZER]

So I'm putting a cold air intake on Big Ugly and this is going to require me to reorient the front battery so it runs parallel to the fender and rear battery instead of perpendicular to them. Now this wouldn't be a problem except the CUCV's use the big ass Group 31 batteries and the thing is like a foot long. I'm not looking for anything that is pretty...just rotates the battery 90 degrees. I've got the hold down figured out well enough...just thinking I should find a way to raise it a bit to clear the edge of the tray and the fender right there.

Any suggestions?

 

[badmix]

Could use move it to drivers side using one of the OEM drivers side batt tray from LMC. Obviously it would require longer pos/neg cables. but would free up that space completely.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

That costs money...not an option.


I have some highly dense particle board at home...thinking about just cutting some of it to fit the tray and using it to locate the battery upwards 1/2" or so. That should give me the clearance I need.

 

[Mike D]

Why don't you move the cold air intale to the drivers side and return the battery to its original location. If the air cleaner is indexed ( not movable ) Cut off the air filter intake and relocate on drivers side. Use a thin piece of sheet metal to cover the old air filter housing.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Driver's side has the radiator and overflow bottle in the way.

 

[dremu]

As you're finding, real estate on the core support is at a premium, and to run a vent hose you end up having to move things. Imagine the fun I'm gonna have putting TWO on the sixpack.

On my CUCV, I squeeeezed it in past the battery; IIRC, the battery held the thing in place nicely. I was running group 31P's, I think, some slightly odd size 'cuz the parts house had them and they fit around those weird top holders. (And they were 1200CCA or something crazy )

Anyway, I think mine just had straight tube at the front end, versus yours seems to have a molded piece that's a bit bigger. ::shrug::

I would not use particle board as that stuff is seriously hygroscopic (it'll pick up water, no matter how much you try to seal it) and will otherwise deteriorate, which you do NOT want under a battery. Acrylic or ABS plastic, steel, alumniium ... anything else for the spacer.

-- A

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Yeah...mine are 31A's and take up the whole long width of the battery trays.

How about some high density plastic? Happen to have a home entertainment center worth of it I could use as donor material...hrmmmm.....


Yeah, the Dakota hose on mine is too short without the big connector thing and with the connector on it there's no way it'd fit into the core around a 31A.
Not getting rid of the batteries though, brand new and 1100some amps. Thing starts like an aluminum 327 with a high torque starter!