What seems like a very long time ago, I installed a West Coast front mount battery kit into my V8 Fiero. Well, I got in a hurry towards the end of the job when I was running the wires, plus the spare didn't fit right afterwards. Yesterday, I bought a new battery and then I spent several hours today fixing things.

Here is what it looks like with the spare tire removed. I got a pretty yellar battery from Wal-Mart. If you do an archive search, you'll find my original post that documented part one of the story.

Since the box is aluminum, I took some vacuum hose, split it and then glued it around the post holes (see second pic of the underneath side). I used some fancy gold screw-in battery posts and cable fittings. The positive cable is not connected yet in the pic.

I'm much happier now. Finally finished the job off right. Seems to work great. I used 2 gauge welding wire to run the positive cable to the starter and for the negative cable to the engine block. I also used a short 6 gauge wire for a second negative cable from the battery to the frame. I also have a ground from the engine to the frame. I wanted to make sure everything was well grounded.

[This message has been edited by batboy (edited 06-30-2002).]

Pretty neat hook up. Do those batteries come in mauve by any chance?? Them fancy gold connectors contrast well with that is THAT rusty thing in the lower pic???? I ain't got one of those. Got a spare one you want to sell??? I'll pay cash on the barrelhead for it.
Seriously, it looks good. Exactly where did you run the cables?? I know, I know. do a search & I'll find out. (sets time machine for "a very long time ago".
Edit-Do these newer batteries emit noxious sulphuric fumes that might cause corrosion problems in a closed space like the front compartment??

Don

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 06-30-2002).]

That rusty thing is the sway bar. Got another rusty one on my parts car if you really want one... lol. This is a functional driver, not a show car.

I ran each battery cable along the A/C lines which are on either of the center hump. There are little bracket clamps that hold the lines in place, so I removed them and slipped the cables into position, then replaced the clamps. I also used a few nylon wire ties to keep the cables up out of the way. Seems very sanitary with the cables tucked up there. You have to crawl all the way under the car to even see the cables.

There are completely sealed batteries available (gel cell I think), like the Optima brand that racers use. These are very expensive and are usually top post batteries which won't work in this setup. There really isn't much to corrode in the trunk. Maybe the spare rim. The spare tire well is plastic. There is a drain hole in the bottom and of course the two holes for the side posts in the box, so it's not sealed up in there.

OK, a pic from below.. I see it now that I turned the monitor upside down. I got a stabilizer bar already so I guess you lost a sale. I might have to try that, since I worry about people 'borrowing' my battery after ripping the vent off the 84. (I put '85 vents on it) Good job

Here is the original thread that chronicled part one.
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20001206-2-002567.html

The neat thing about those gold Streetwire connectors is that you can run multiple wires from each terminal. It's hard to see in that pic because the negative cables are black, but I have two cables (one 2 gauge and one 6 gauge) on the terminal. I also have two positive cables (one 2 gauge to the starter and one 8 gauge to the stereo amp).

The total cost of about $150 includes the battery box kit, 20 ft. of 2 gauge welding wire, 2 ft. of 6 gauge wire, 10 ft. of 8 gauge wire, 1 ft. of vacuum hose, all the gold Streetwire connectors, and misc. hardware. This mod could probably be done much cheaper. I've also installed in the engine compartment, a battery cut-off switch thing from my Dad's old RV, so I can easily kill the power when I'm working on the car.

Yep, I found the thread already. Dang big cat-bet the mice live a life of terror round your place. Good job on the documentation. That would sure clean up that corner of the eng compartment on mine, I'll have to look into it, AFTER I do something with that sick Duke.
Don

I always get comments about my beloved 17 pound Grizzly Kitty. Yep, he's a deadly rodent slayer. Here's a pic of the proud varmit hunter with a rat that he dragged up from the back yard to show me. He's a cool cat and my best buddy. Once, I had a visitor that saw him and exclaimed, "Holy s***, is that a mountain lion!?!"

[This message has been edited by batboy (edited 07-01-2002).]

That's a cool cat there.
I started a battery re-location project,haven't finished it however;I'm using the crossmember to sit the battery on,will fiberglass a box shape to keep it clean up there.
Those connectors are pretty slick.

Doesn't look like there's a lot of "spare" room in that front compartment . Looks pretty good so far. Thanks for keeping us up on your progress!

Holy Smokes!

Your cat looks just like mine! Only mine is about 14 lbs. I have got to figure out how to post pictures now! That is too funny! I thought I was the only one with a dirty white/orange cat.

quote Originally posted by StuGood: Doesn't look like there's a lot of "spare" room in that front compartment

If you go a little lower with the battery, you do.

But then I don't think you get to use that
" nifty " bracket batboy uses.

Tina

Hey Tina, nice mod. Is that your emergency generator?

I had to "re-engineer" the battery hold down bracket a little, but the spare tire and jack fits just like original. It's hard to tell that the battery is even there.

Ok, finally all finished. I ran the stereo amp cable and then did some more tweaking on the battery hold-down bracket again. The spare tire slides in and out like a charm now. I also yanked out the RV battery cable disconnect in the engine compartment. Decided it was a piece of guano. I installed welding cable disconnect terminals instead, much more heavy duty. Well kids, it's been a lot of work, but I'm very pleased with my front mounted battery mod now. Here is a pic of the radiator side of the battery box taken from the top (last pic was from underneath).

guy's car batteries up front are a waste of time, not enough weight their, you can throw a car battery, use a truck battery, they weigh by them selves around 60-65 pounds

I have to totally disagree. With a big ol' heavy 350 V8 in the tail of my Fiero, any weight I can remove from the back end or shift to up front is definitely worth the time and money. The previous owner stuck the battery in the rear trunk which made matters worse (moved the weight to behind the rear axles). In my case, the battery had to be moved anyway, since there is no room for it in the stock location. I say, moving 20 to 25 pounds out of the rear trunk and putting it up in the front was a major plus.

Take your batt out and cut a few little drain holes at the bottom of the pan. Anyone with a reusty batt tray knows batteries can leak when they please. this will flush the fluids down and not keep them in the tray. (if you rott this tray, you are dragging your battery. )

Awesome job!

Cheers!
Eric

Not a bad idea, Eric. Although my battery box is aluminum and won't rust like a steel tray, it will eventually corrode over time. I might just drill a couple small holes in the bottom. Since I don't drive the beast in the winters, I pull the batteries out of the Batmobile, my street rod, and my lawn tractor, then store them in my basement (occasionally putting a charger on them). I'll need to remember to clean up the battery and box with soapy water when I do this each fall. That should help too.