Battery In Boot Conversion

paulsilv · #1 29-05-2011, 17:46

Can someone give a Simple layman's "How To" on how to move the Battery to the Boot, including what materials are needed, routing etc

DET installed and running (Thankyou Pukka)

Now need the space to pipe in a FMIC so I can resite the Rad, instead of having a great Volvo IC shoehorned infront of it.

any help/links would be greatly appreciated

ScoupeS12 · #2 29-05-2011, 20:56

In my S13, I got a 005L battery and put that in instead of doing the battery in the boot conversion. It's like half the size of the original battery, so you can squeeze a 3" intercooler tube through the battery tray without moving it into the boot.

If you want to put it in the boot you need to:

Find a really good earth point in the boot to attatch the battery to.

Then a good thick earth strap, from the battery negative on the battery to the earth point in the boot somewhere.

For neatness you can remove the earth strap to the battery under the bonnet.

You will also need a good thick cable for the positive side which needs to be run from the battery location uner the bonnet to its new location in the boot. There are 1000 different ways to go with this and everyone will tell you a different way is best. Although as long as it doesn't chafe anything, then it'll be fine.

Then you need to disconnect the earth strap from the battery in the boot. (safety first :P)

Then you need to use either a very large fuse, or even better a circuit breaker (because you can reset it rather than just replace it if there's a problem, although they are dearer) that needs to inbetween the new positive cable you've just run through the car AT THE BOOT END (as close to the battery as sensibly possible) and the battery positive terminal.

Then connect the end of the positive cable you've just run thorough the car to the old positive connection to the battery. Obviously this needs to be very well insulated. Probably connected in a large plastic terminal box or similar would be best.

Then you need some way of holding the battery down in the boot. Two little eyelets welded into the floor of the boot at 90degrees allow you to use the original battery clamp with the two 10mm nuts on the top. You can drill the spot welds out of the old battery tray and weld that into the boot if you like.

Then connect the negative lead to the battery back up.

Some people will argue the toss on weather you need a sealed battery box, because it's now inside the cabin of the vehicle. Lots of batteries now are sealed units, so I'd say it's not nesseccary, and I can't remember what MOT says, but worth a look on the net.

For the cables and fuse sizes, you could get all of the information from the WSM to work out what you need.....or you could get the information from someone else who has already done it.

If you are still not 100% sure, then ask because a rather impressive fire can result from a c0ck-up!

s13eater · #3 29-05-2011, 22:28

paulsilv · #4 30-05-2011, 20:31

005L Battery, has to beat the hell out of wiring it all into the boot for easiness.

My hunt is now on for a battery.

Cheers Guys

ScoupeS12 · #5 30-05-2011, 21:23

Lol....S13eater....always one who know's better :P

And I went for the smaller battery option in the S13, purely becasue it was easier. But it is cheaper aswell, which is always a bonus.

I think pretty much all parts places can translate the 005L battery number into their own part numbers. It's commonly recognised.

I can't remember off of the top of my head whether the battery terminals are the same way round in the S12, and S13. If they are not (or at any-rate) make sure that the battery you get has the terminals the correct way around. If it's not 005L for the S12, then it'll be 005R

paulsilv · #6 01-06-2011, 00:52

005L Battery

005R Battery

ScoupeS12 · #7 01-06-2011, 18:11

Yeah, same idea, but the terminals are the opposite way around.

I am pretty damn sure that the number was a 005, but it's been ages since I bought it, but I think it was the same as a mk1 MX5.

paulsilv · #8 04-06-2011, 19:45

Read around a few forums, This battery was recommended from a guy who cut a hole in the S13 battery tray for intercooler piping. It is 12V 40ah 330 CCA. Has this battery got enough Grunt for a DET and what would be recommended.
Length: 187 mm
Width: 127 mm
Height: 227 mm

054 Battery

This is the MX5 Battery I found, It is 12V 45ah 350 CCA
Length: 234 mm
Width: 128 mm
Height: 220 mm

048 Battery

Also some batteries quote CCA with (SAE) what is this???

And some are GEL and others ACID,,, Whats the Difference???

This is becoming a minefield LOL

.

paulsilv · #9 05-10-2011, 19:19

Found a small race battery on eBay with this spec:
PERFORMANCE @ 25°C:

Voltage - 12v

Capacity - 20Ah

Cranking current* - approx 680Amps(5 secs)

Will this be ok for the DET?

Pricing the wire up etc to put it in the boot is a fortune, unless someone knows anywhere cheap for this kind of stuff

ScoupeS12 · #10 06-10-2011, 23:10

That 054 will be fine, dimensions sound like around and about the right size aswell.

As for the spec of the one above that should be fine although 20Ah Capacity is rather small. Although shouldn't make too much difference so long as you don't sit in "Maccy D's" of a night time with your "tunes" blaring :P

Out of interest how much is the battery off of Ebay? (If you can put that on here without getting crucified!)