Next on my list of resto-mods is relocating the battery to the trunk. As many know our cars are front heavy and moving the battery should help with overall balance.
To those that have done this mod, what has been your experience, any tips or gotcha's..? If you have any pictures of your install it would be interesting to see them.
I have done some research and have a good idea of what the mod will consist of. Have no plans to track the car but will be incorporating most of the NHRA safety requirements. Main components include, enclosed box w/ vent, 01 or 1 awg cable, on/off switch etc. And, when I go to an electric fuel pump I'll also get an automatic shut-off switch.
Make sure that both the batt & the engine have a GOOD ground to the frame.
Don't run the positive cable directly to the starter solenoid. Run it to a Ford type remote solenoid first, then run the starter wire from there to the starter solenoid. That solenoid, on my bracket Bird, is mounted on the firewall. On my previous bracket car, it was located on the trans hump, in front of the shifter. Obviously, you'll have to locate the best place for it, on your car.
Run a power cable from the remote to your fuse box, or wherever you want your power cable to go.
Obviously, make CERTAIN that all your wires are routed and protected, so that none of 'em can get cut or burned, in any way.
The more fuses or breakers you have, the less chances there are of a short & fire. Any wire that is not fused, in some way, has the possibility of causing problems, somewhere down the line. Safety is the main thing.
Thanks for the input! I'm curious about the advantage of having 2 solenoids in series? I can see having a on-off switch, but I'm not sure about the additional solenoid. What I have seen is elimination of the starter solenoid [b/c of heat issues] and replacing it with a remote solenoid.
Thanks for the input! I'm curious about the advantage of having 2 solenoids in series? I can see having a on-off switch, but I'm not sure about the additional solenoid. What I have seen is elimination of the starter solenoid [b/c of heat issues] and replacing it with a remote solenoid.
Unless I am misunderstanding you Pete, He was talking about two different locations to mount the remote solenoid, not two in the same car. I am mounting mine back in the trunk close to the battery. That is where I prefer to mount mine because I don't want in inside the interior and I don't want it on my firewall because of clutter.
"Don't run the positive cable directly to the starter solenoid. Run it to a Ford type remote solenoid first, then run the starter wire from there to the starter solenoid."
The way it's worded it leads me to believe he has 2 solenoids. Perhaps he meant your configuration?
"Don't run the positive cable directly to the starter solenoid. Run it to a Ford type remote solenoid first, then run the starter wire from there to the starter solenoid."
The way it's worded it leads me to believe he has 2 solenoids. Perhaps he meant your configuration?
Even if you use a remote Ford type solenoid, you will still have the solenoid that is attached to the starter. The big wire from the Ford solenoid will go down to the big post on the solenoid which is on the starter. You will rig up a short, permanent jumper wire, from the big post to the smaller start post, on the solenoid. This will cause the starter to engage, as soon as power comes from the Ford solenoid.
In the pic I posted, the starter wire goes down from the remote solenoid to the big post on a Summit mini starter. There is a jumper wire connecting the big post & the small start post.
To add on to what oldskool said, this also means that you do not have a constant hot wire running to the starter. The power stops at the ford type solenoid, until you turn the key to start then power runs to the starter. This link will show you a diagram of how the wiring should be and work. http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/tm-1.shtml Also, look around there, a lot of good wiring info.
Converted around 1988. It creates a huge change in the car's attitude. You can feel this change of attitude when you put it in gear, and let off the brake.
Use a short lead from the battery to the Ford solenoid. As Ordy says, you don't want a huge-diameter, always hot, battery cable running the length of the car, not a good game plan. I used 00 welding cable, $2 a foot in the early 80's, so I can only imagine today's price.
The always-hot wire from the solenoid to the alternator needs fusible links on both ends. As for the negative-to-body, good luck with finding a heavy-gauge ground strap.
Mounting the solenoid near the battery decreases resistance, and increases available cranking amps. Also, it keeps clutter out of the engine compartment. I like a low-key, natural, stripped-down look under the hood even it it's incorrect, the reason for painted rocker covers on a 400. I know it sounds weird to the POR-15 people who play the number-game, but the car gets lots of complements about the high-level of attention-to-detail in the engine compartment.
A Ford solenoid is a Ford solenoid. Buy one for a '77 Pinto. For chits and giggles, have the counterman pull one for a '77 f-150, set then side-by-side, and look closely. The only difference is the price.
Do your homework because once you understand what you need, you might be able to source better material, for less money, than what comes in “kits.†I sourced my own parts, and followed a very detailed how-to-do from Hot Rod, or Car Craft, back in the days before these magazines became useless as tits on a bull.
Mount the battery on the right side for better hook-up. Despite the fact that the left side lifts up during hook, the battery's weight isn't enough to make a difference. On the right side, however, the downward force of the weight enhances hook-up. (With my car, a quarter throttle laves a pair of 10' slabs. Idle to wot, the car sits and white smokes the tires, like power braking. So for 'enhanced hook,' you gotta work with me on this one.)
Buss the starter solenoid as shown in the many provided diagrams. Rather than wire, I made a copper buss-bar. I pulled the buss to the side to help illustrate what it looks like.
@Amervo; can you elaborate on "cars attitude" ? Do you mean the balance of the car feels different? My focus is more on road course handling and hope this mod will help with overall balance.
As Crocodile Dundee says, “That's not an amp. These are amps!†It's an electronic crossover, the best-of0best of technology in its day. The large conduit has three 4 gauge leads for the amps.
Attitude means the weight transfer makes a huge difference on handling, specifically lateral handling. I upgraded the rubber in the suspension to urethane, and I kept the factory springs because “stock†replacement heights are all over the place. It rides like silk, 10x smoother than rubber.
Also, I had a front-end man who knew what he's doing, and dialed-in the alignment. I asked what the specks were; he said he didn't know. His machine only does 4 wheel alignment, so he shoots the four lines of the wheels, splits the difference, and calls it done. Lots of alignment shops will not do 2-wheel alignments because they don't know how. He said it usually results in an excellent setting, and “bring it back†if I wasn't happy.
Happy as a clam at high tide: I want to do a road-course someday, competing against modified suspensions. Based on lightweight, cat-and-mouse games around town in some corners, I'm pretty sure that none of the modified suspensions can hang. (That's why I didn't jack with the springs and kept the factory ones.) I keep horseshit games to a minimum, the reason I have been driving it for 30 years without wrecking it! An even bigger reason I would like to do a timed road-course is the manual drum brakes. That supposed to mean I would be at a disadvantage, but I doubt it because I haven't seen aftermarket discs that will stop a car. The logistics haven't worked for the past few years, but if I can weasel on in next season, I will walk the walk, instead of talk-the-talk, with paperwork to document the results.