Battery relocation tray option

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Well, after searching all over the internet and not finding information I was looking for to mount my battery I came up with this solution that I thought I would share.

I did not want a battery specific tray and did find a few other options, but by far this was the best for me. This tray allows me to safely mount my Braille B3121 battery and also allows me other options since I utilized the maximum space provded in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat.

My choice was an ABS plastic tray only available from a marine supplier of Odessey Batteries. The tray is $15 and measures 8" X 8 1/2". You have to call to order.

http://www.odysseysoutheast.com/battery-trays.php


http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02374.jpg

Here is the tray sitting in the mounting location and as you can see it is a very nice fit.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02376.jpg

Drilled the holes for mounting.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02377.jpg

I used a local hardware store to buy stainless steel hardware and 1/4 longer bolt on the outside bolts.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02379.jpg

Top view of mounted tray.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02383.jpg

View from underside of body with mounting.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC02381.jpg

Here is the completed installed with B3121 and safely mounted, very easy to remove and lightest weight mounted procedure available.

Pictured is battery tender quick disconnect connected to terminals for daily charging.

You can't see it in the picture but there is a lot of room to mount other brands of batteries when replacement time comes or a battery is needed in an emergency.

The other nice thing is the battery is mounted low enough that I can still used the stock storage tray in the compartment too.

[Coupe89]

Looking good.
Nice meeting you last week too...
:cheers:

[HIZNHRZ]

- I utilized the maximum space provded in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat.
- ABS plastic tray only available from a marine supplier of Odessey Batteries. The tray is $15 and measures 8" X 8 1/2".
- stainless steel hardware and 1/4 longer bolt on the outside bolts.
- safely mounted, very easy to remove and lightest weight mounted procedure available.
- a lot of room to mount other brands of batteries when replacement time comes or a battery is needed in an emergency.
- battery is mounted low enough that I can still used the stock storage tray in the compartment.

Craig, wow! Great job. Well thought out, very clean and professional looking install. Really looking forward to seeing some pictures of your car when it's done.

[secondchance]

Hey, Craig,

Looks great!
Are you relocating for better weight distribution?

[FU]

Lookin good !

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Todd,

Thanks and great meeting you too; hopefully the Z will be running the next time you visit.

Scott,

Thanks for the kind words and I'll be sure to post updates. I think I will have a few surprises too.

Yun,

Thanks. I did the mod primarily due to the potential addition of a body kit I bought years ago that will block the fender removal to battery access in the stock location. I did not want to pull of the rocker panel to get to the battery for service, etc. I think I might utilize the space where the stock battery used to be for my oil catch can. Of course shedding a few pounds and the weight distribution is a definite plus.

Frank,

Thanks for the comments too.


fahne

Craig

[ZZZZZR1]

Craig,

Wow that's great!


Thanks for sharing Craig!!!!

:cheers:

David


Happy 4th Everyone! USFlag

[A26B]

Craig,
You always do a realy nice job on every project and this is no exception. Thanks for sharing it with very good photos & sources.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

David and Jerry,

Thanks and coming from both of you it means a lot.

Aloha,

Craig

[LGAFF]

Craig, I thought you said PEP Boys put it in for you.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Thanks Lee, we don't have Pep Boys here (I wish we did......)

But I did stay at a Holiday Inn.;)

[Pete]

Nice job Craig :icon_thum

Craig,i've been thinking about buying Braille battery can you give me some pros and cons.

Pete

[secondchance]

Todd,

Thanks and great meeting you too; hopefully the Z will be running the next time you visit.

Scott,

Thanks for the kind words and I'll be sure to post updates. I think I will have a few surprises too.

Yun,

Thanks. I did the mod primarily due to the potential addition of a body kit I bought years ago that will block the fender removal to battery access in the stock location. I did not want to pull of the rocker panel to get to the battery for service, etc. I think I might utilize the space where the stock battery used to be for my oil catch can. Of course shedding a few pounds and the weight distribution is a definite plus.

Frank,

Thanks for the comments too.


fahne

Craig

Got it.
Have you decided on whic oil catch can you will be using?

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Nice job Craig :icon_thum

Craig,i've been thinking about buying Braille battery can you give me some pros and cons.

