I have relocated my battery using V8 Archie's battery box. The installation went smoothly, looks good, and seems to be working great. My question/problem is that my spare does not even come close to fitting over the battery. Pulling up on the handle as Archie's tips suggest really doesn't help. I don't wan to cut the lip off of the tub where the tire rests and I don't think that will help anyway because the tire is being blocked mainly by the AC receiver. So I am considering just adding a hold down bracket going spare-less. Has anyone else had this problem? What sort of hold down system works best?
My solution was to use a slimmer (Group 51) battery. That freed up just enough room to get the spare tire in, without having to chop anything. The Group 51 battery uses top posts, though. So you'll need to change the terminals on the battery cables.
Smaller batteries are something I was wondering about. Are there any sizes that still use the same connections? I am not really wanting to change my cables. I worked too hard to get them in there.
My install requires some wiggling to insert and remove spare, but is doable. You didn't install the box upside down did you? That will set the battery rearward a bit.....
What I did for my front battery install was build a pocket into the battery box for the battery post (side mount) to allow the battery to be moved more forward. The battery box was made of fiberglass. With the pocket installed I have no issues with the spare fitting.
Thanks for the info Gall757 and Spadesluck. Olejoedad I put the long side on the bottom like the directions call for but I will check to be sure. I suppose I could have flipped it in handling. Flipping it might actually help. I think part of the issue is the S10 booster.
I have to disconnect the plug on the A/C dryer and rotate the booster vacuum line upwards to ease removal and installation of the spare. It's tight, but it does fit.
I have built two battery boxes of sheet metal. One is in an 88 , the other an 86. I used the stock battery in both instances. The spare fits fine in it's original position. I did trim the rear lip on the tire well just so the tire went in and out easier. I do see many folks run the cables to the interior of the compartment, which I didn't want to do. I made openings for the terminals so they face forward and exit through the front bulkhead. One needs to be careful to insulate so there is no chance of a dead short. I'm not sure how Archie's box is sized, but pretty sure it was designed to carry the spare in the original location. My boxes sit right down to the top of the sway bar without any notching like some I have seen. As someone else pointed out, maybe it is upside down? That spare adds some nose weight as well as ( I have read) being engineered to help safety in event of a frontal crash. Hope you get it to work.
You can try using that one as well. This is the one I will use when I move mine up front.
Dyna-Batt is a relabeled Motorcycle battery and won't last for many users for a lot of reasons. Use search here and elsewhere.
------------------ 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)
Originally posted by theogre: Dyna-Batt is a relabeled Motorcycle battery and won't last for many users for a lot of reasons. Use search here and elsewhere.
My Dyna-Batt battery has been going strong for 4 years...
Normal batteries are supposed to be changed after 3 to 4 years so based on Gurus input, the Dynabat life expectancy doesn't sound like a major problem.
