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Trunk battery cable routing

Jonk67

Jonk67

Well-Known Member
Ok, I've got my red 1/0 cable and have started laying out my route from trunk to starter. I plan to place the battery where the black box is, right on top of the rear end to the right side. I have an altima redtop that I will lay down posts towards the trunk and leave extra cable so I can pull it to where the spare tire is if I need to get to it which I don't expect to often. The right side of the box will be bolted through to the frame and I'll probably add some 1/4" flat bar to tie the right side of the box to the frame too. I will be using rubber grommets where ever I go through a hole.

How does this route through the rear look? Where it is laying it clears the rear seat panel and window operation. I cut/bent/folded the thin piece of metal at the floor to keep from cutting the cable and will put some slit fuel hose over top/bottom metal edges to protect it. Does this look ok for a route? From here it runs forward down the rocker channel to the front kick panel.

IMG_1664.jpg


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In the front I am inside the kick panel and trying to find the shortest/easiest/least prone to water outlet. I tried it through the antenna hole but that's doesn't seem very direct. I'm thinking of drilling a hole where the blue tape is in the firewall if I can get the cable past the heater motor up in that corner. Of course I refurbed the heater and reinstalled before doing the cable...
I am probably going to enter the engine bay where the blue tape is forward of the shock tower as I'll also be putting a junction box there for all my forward electrics (headlight relays, etc.). I was going to go through where there's already a hole pointing right at the starter but my headers allow no room to go through. I figured it'll be easier to come from the front of the headers and between them and the block to the starter.

IMG_1670.jpg


Tips, hints, ideas?
Jon
 
I ran mine over the wheel well. I picked up some plastic clamps at Lowes and used self tapping screws to mount them to that pinch weld on the wheel wells. Then it runs down the rocker and out the antennae hole same as yours. I drilled a hole in the splash shield for it to run through. It also used the clamps under the fender, they are mounted to the fender bolts with nuts on the bottom of them.
 
Thanks Rick, I plan to use the plastic clamps also in the areas you mention. I tried running it up the rear wheel well but it's boxed at the top right after the trunk wall area and I couldn't see or get my fingers to the end of the cable from the trunk side. I may take another look up under the rear deck from the inside to see if there's a hole or way to feed it through there. That would be a little smoother install than under the seat.
Jon
 
This is how the PO did the battery cable in my 66. Of course mine is hooked up to a kill switch on the back. There's a hole in the trunk that takes it under the car, and out a front frame rail?, up and over the shock tower.
I don't care for the look of that ugly red cable over the tower so I'll probably find a new way to route it.
 

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I ran my cable over the wheel well, through the rocker slot at the door and out where you did. I wrapped the cable in a hard spiral plastic for protection and used old garden hose around any areas that even remotely could chafe.


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I went back to lookin' and the Coupe has a boxed area the rear wheel well that the fastbacks don't apparently comparing my pic to Mark's above (thanks Mark and Kat for the pics). I can't get to the cable from when it leaves the little space below the window down area to where the trunk meets so I can't fasten it well and it wants to lay in the crevis where the inner fender well meets the outer and am afraid it'll get cut when I have body work done or get pinched by metal flex. Also my battery will be forward of where Mark and Kats are so the wire would have to reverse back to get to the battery. I think the route on the floor on my pic above is the shortest/easiest/safest I can do.

Here's the boxed in area on the Coupe from side and rear:

IMG_1674.jpg


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Jon
 
Ok, I got the 3/8" holes drilled for grade 8 bolts to hold the battery tray in. The 2 on the left of the pic go into the frame rails as required by NHRA rules (just in case). I didn't realize the frames are just U channels so I guess I'll need ~4" long bolts to reach all the way through the frame bottom?
I'll make some spacers to level out the tray for those dips in the rear, suggestions welcome for what to use to support the rear that can be bent/sized easy enough? I may size some box channell to drill through if I can get the right ht.

IMG_1715.jpg

Jon
 
I would suggest welding brackets/studs to the car that the trays then rests/bolts to rather than drilling and using through bolts and nuts. I definitely don't like the idea of drilling all the way down and through the rail.
 
"Horseplay" said:
I would suggest welding brackets/studs to the car that the trays then rests/bolts to rather than drilling and using through bolts and nuts. I definitely don't like the idea of drilling all the way down and through the rail.
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The NHRA rules (I may run on a 1/8 or 1/4 mi. track that would req. meeting rules) states at least 2/4 bolts of 3/8" min. have to go through a frame mount. The frame is just a U channel so I'm really just going through the bottom. Also I don't know how to weld and it's $ and a PIA to have a welder come out for 4 studs and I still wouldn't meet the rules that way but thanks for the suggestion.

"Fast68back" said:
Why are you tucking it so far up inside the trunk? Seems like it would be a huge PIA to get it out if/when you have too.
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I'm using an Optima Red and laying it down so I don't expect to have to take it out for years so I'm not too worried about the location. The tray I'm using is only 1/2" high in the front so that's all I have to lift over to slide it out.

I'm going to have an amp, speakers and an elect. rear window defroster all mounted in that area behind the seat so I'll be making a panel to hide it all. I want all the open trunk space I can get as i can never seem to fit all the stuff I'm trying to take when I take a trip, I plan on a 22gal. tank also. It'll really clean up the look to me with all that tucked away, wires, etc. plus that's another 40lbs. right on top of the right tire I figure...
 