Pete

Thanks Pete!

I wish I could give you some specifics and some experience with the Braille. I have not used it yet, but from all the research that I did it seemed to fit the needs. I am still not sure if Brailles are rebadged Deka batteries like some have said on various forums and did not care it it is so. All I did was try to search for specs from all the different AGM manufacturers for the crank power needed. I don't sit around with a high amp stereo when parked, etc. so I thought it would work out and will post some results as soon as I can try it out for awhile.

I saw that a bunch of C6 folks that have changed their batteries for weight reduction went with the smaller 17lb battery and seem to be okay for them, but that seemed like not enough power or reserve for my use so I went with the 21 lb. According to the Braille site and how I wanted to use it that is what was recommended.

I'm going to do some research on the Odessey PC925 too since that is the tray that I bought and can fit it nicely too. There is a good battery specialty shop here and I'm going to ask the owner more details about the PC925.

I think both the Odessey PC925 and Braille B3121 pack a lot of punch for the size and weight and was primarily trying to find something that fit nicely in that compartment and still allowed me to use the storage tray.

I forgot to mention that what I liked about Braille was the excellent customer service. The return of a battery mount, the request for the MSDS and other phone calls and emails were all answered professionally and promptly.

:cheers:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Got it.
Have you decided on whic oil catch can you will be using?

Hi Yun,

The oil catch can that I have had all along was from Corvette Custom Accessories: http://www.customcorvetteaccessories.com/oilcatchcan.html

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/DSC01070.jpg

I was not too happy with the location of my catch can and wanted to move it to a more stealth location even though it is a nice piece. I did not like the brass fittings it comes with and found cheaper ones on Ebay than their site lists. I also thought the putting lower might help in theory with the flow of the residual oil/mist in the hose have downward gravity but what do I know. :confused: I know that it works well based on the amount of oil I used to collect in it.

[LGAFF]

I ran mine down to the well in the front bumper/fender area on the 92

[GOLDCYLON]

I did the mod primarily due to the potential addition of a body kit I bought years ago that will block the fender removal to battery access in the stock location. Craig


OK Craig cough it up which body kit ? :)

[HAWAIIZR-1]

OK Craig cough it up which body kit ? :)

Well Daryll........here is a peek.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/corvette4cf.jpg

Just kidding around.

I bought the GTO rockers and rear wrap many years ago due to some imperfections on some of the lower portions of the body that would be covered with the pieces. My front spoiler is a Prowler M1 that seemed it would match the other pieces. I did not want a rear spoiler or it to look like an import. I know a lot of folks feel the Corvette is ruined with a body kit and to each his own on that matter. Now if you have an LPE, Callaway or Shinoda I guess that is different story as it does not look "bolt on".

I still don't know if I will install it or not. From the test fit, mock up I did it looked pretty good but I'll have to do it again before I take the leap. It is easy enough to take off if I don't like it, but the cost to prep and paint the pieces is about $900.

I would have done the battery relocation anyway so if I decide against the kit all is still good. fahne

[tomtom72]

Craig, I just got to tell you that your install looks like it was done by Pratt & Miller....no maybe even better looking! Hey, you got some F1 guys helping you??

Sweet Job dude! You be Da Man! :handshak: =D>

Oh, and the body kit in the pict is what you have? The front bumper cover/ splitter is da bomb!

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Craig, I just got to tell you that your install looks like it was done by Pratt & Miller....no maybe even better looking! Hey, you got some F1 guys helping you??

Sweet Job dude! You be Da Man! :handshak: =D>

Oh, and the body kit in the pict is what you have? The front bumper cover/ splitter is da bomb!

Tom,

You are a funny man and I don't think I deserve all that, but I really appreciate the comments. It took a long time to find this tray and could never imagine that I would be able to find something with a perfect fit and lightweight to boot.

No, I just came across that picture from a company in Japan (BSM). Here is another one:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j86/hawaiizr1/CORVETTE_MC4F.jpg

I like this front end for the later model body style.

