Are the Bonneville, lesabre etc. Battery cables long enough to reach under the headlight bucket? Yes, I've searched and all I found were guys using welding cable. Next question, I've also read there's not enough room under a bumperpad fascia for these. Anybody out there know better?
on a road going vehicle, I'd never put a battery there.. 1) pain to charge 2) if you get hit, it is to easy to short the cable ends to chassis and burn it down..
To answer your question, a standard sized battery will not fit, Bumperpad nose does not hang down enough to hide it. You 'might' get a really small battery to fit there but then you'd lose a lot of capacity. Also, as mentioned, pain to get at and prime spot to be hit/damaged. Best place is the same place everyone else moves it to, under the spare wheel.
I have mine under there. Using the stock battery size. Of course mine is a GT. I think it only works with the GT bumper, unless you use a smaller battery. I got a bunch of 2ga cable off eBay. And have remote posts to jump the car if need be. I love it. People always think it's the coolest. Course I can't put it in the tub, because I don't have the tub. My front end is all chopped up
Mine has been there for 3 years w/o issue. I have let the car sit outside all winter, jump in, turn the key and it will turn over and start the LS4. No reason the same battery wouldn't fit an 84 bumper pad.
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Originally posted by fieroguru: If you use a dyna-batt battery mounted like this it probably will (88 Formula):
It is also small enough to mount in front of the trunk wall (radiator side) and on the DS (opposite the location of the expansion tank) if you want it more accessible.
The reason I want the battery in that location is I am doing a v8 swap and need to poof the battery elsewhere. I was going to put it in the trunk under a cover but I saw the under headlight option and thought it was neat and out of the box. I have given a lot of thought about shorting and if I go this route there will be at least one breaker within inches of the battery as close as possible. I have a kill switch or two in my junk drawer to toss in to make jumping easy if need be. All lines would also be sheathed in pex pipe which I also happen to have oodles of. I never autocross or race so I am not concerned about weight distribution in the least. If it is feasible I would like to use the cables everyone else uses instead of welding cable because of the cost involved but if I need to I will dish out the dough. Guru can I get some more info on that battery you have? I'm sure if it cranks over what you have that bad boy won't care about what I toss at it.
The way a bumperpad curves down underneath reduces the amount of space under the headlight bucket compared to a gt style nose. That said, that battery may well be a low enough profile fit.
------------------ Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!
I have mine under the spare in an Archie's tub. I didn't like the idea of all that (Possible) juice running in those big cables along the fuel tank, so I bought a Ford-style separate starter solenoid and installed it on the front of the tub, then ran the positive lead back to the starter(in schdl 40 tubing)- I have some #8 wire that runs the car. I ran it with the ground wire in some schedule 40 tubing- You can heat and bend it to follow the contours of the bottom of the car. I ran the big ground wire through a kill switch and back to the engine block. I also installed a fusable link in the 8 gauge wire so it dies if it shorts out(From high-centering the car or such). The big power wire only has juice during starting. I have had this setup for a couple of years with no problem. Probably over-engineered....
For any battery relocation I would strongly suggest putting a fuse on the positive terminal of the battery. All new cars have battery fuses and a front battery Fiero absolutely needs one. Even if it's in the fiberglass tub. Any short of that cable and your Fiero will burn to the ground. A 200A fuse would do the trick.
"DYNA-BATT" batteries are made by EnerSys as ODYSSEY Motorcycle batteries but then sold to Davis Unified Ignition who just relabel them for cars. Many have problems running and ruining them in short order.
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Originally posted by E.Furgal: on a road going vehicle, I'd never put a battery there.. 1) pain to charge 2) if you get hit, it is to easy to short the cable ends to chassis and burn it down..
1. debatable. I've seen OE batteries on many cars that is a giant pain to access them for changing etc. Many cars have extra "jumper" + terminal because battery is hidden.
2. Sadly True. Relocating battery is not simple as many think. New location can have big problems when car is in a wreck but most just ignore this fact. Example: Battery Bucket, fiber glass or metal, mounted to plastic spare tire wall was never a good plan. OE Fiero (Group 75) battery weighs ~32# and could easy turn sledge hammer even w/o a big wreck that destroys the frame, radiator, etc. OE location has metal in front of battery so can't move much if mounting fails. Shorted battery by hitting metal bucket or other front-end parts can dump 200-400 amps or more and quickly cause a fire.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Ok speaking real hypothetically here but since I want to make this safe and doable I'll say it anyway. I have 1/4 foam rubber that has adhesive backing on it. What if I lined the whole tray with that and made the tub out of steel with the stock hold downs so it can't move on that plane and a top hold down so that plane is taken care of if mounting fails. That being said I was looking into a resetable breaker with test button that could be mounted to top hold down so it's fused as close as possible to the battery in case of cable short.