"Jonk67" said:
The NHRA rules (I may run on a 1/8 or 1/4 mi. track that would req. meeting rules) states at least 2/4 bolts of 3/8" min. have to go through a frame mount. The frame is just a U channel so I'm really just going through the bottom. Also I don't know how to weld and it's $ and a PIA to have a welder come out for 4 studs and I still wouldn't meet the rules that way but thanks for the suggestion.
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What kind of time are you expecting to run? Unless you're breaking into the tens most track inspections you'll face are little more than checks for leaking fluids. If you are running that kind of time, you'll also need to have a cage installed by a certified welder.
 
Yeah I won't be in the tens unless a dragster tows me, 12-13's I'm guessing. I just figured it's easier to comply with the rules while I'm building and the sheet metal back there doesn't look to be more than 16-18ga. and I still can't weld so this is the easiest route for me at this time and satisfies rules. If I could weld I may have looked at it differently.

My luck I'd get into racing and get called on it since all they have to do is look under the car to see that the mounts don't go through the frame, I have a feeling they may look closer at particular mods like a battery relo. I did finish 3rd in a FoMoCo event years ago and I remember them looking at the car closer. There are already holes through the frame for minor stuff like exh. brackets and I do plan to add a panhard bar/brace and frame connectors so there will be further reinforcement.

On a side note I was distracted by a 'while I'm at it' and cleaned up all the overspray/tar under the seat and up the hump where the batt. cable will run. I found an old container of GOO GONE that I was about to throw out. This stuff did an amazing job of taking the remaining smeared tar after I had scraped away the chunks. I used an old rag I am going to throw away anyway and it is black. I put the GOO GONE in a small spray bottle, let it soak for 30sec. and wiped the tar away with no harm to the bare metal or paint. Only down side is this stuff has a strong ~sweet odor like AF. I left it in the garage overnight and it filled the garage with this smell, had to roll it out in the sun and point the fan at it when I put it back in. I haven't wiped over it with anything to neutralize the smell (what to use?) which is still there when I crawl in the back seat.
Jon
 
"Jonk67" said:
Yeah I won't be in the tens unless a dragster tows me, 12-13's I'm guessing. I just figured it's easier to comply with the rules while I'm building and the sheet metal back there doesn't look to be more than 16-18ga. and I still can't weld so this is the easiest route for me at this time and satisfies rules. If I could weld I may have looked at it differently.

My luck I'd get into racing and get called on it since all they have to do is look under the car to see that the mounts don't go through the frame, I have a feeling they may look closer at particular mods like a battery relo. I did finish 3rd in a FoMoCo event years ago and I remember them looking at the car closer. There are already holes through the frame for minor stuff like exh. brackets and I do plan to add a panhard bar/brace and frame connectors so there will be further reinforcement.

On a side note I was distracted by a 'while I'm at it' and cleaned up all the overspray/tar under the seat and up the hump where the batt. cable will run. I found an old container of GOO GONE that I was about to throw out. This stuff did an amazing job of taking the remaining smeared tar after I had scraped away the chunks. I used an old rag I am going to throw away anyway and it is black. I put the GOO GONE in a small spray bottle, let it soak for 30sec. and wiped the tar away with no harm to the bare metal or paint. Only down side is this stuff has a strong ~sweet odor like AF. I left it in the garage overnight and it filled the garage with this smell, had to roll it out in the sun and point the fan at it when I put it back in. I haven't wiped over it with anything to neutralize the smell (what to use?) which is still there when I crawl in the back seat.
Jon
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Goo Gone is good stuff. Use it all the time to remove adhesive residue. It's basically a citrus product, I believe. It should dissipate fairly soon.
 
Jon,
I ran mine thru the rocker like you but I drilled a hole below the door hinge and pulled the wire thru then followed the area where the fender bolts on top and came into the engine compartment just below the solenoid. I don't have any pictures but I basically did it like JamesW did in his photo's (in fact that's where I got the idea). Here's his pics
Launch%20008.jpg

Battery%20009.jpg
 
Triton, that is the diagram I am using so the 1/0 wire will only be hot when cranking. However i do have an electrical question in relation to the MAD diagram. As I understand it you should use a fuesable link one step down from the wire size, in this case it is an 8ga. wire should use a 10ga. fuseable link right? so that the fuesable link heats up and fries before the 8ga. wire? However in the MAD diagram he shows a 12ga. fuseable link on the 8ga. wire? Wouldn't this burn too soon being 2 steps down in gauge?

Craig, I almost drilled a hole in the door jamb like your pic but then realized I'd still have to drill through the splash panels too and then curve towards the apron anyway so I took a shorter route for me which was up through the kick panel space, out the top inner kickpanel hole and straight towards the passengers firewall. I drilled to have it come out the corner just above the heater box which is a straghter shot to me, 2 ways, same outcome basically.
Jon
 
I wasn't criticizing, just sharing what I did. I had seen JamesW's site before doing mine and just liked how it looked.
 
Sorry Craig, not taken as a criticism at all, hope I didn't infer that in my typing, on the contrary I like to see all ways of doing this. Thanks to Marks post above I did some more shredding of my hands and figured out how to route up over the fenderwell like his pic without going under the rear seat as my pics above showed originally. There is more bracing in the coupes rear fenderwell as seen above so more hunting to snake the cable.

Here's a pic of where I came out at with the grommet in place:

IMG_1799.jpg


Any idea if I should go with 10ga. or 12ga. fuseable link on the 8ga. alt. charging wire?
Jon
 
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