Thanks again and Aloha!:handshak:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I just wanted to post an update on the Braille battery now that I have had a chance to use it. It has been taking the charging from the Battery Tender Jr. since last year and no issues. Right now it fires up the Z with no problems and I have not had it on the charger since I am driving it every few days. My only concern is if and when the battery does die or have issues is trying to find a battery in Japan that will fit this tray or getting another Braille in a short time shipped to me overseas. I am going to do some research to prepare even though this battery is only about a year old, but finally being used.

I would highly recommend this battery and it does have plenty of juice despite its size and weight. It had no problem cranking to prime oil system before initial start up with disconnected spark from ignition.

[Pete]

Thanks for the update on the battery.

I'm ready to order the 17 lbs battery it has 475 CCA

Pete

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Update on the Braille B3121 (21 lb). The battery did not survive the 3 month long trip from Hawaii to Guam, Guam to Shanghai, China (stuck in China for over a month due to contracting issues), China to Japan. It was then fully charged up with some type of Panasonic charger by my unit personnel and it took a day to fully charge. The battery seemed to take the charge at the time and ran the car okay the few times I drove it.

When I finally got all my A.I.R. stuff and stock exhaust manifolds I drove it to the Navy base for install using the auto craft hobby shop. On the way home I got standed when I stopped for restroom/water break at a convenience store. Boy, getting stuck in a foreign country and not knowing how to communicate, but looking like you can is a trip. I almost got a tow truck but that would have cost me over $300.

When I checked the battery it was very hot. With all the waiting to figure out what to do it cooled down and I had some power again, but it still would not start. After another 20 minutes or so it started up (the battery was hot, not the engine temperature) and I made it back home. So it seemed the battery had something wrong after a totally discharge and attempt to bring it back to life. As a precaution, I am going to add more external insulation as well as internal insulation for the battery box area.

I started calling Braille tech and they wanted me to check voltage, etc.
Voltage was at 12.6 and would start the car again the next day. Not taking any chances I contacted Braille Warranty. Even though the battery was 17 months of 24 months warranty and I did not register my warranty within the first 30 days then let me register it late (year an a half later). Braille then emailed me a warranty certificate and a warranty return form. Five days later over the 4th of July weekend I received a replacement battery for $60 plus $15 shipping. I just wanted to share this experience with the Braille Battery Company. Their customer service is top rate. I don't think the damage to the battery was anything to do at all with the battery, but more the situation and the 3 months of connected battery and the car locked to arm the system draining it to completely dead. According to my folks, every single car that arrives into country arrives DOA. Normal time is about a month and a half depending on where it is coming from, I just won the lottery with my Z being stuck in Shangai, China where someone said they were trying to make copies of it. Luckily it was locked in a sealed container when shipped.

Craig

:proud:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Thanks for the update on the battery.

I'm ready to order the 17 lbs battery it has 475 CCA

Pete

Pete,

Did you ever get the 17 lb battery? I have seen quite a few of the C6 folks using it with great success. I could have lost a few more pounds with that one and still plenty enough juice since these use the high powered pulse CAs.

[carter200]

Well,
Has the replacement battery held up with stop and go driving?

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Well,
Has the replacement battery held up with stop and go driving?

Well, I would not know just yet. I only got the battery last night and will work it this weekend. I'm just happy to get the great service from Braille and a new battery to work with.

[Pete]

No,i did not order.
My battery died at Bowling Green gathering this year went to Sears in Bowling Green and bought new battery.

Still interested in a Braille and now that you did the R/D on it, i want one even more.

Pete

[GOLDCYLON]

Craig I have a suggestion on the underside. I would put some clear or black RTV to the top sides of the flat washers that mate to the underneath surface of the car. Just water intrusion prevention was all I was thinking

[HAWAIIZR-1]

No,i did not order.
My battery died at Bowling Green gathering this year went to Sears in Bowling Green and bought new battery.

Still interested in a Braille and now that you did the R/D on it, i want one even more.

Pete

You might as well get your money's worth out of that new battery. I almost went with an Odessey and Locobob had good success with it. I thought I would be SOL and glad the warranty took care of me this time. I only wish there was more than a 2 year warranty. I replaced a 7 year AC Delco, but it weight a ton.

