I recently installed a Dyna-Batt dry cell battery into my 1986 GT, rather than relocating the old battery to the front, or dealing with rusty battery trays. I think it turned out quite well, and I have posted a pictures of the install in case some of you decide to go this route as well. The battery itself is about half the size of the stock unit, and only weighs 13 lbs. While I was at it, I also decided to swap the old SI style alternator for a newer CS type. The battery and alternator combo works well.

I like that, how many cranking amps? What's the price?

quote Originally posted by Indiana87GT: I like that, how many cranking amps? What's the price?

Check out this web page.

http://www.newedgeperforman...attery135pounds.aspx

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 03-20-2010).]

quote Originally posted by Heinz_57_Fiero: I recently installed a Dyna-Batt dry cell battery.....

Very nice install. Welcome to the forum. What a great mod.

http://www.performancedistr...rs.com/batteries.htm

Lighten up your street car, hot rod or race car! Remove the heavy 40 lb battery and replace
it with Performance Distributors 13.5 lb Dyna-Batt. The Dyna Batt produces more power per
pound than any battery on the market. It has the cranking power of wet cell batteries three
times its size! This is due to the extremely low internal resistance which allows faster, more
consistant starting. The Dyna Batt does not have a cold cranking amp rating like other
batteries, but has been tested to crank engines with compression ratios as high as 15:1.
The reserve capacity of the Dyna Batt is 16 Amp Hours. The Dyna-Batt is completely dry
cell and can withstand the rigors of high performance and racing enviornments. It is built
with corrosion resistant terminals and is truly maintenance free. The Dyna Batt has an
excellent storage life and recharges very quickly. Any 12 volt charger can be used to
recharge the Dyna Batt but a low amperage battery charger/maintainer, much like the
charger/maintainer we sell listed below, is recommended to avoid overcharging the battery.
This battery works great with one of our alternators!

SPECIFICATIONS: Weight = 13.5 lbs, Dimensions: Length = 7", Width = 3" & Height = 6 1/2" ,
Reserve Capacity = 16 Amp hours, Cold Cranking Amps = Not Rated

Its cool that somebody FINALLY
bought one of these.
Weight savings are always good!
(100 pds=10 hp)

Unfortunately,
there are caveats that were left out.
I/E: dry cell batteries dont work
very well when cold.
( best case scenario,would be to run a dry-cell
during summer, swap back for fall/winter.)

If you put a huge electrical load on 'em
without the engine on, they wont "bounce
back" like a standard car battery.

And, if I recall what was said on a bmw forum...
dry-cells discharge fairly quick when left in
the car for long periods of time without start-up.
(3-7 days)

Regardless of the bugaboos,
having a lightweight battery means you DONT
have to relocate it to the front, thereby adding
more weight with heavy battery cables and such.


Lastly,
there was a FIVE POUND dry-cell battery
that was talked about on the bimmer forum too.
But, alas.............it cost $700.00!!

In case anybody decides to mount one of these batteries on the firewall as we did, you will need to keep the part of the old battery tray that is attached to the firewall. The backing plate with studs is welded to the old tab. Next week I'll post some photos of the backing plate and attachment points that we used. Using wing nuts to attach the holder facilitates easy battery removal. Later, I'm planning on using marine style stud terminal adaptors for the battery cables.

Here is a photo of the plate that we fabricated to mount the Dyna-Batt on the firewall, using part of the old tray as an attachment point.

...and the Dyna_Batt installed using wing nuts. Next will be marine style battery studs for the cables.

Picture shows the Dyna-Batt with the 5/16" marine stud terminals installed. Because the battery positive is reversed from the stock battery, the cables are a stretch. New cables will come later, otherwise I'm very happy with the conversion.

quote Originally posted by sunofjustice: Regardless of the bugaboos, having a lightweight battery means you DONT have to relocate it to the front, thereby adding more weight with heavy battery cables and such.

What's wrong with the battery in the rear? In the stock location, it's closer to the CG, reducing the car's moment of inertia compared to a front-mount battery.

Having the mass concentrated near the CG is why we drive mid-engine cars, no?

The car is better with a slight rear weight bias in my opinion.

I would never relocate the battery to the front.

quote Originally posted by sunofjustice: If you put a huge electrical load on 'em without the engine on, they wont "bounce back" like a standard car battery.

Are you referring to deep-cycling dry cells? If so, I'll have to disagree. If they're anything like car audio dry cells, they should be able to be completely deep cycled (completely discharged) and recharged with no negative effects. If you're talking about slightly recharging from a huge drain, say dropping from 13V to 10V then bouncing back up to 11V (for example), then I suppose I would agree. Once they're discharged, they're done until you recharge them.

Ive seen these, but thought they were fairly low capacity....mostly for drag cars. Didnt know they would supply enough for a street car....Hows it working out using AC, lights, stereo, etc.

quote Originally posted by sunofjustice: Its cool that somebody FINALLY bought one of these. Weight savings are always good! (100 pds=10 hp) Unfortunately, there are caveats that were left out. I/E: dry cell batteries dont work very well when cold. ( best case scenario,would be to run a dry-cell during summer, swap back for fall/winter.)

...actually it states that on the above posted website that they are not intended for use in cold weather climates.