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relocated battery question/opinion

readymix

readymix

3/4 ton status
Joined
May 30, 2004
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Location
Murrieta, California
While changing my plugs and wires yesterday I found that the stock battery tray is about to fall out of the truck. It can't handle the bouncing after trimming away most of my fenders. So now it's time to move the whole battery.

I like where Ryoken has his but I like standing there when working on the motor so that's out.

Some of the other ideas I have seen around here are good too but I am not sure if they would work for me. The ones recessed into the bed floor sound like a good idea, but I always throw crap in the bed and might need acess to the battery as soon as it is covered in crap.....

Any other ideas for location?
 
my batteries are in the back.

Blazermuddy004Large.jpg
 
do you have dual gas tanks? if not you can mount it to the frame under the cab on the side that does not have a tank. there is a lot of space there.
 
My truggy ( cant get rid of , may as well work on it ) will have it on the frame , right next to the motor . The headers may get wrapped , but the battery will most definitely get a barrier around it when I am done .

100_1412.JPG
 
I saw that in another thread while I was searching. I like the look of it, plus there would be no need to get new longer cables.

But I would rather it not be in the way for maintenance.
 
Just some random thoughts from me, apply as you see fit...

My thoughts on frame mounting batteries... Solid platforms... When I resto'd cement mixers, dozers, etc, we would build some killer frame mounted boxes.. I would definitely setup a good bolt-on method, and go that route.. Not big on welding to the frame for a couple reasons. But make sure it's a secure situation..

That being said, I'm not fond of unprotected batteries being subjected to roadsalt, etc... fast way to hurt connection... I would much rather see an enclosed box, as opposed to an open tray...

cable length, route etc is always a consideration.

I really like Rene's under floor, enclosed setup... If mine wheren't where they are, they would be there..


Btw, thanks for the props...
 
I really like the way Rene has his too, but I use the bed way to often for that. I have a toolbox in the bed, and thought about putting them in there. I am not to big on that idea though. Seems far to fragile a situation, but I could be wrong.

I knew this was going to be a PITA to decide about. I want to do it once and do it correctly.
 
readymix said:
Any other ideas for location?
Click to expand...

1) K.I.S.S.

2) Function over form.


With those two being said, how about right in front of the passenger seat?

What percentage of the time driving your rig do you have a passenger? If you're like me, it would only be about 5% of the time.

And even when you do have a passenger, it won't be too much in the way because it will be right under the legs.

That's my two cents :wink1: !
 
readymix said:
I really like the way Rene has his too, but I use the bed way to often for that. I have a toolbox in the bed, and thought about putting them in there. I am not to big on that idea though. Seems far to fragile a situation, but I could be wrong.

I knew this was going to be a PITA to decide about. I want to do it once and do it correctly.
Click to expand...

With a pick-up I'd consider mounting one batt in each front corner of the box in an enclosed box. That part of the box is pretty out of the way and it shouldn't interfere much with the utility of the box itself. In a K5 that part is part of the passenger compartment so I had to recess them into the floor and put lids on them for safety reasons.

The fender mounted stock trays are just not up to the task in a truck that sees a lot of washboard and rough two track roads leading to trails. The weight and vibration create a fatigue timeline measured in weeks...

After moving mine I was amazed at the lack of creaks, squeaks and rattling. It was all gone, no matter what kind of potholes I went over.


Rene
 
readymix said:
but I always throw crap in the bed and might need acess to the battery as soon as it is covered in crap.....

Any other ideas for location?
Click to expand...
You know this was coming;.....
So do like the bears and crap in the woods. Just kidding Bro.:D
 
readymix said:
My toolbox occupies that space Rene.
Click to expand...

How about modding the toolbox itself so it hold the batts in boxes? Gives you another layer of weather protection as well as theft protection. :thinking:

Rene
 
why did the factory put it there?

In the late 'fifties, people started to notice that the left side springs were going faster than the right. The wizards at GM discovered that they'd put the generator, starter, and battery all on the driver's side (where someone's bound to be sitting if anyone's in the vehicle at all). That's why they moved stuff around. There's a weight related reason why they put the battery exactly where they did. Unless you've got a really good reason for moving it (as per the photo someone sent that's got two nicely balanced batteries evenly distributed) I'd grind out what's left of the old tray and weld or bolt in a nice new bigger and stronger tray.
 
I need to move it so that it does not fall out of the truck.
I cut away so much metal from my fenders that the tray has to go.
Along that same theme I could care less about the GM weight distribution. I don;t think they were that smart about it......why wouldn't they put the gas tank on the pass side then????

I could mod the tool box, or just put a marine, plastic battery box (2) inside the toolbox.
The only problem with that is the tool box is generally full of tools. Especially whne offroading.
 
readymix said:
I need to move it so that it does not fall out of the truck.
I cut away so much metal from my fenders that the tray has to go.
Along that same theme I could care less about the GM weight distribution. I don;t think they were that smart about it......why wouldn't they put the gas tank on the pass side then????

I could mod the tool box, or just put a marine, plastic battery box (2) inside the toolbox.
The only problem with that is the tool box is generally full of tools. Especially whne offroading.
Click to expand...

But why is that an issue? It's not like your gonna need to get to em often....

I was thinking you where talking a K5.. I would think a box in a pickup would be a decent spot, if losing space wasn't a concern...

I don't buy the whole GM did it for a reason... engineers are idiots too, plenty of poorly thought out stuff out there.. heck, boat engineers are morons..

sure, countering driver weight is a prime thought, BUT I'd say putting them up at the rad support was more a marriage of convenience...

I'd venture to say, my setup is far superior to factory singles or duals up front as far as weight distribution.. Just what vehicles need, more weight out in front of the tires.. :rolleyes: I'd rather have em back at the core of the vehicle, ya know, COG and all....
 
I am still kina in the air about this. Should I loose the heater or put them back into the toolbox.

I like the heater location and if I go that route I will remove the heater and toss it. I won't ever need on here in Pascagoula. When I return to SoCal I might need a heater to defrost the windshield 2 times/year. I bet that the summit heater could do that easily.

In the toolbox would also be nice and out of the way, but would make the soace in the box smaller.

Paul, What would you suggest as far as making the toolbox still removeable? I would need to remove the battery wires. What is the best way to do that and still use grommets to protect the wires?
 
yeah, that could be a d*cky part of it all... Not too different then all the boat batteries we haul tho...

I would definitely go with just ringlet style lugs at the end of cables so they could be pulled thru any bulkheading method you where gonna us to get out of the box, whether grommets or some watertight gig...

still gonna take ya 10 minutes.. if the box came out often, definitely would be annoying... You could get fancy with some quick-connect bulkhead connectors, but it's another connection fail point, and can get pricey...

There are lots of reasons I went where I did... weight distribution, short cabling, use of wasted space (in other words, factory heat is huge and awkward in and out), etc...
 
I was thinking that pulling the cables throught the grommets would be a nightmare but the more I think about it, I bet it'll be OK.

I don't want to use any disconnects. Like you said, too much $$ and another fail point.

I do agree that the factory heat is too big. Plus it would look cool to have the batteries where you have them.
The only negative I see to it is that they might be in the way. I like to sit on the tire when working on the engine, and I can't really do that on the drivers side.....
 
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