Craig

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Craig I have a suggestion on the underside. I would put some clear or black RTV to the top sides of the flat washers that mate to the underneath surface of the car. Just water intrusion prevention was all I was thinking

Thanks GC, awesome suggestion even if I don't drive in rain I have been exposed unintentionally. I'll do that this weekend when I remove it to put some insulation under the tray. Great idea and I'll even get some rubber washers too.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

No,i did not order.
My battery died at Bowling Green gathering this year went to Sears in Bowling Green and bought new battery.

Still interested in a Braille and now that you did the R/D on it, i want one even more.

Pete

Pete,

On another note, I started reading about the Braille/Deka controversy and them being one in the same. Supposedly the Deka is half the price so I'm looking into it and might make that my next battery if so. There is a lot of traffic on the C6 forums in CF about this.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Here is a response from Braille about their batteries being rebadged Dekas.


From: Steve Burke [mailto:burke@braillebattery.com]
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 9:38 PM
To: 'HAWAII ZR-1'
Subject: RE: Battery warranty registration

Craig,

Our No-weight batteries are made by another manufacture to our specifications. They might look similar to the Deka batteries but as you noted our spec?s are much different.

Hope you had a nice weekend.





Best Regards,
Stephen Burke
Sales

Braille Battery, Inc.
Sarasota, FL 34243

Email: burke@braillebattery.com (burke@braillebattery.com)
Online: www.braillebattery.com (http://www.braillebattery.com/)
Telephone: 941-312-5047 x304
1-800-764-4708 x304
Fax: 941-870-3381

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Update.

Mistake about the battery failure and found that there was a loose connection on the post to the battery. I don't like using the quick disconnect, but it does make it so easy to connect and disconnect and can cause connectivity/charging issues. The Braille charged right back up and no issue, but still will have new Odessey 925MJT battery just in case since I can't find AGM batteries here and too expensive locally.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

I just bought a yellow Optima for my battery reloaction behind the passenger seat. I'll have to fabricate something to hold it in place though. I'll figure out something and maybe post some pics when I do it.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I just bought a yellow Optima for my battery reloaction behind the passenger seat. I'll have to fabricate something to hold it in place though. I'll figure out something and maybe post some pics when I do it.

Thanks Brett, that would be great. I installed a 1 gauge cabling kit from Jeg's with a huge, heavy duty ground strap that I also used for the block to the frame in the front. The ground from the battery also goes to the frame in the rear near the compartment. I think I am going to add more grounding while checking all my contact areas. :cheers:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I just wanted to take this time to update my opinion on the Braille B3121 by stating that I don't recommend it. The reason is that I had too much problems with it when it left me stranded when I first got it and it seemed to be a bad battery. Braille replaced it under warranty and then I had a problem with that one too where it would not hold a charge if I left it connected just a few hours while at work so let make me suspect I had some type of electrical short. I bought a nice charger from Schumacher with all the bells and whistles that also can be used at as a trickle charger to maintain and perfect for AGM batteries that stated the Braille was no good and needed replacement all within a few months of receiving it. I ended up replacing it with the Odessey PC925MJT (recommended by Robert or Locobob; Thanks Robert!!) and this battery has been awesome over the past year with no issues at all. Sometimes I even forget to put on the battery tender for over a month and the voltage remains the same when I am ready to use the car again. No issues with alarm set while at work, etc. and so reliable.

I don't know if I got two bad batteries in a row from Braille, but the experience was not worth the bad experience and the shipping batteries back and forth. I'm sticking with the Odessey PC925MJT (it fits perfectly in the holder too) and will continue replacment with this company for my situation of battery relocation and reliability.

Craig :handshak:

[Nacho_ZR1]

Thanks for the update. I am also looking for a lightweight battery and relocation kit. Do you have any recommendations?