Originally posted by jaredmurray88: That being said I was looking into a resetable breaker with test button that could be mounted to top hold down so it's fused as close as possible to the battery in case of cable short.
This is the most important thing. You don't want to dump 400 amps into the frame in case all that insulation fails. The wires will glow red hot and your Fiero WILL burn to the ground. It's not worth the risk to omit the fuse/circuit breaker. Given that you don't expect this to happen a fuse makes more sense. Chances are you are not going to dead short to ground, trip the breaker, reset and go on about your day like nothing happened. The fuse is there for that really bad day and protect it from getting much worse.
Yup, Most people just run thick cables to front battery and done. Some only run + side as one piece and ground engine and battery to the frame. Both Often causes many headaches and no-one tries to find why.
Breaker is nice plan but All breaker and fuses (but not fusible links) will add a small amount of resistance. Resistance is design into them to do their job. Means Breaker in the starter circuit could be big problems...
Normal 1.5Kw starter draws 119a w/ full change battery, Say 12.6v for math here. (Actual full change can be 12.6-13.5 depending actual battery used, engine just run, etc.) 1.5Kw is your constant and fix value. Starter sees low volts for any reason Amps will climb.
12.6 - breaker volt drop - connections volt drop to them = maybe 12.4v available. (Starter Battery is "dead" below 12v. See my Cave, Battery ) Only 0.2v you say but that 0.2 makes starter draw 121amps. Measured Volts at the starter when starter is on can be lower still. If is 11v then starter draws ~136a. 10v? 150a. Many OE cables are 4awg wire and many charts say ~130a max. This is why many use Welding cables for front battery setups plus it has very tough insulation.
More amp = more heat = even more amps because heat makes more resistance. If engine starts fast then shouldn't heat up the cables and starter. But engine is Slow to start then you could get starter/cables failures soon...
Remember that when starter is pulling big amps while battery power to run the ECM, Ignition, etc. Ignition coil(s) and Fuel Pump hate low volts too.
Another question for people that have used archie's battery tray. Is ther any slack in the cables when installed? Would stock cables from a Buick with the battery under the back seat reach that far? Do these battery cables already have fusable links or some kind of overload protection? I've read they do but haven't seen any in person to be sure if I bought a set from u pull it or salvage yard.
Many have nothing on small wire. most or all ACDelco replacements have a Fusible Link on small wire. All are made as + side cable w/ black terminal covers.
For those of us who are using side post batteries with battery cables utilizing the original factory style terminals, is there something the same idea as this that's plug and play? Something like the following, but instead of a switch... a fuse?
I go to a junk yard I grab the main maxi fuse holder from a late 90'-2016 g.m. truck/suv.. that is between the battery and the main underhood fuse box..
That was another thought I had but there would me a small length of cable that could short and wouldn't be covered by the box you mentiined. I poked around and found what I posted because you bolt it direct to the bat. And I have both the cable ends pictured above and master kill key switch to mount remotely. But I want this as safe as possible so there might end up being a kill switch on the pos terminal and a disconnect on the neg as well as put a fusible link on the pos post.
The pic in your post Patrick just bolte to your side terminal and you tap into it from there. Its a fusible link from a lancer and other mitsu cars rated for 120 amps. The second pic is a straight up disconnect I have those for top and side post. The green knob threads through the cable end and into a block attached to the bat terminal. There is no switch or overload protection to be had . iirc the first pic could be smothered in plastidip or etc to protect it plus the plastic shelters the bolts.
Seems like Chrysler LHS 1999 favored putting the battery ahead of the front wheel below the headlight area with no protection from damage whatsoever. I actually saw one at a body shop years ago that was hit in the same area.
Damaged fender, cracked battery and a cut wire harness, plus a bent rim. Except for the bent rim it was still driveable. Here's a link of where the battery goes.
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
Originally posted by Spoon: Seems like Chrysler LHS 1999 favored putting the battery ahead of the front wheel below the headlight area with no protection from damage whatsoever. I actually saw one at a body shop years ago that was hit in the same area. ...
Seems like Chrysler LHS 1999 favored putting the battery ahead of the front wheel below the headlight area with no protection from damage whatsoever. I actually saw one at a body shop years ago that was hit in the same area.
Damaged fender, cracked battery and a cut wire harness, plus a bent rim. Except for the bent rim it was still driveable. Here's a link of where the battery goes.
Difference is the mopar has been designed that the parts around it to bend/crack/etc.. it also has a main fuse to cut full power from battery if it shorts.. both are things most Fiero owners will not take into account.. How many have a maxi fuse on the + cable. in their cars?? Comparing the mopar, to moving the battery in the Feiro is foolish without commenting on the engineering factors and design that was used to limit harm from the battery being hit.
