battery relocation question

[haygood@aemail4u.com (Haygood)]

Yes, I have a redtop.  Its mounted to the rear driver's side of the trunk, =
and hasn't been a problem space-wise.  I do have to make sure that canned g=
oods or other metallic stuff gets loaded on the other side of the trunk tho=
ugh!

I have an extra set of battery cables for you that I'd like to get off my h=
ands.  I bought extra cable to get it cheaply.  The cable I have is 4/0 Alu=
minum and will make your starter sing.  The aluminum is much lighter than c=
opper, and conducts nearly as well.  For example, it conducts way better th=
an 2/0 copper, with significantly less weight than 2/0 copper.  It's beefy,=
 stiff, and has a tough pvc coating, so it won't wiggle around to chaife it=
self much.

I also have some 2/0 Al wire that I plan to use to make a ground wire.  I h=
ave some of that for you as well.=20=20

I got nice battery lugs from McMaster Carr, and used silver solder and heat=
 shrink from Home Depot to finish the job.  Per CARon's suggestion, I ran t=
he cable under the corner of the rear seatback and through a hole under the=
 rear seat bench.  I used a really sweet grommet from a mid-80's BMW 325i t=
o seal the hole.  The grommet is used in the BMW to route it's battery cabl=
e through the firewall toward the right of the passenger side footwell.  An=
y 3-series with a rear battery should have this grommet.   It is 2" long an=
d 1" wide and guides the cable through at a convenient angle and seals it w=
ell.  From there, use zip ties to attach the cable to the brake lines until=
 they enter the engine compartment.  From there, follow the P/S lines over =
the tranny and then straight down to the starter.  Like Ron, I put new ring=
 terminals on the two wires now connected to your +12 battery lead and ran =
those straight to the battery.  I wouldn't do this again.  Instead, when yo=
u are soldering the big wire into it's lug, drop two extra 10 or 12gage wir=
es into the lug with it.  Leaves these leads about 6 to 10 inches long and =
put quick connects or other terminals on the ends.  That would be a much cl=
eaner solution and give you a little extra length to play with on these wir=
es.=20=20

So I have 20ft. of the 4/0 Al wire (I only used about 14ft in my car), and =
5 ft. of the 2/0 Al wire.  To recoupe my costs on it, I'd need $25 +S/H for=
 it.    If anybody wants this wire, let me know.

Because aluminum oxidizes more quickly than copper or other wires, you shou=
ld not use crimp connectors with this wire.  Solder it.  I clamped the term=
inal in some Vice-grips so it wouldn't get away from me, then heated the te=
rminal with a MAPP gas torch.  Then I filled the battery terminal with a po=
ol of molten solder and then dunked the wire into it.  Keep the heat on the=
 terminal until you can touch some solder to the wire about an inch away fr=
om the joint and melt it on the hot wire.   Before doing this, make sure yo=
u have dropped a piece of heat shrink down the wire for later use, and stri=
p an inch or so more of hte wire than you have to so you don't melt the wir=
e's insulation off.  I replaced that extra inch of insulation and heat shri=
nked the whole joint.  Looks nice and professional like  :)

A MAPP gas torch is just like the blue propane torches you get for $3 at Ho=
me Depot, but it comes in a yellow bottle, costs $7 and creates WAY more he=
at.  The extra heat is well worth the price, since you will use a lot less =
of it.  Uses the same fittings as the propane bottles.

Lastly, my optima is not in a sealed box, of course.  I built a wooden hold=
er that grips the battery well, and attached that wooden thing to the body =
by running two bolts through the square holes in the body that are used to =
attach the rear valance on a 16v kit.  No drilling required!  Simply replac=
e the screws on the valance with longer 1/4" bolts.  The spacing of the hol=
es is perfect for an Optima.  I put the batt. on the driver's side so it is=
n't in the way of the spare tire well.=20=20

I can send you some pic's of the install if you want.

Also, the Optima has been an awesome battery this winter.  My rocco doesn't=
 get driven much in winter but it's held it's charge perfectly,  while my P=
assat's battery is nearly dead when driven twice a week.

BH

--- Drew MacPherson <drew@scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca> wrote:
>
>I know a few listers have relocated their batteries to a box in the trunk=
=20
>(notably CA Ron - thanks for the web site Ron!)
>
>Has anyone used an Optima RedTop located in the trunk?  I'm faced with=20
>battery relocation as an option for gaining intercooler plumbing space,=20
>and if I'm going back to the trunk I don't want to give up a lot of space=
=20
>to the battery.  The nice thing about the Redtop is that (in theory) it=20
>should be able to be mounted on its end or its side tucked into the back=
=20
>pasenger's corner.
>
>The other issue is, of course, how to get those 800CCAs up to the beefy=20
>starter I need to kick over the TD.
>
>Any input is appreciated.
>
>Drew (84 Wolfsburg Ed. TurboDiesel Scirocco)
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Scirocco-l mailing list
>Scirocco-l@scirocco.org
>http://neubayern.net/mailman/listinfo/scirocco-l

_____________________________________________________________
!!!!FAST, FREE AND HOT!!!!
for the best free email site on the web
http://www.aemail4u.com

_____________________________________________________________
Select your own custom email address for FREE! Get you@yourchoice.com w/No =
Ads, 6MB, POP & more! http://www.everyone.net/selectmail?campaign=3Dtag