[VetteVet]

In my opinion, the Odyssey PC925 is a great battery. We used them on our Formula 1 tunnel boats on the team that I am Crew Chief for. We ran 2 of them in series, as we use 24V for cranking and up trim. Everything else is 12V. We switched from them to Lithium Ion batteries when we got a sponsorship from the battery company. Nothing wrong with the Odysseys and we had zero problems with them, but Lithium Ion is the way to go if you've got the money. We saved 34# (the Lithium batteries are only 7# and can be lifted w/2 fingers) in the same package size with a slightly higher reserve capacity. One of those batteries will lighten your wallet by $800.00 though. You get a twofold weight savings from the lower weight of the battery combined with the lighter wallet.;)

Jep

[Nacho_ZR1]

In my opinion, the Odyssey PC925 is a great battery. We used them on our Formula 1 tunnel boats on the team that I am Crew Chief for. We ran 2 of them in series, as we use 24V for cranking and up trim. Everything else is 12V. We switched from them to Lithium Ion batteries when we got a sponsorship from the battery company. Nothing wrong with the Odysseys and we had zero problems with them, but Lithium Ion is the way to go if you've got the money. We saved 34# (the Lithium batteries are only 7# and can be lifted w/2 fingers) in the same package size with a slightly higher reserve capacity. One of those batteries will lighten your wallet by $800.00 though. You get a twofold weight savings from the lower weight of the battery combined with the lighter wallet.;)

Jep

$800 FOR A G%*$AMN BATTERY????? Is it made outta gold? However, 34# is a pretty big difference. Is there even a need to relocate a battery like this or do u mount it in the same place? What about if I only drive my car a few times a year? How easy is it to charge these things?

[VetteVet]

$800 FOR A G%*$AMN BATTERY????? Is it made outta gold? However, 34# is a pretty big difference. Is there even a need to relocate a battery like this or do u mount it in the same place? What about if I only drive my car a few times a year? How easy is it to charge these things?

We changed 2 batteries, so the weight savings was 17# per battery over the PC925. They can be charged with any "smart" charger capable of charging AGM batteries. I would imagine that for weight distribution, 7# on DS front vs 7# on PS rear is not going to be very noticeable in most applications.

Jep

[Nacho_ZR1]

We changed 2 batteries, so the weight savings was 17# per battery over the PC925. They can be charged with any "smart" charger capable of charging AGM batteries. I would imagine that for weight distribution, 7# on DS front vs 7# on PS rear is not going to be very noticeable in most applications.

Jep

Thanks for clarifying. Do any Z brethren here run the Li-On battery? 800 is alot of dough but those Z06's weigh 3100#'s soaking wet. I need to shave off as much as possible!

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Thanks for the update. I am also looking for a lightweight battery and relocation kit. Do you have any recommendations?

As for the relocation kit, the only one I have seen as a kit is Marc's:

http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/products/battery%20relocation%20kit.htm

I bought the JEG's cable kit that was 1 gauge cable with the terminals, lugs and heat shrink like this on: http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/10290/10002/-1 I also bought several different heavy duty grounding straps to several places in the front (block to frame) and rear area to make sure I had good ground.

As noted on the first post of this I used an Odessey marine tray that fits perfect in the cavity as shown and seems made for the PC925MJT. I went with the MJT for the metal jacket and more rugged to handle more abuse. I can't make any other recommendations other than this one. It is 26 lbs versus the 21 pounds of the Braille B3121, but no issues for me at least with the Odessey. I think it you are going for just drag racing with lightest possible, then you have other choices with weight being the biggest concern. Mine being a street car I was looking for reliability with some weight loss, but able to still run LED hoodlights on cruise nights that Scott is making if I want to as well as short times with stereo while parked etc. Like Jep said, great battery, but if you want to go all out racing the lighter stuff, it will cost you and not sure how those handle regular driving and use. It sounds like you want the lightest battery possible and some of the folks on the C Forum with C5 or C6 mentioned some really light batteries and they do okay for them.

[efnfast]

Thanks for clarifying. Do any Z brethren here run the Li-On battery? 800 is alot of dough but those Z06's weigh 3100#'s soaking wet. I need to shave off as much as possible!

I would do a ton of research before dropping a lithium ion battery in my car. They need to be charged very carefully, hear as computer controled. I doubt our systems are set up for that.

[FU]

The white 441 car used Marc's battery relocation set-up. It wasn't cheap but the quality of the parts is what I paid for. And the battery lasted 4 years (yes 4 years) and the battery only needed a routine maintenance charge if the car was left unstarted for 4 or more weeks.

[VetteVet]

I would do a ton of research before dropping a lithium ion battery in my car. They need to be charged very carefully, hear as computer controled. I doubt our systems are set up for that.

The good ones like we are running have the computerized charging circuitry built into the battery.

Jep