Battery relocated in trunk.

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Buford19

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Was wondering what route people are running battery cables from the trunk location? Is it best to run them outside right away , or keep them in the car as long as possible?
 
mine is in the car all the way to trans hump and then exits..

Comes down the passenger side wireway.

Bruce
 
i've always run them inside, in the driver side wiring channel. the car i'm doing now will probably be in the passenger side channel as i'm planning to move a bunch of stuff around. i also use some sort of covering over the wire for protection. i have a coil of hydraulic hose cover i used on the last one
 
Nice to see pictures if you guys have any. Like to see exist points inside to outside. Thanks for any input.
 
I have a 68 Cuda so it was easy to run it inside like kybatman did, except I took it up the firewall and entered the engine compartment just above the frame-rail. I moved the starter relay down there, then ran a slanty cable up over the bellhouse to the starter. It's impossible to get booster cables in there. I bolted the negative to the rear frame-rail. I used an Optima drycell.
 
Inside passenger quarter panel over wheel well inside door sill then thru lower
pass. firewall (use grommet) across firewall over engine/ trans then down to starter.
Use a Ford type starter solinoid at the battery in trunk, this way the the cable is only
"hot" when engine cranking.
 
I split a copper pipe insulator and put it over the wire at the single pinch point behind the rear seat just for peace of mind.

I chose the passenger side so it would be the sole wire on that side.

Bruce
 
Inside passenger quarter panel over wheel well inside door sill then thru lower
pass. firewall (use grommet) across firewall over engine/ trans then down to starter.
Use a Ford type starter solinoid at the battery in trunk, this way the the cable is only
"hot" when engine cranking.
If you do it this way, how does the alternator charge the battery?
Ima guessing you run a separate full-time charge wire...
 
Photos of the rear mounted battery in the 68 Barracuda.
I used 1 gauge welding cable, end to end over wrapped with Scotch electrical tape, then sheathed in flex conduit wrap.
On the positive side I ringed the sheathed cable about every 12 inches with red electrical tape, on the ground did the same with black tape. I ran a complete cable ground from the battery to the engine block. I have a MS3 Pro for fuel and ignition I want a really clean electrical configuration. Photos show the rest, cable not laid in place but will go through the side channels then through holes cut into the fire wall, have grommets for those. Hot wire directly to starter post, from there will connect up to starter relay then to the alternator. Ground will go to one of the engine-starter mount bolts, will be sure there is no paint to interfere with the ground connection.

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to attach the cable lugs, I have used solder pellets
Solder Pellets, Slugs and Flux | Waytek Wire

put the lug in a vise, drop the pellet in and heat the lug to the solder pellet melts, have the cable close by and ready, end stripped, fluxed,,,,
plunge the stripped end of the cable into the molten solder in the lug.

I have also crimped the lug in a vise using a crimping die, I flow solder into these after crimping.
 
I have a 68 Cuda so it was easy to run it inside like kybatman did, except I took it up the firewall and entered the engine compartment just above the frame-rail. I moved the starter relay down there, then ran a slanty cable up over the bellhouse to the starter. It's impossible to get booster cables in there. I bolted the negative to the rear frame-rail. I used an Optima drycell.
So I can’t run the positive cable directly to the starter. Was under the impression that the positive cable goes directly to the starter.
 
If you do it this way, how does the alternator charge the battery?
Ima guessing you run a separate full-time charge wire...
Yes you run 3 wires from engine compartment
One 2 gauge from solinoid output to starter
One 6 gauge from alternator stud direct to battery positive or solinoid input
One 12 gauge from starter relay to trigger of solinoid
Battery positive 2 gauge to solinoid input
Battery negative 2 gauge to chassis ( used pinch weld in trunk) only about 1 foot long.
Go to a welding supply place and get the 2 gauge stuff its very flexible and has a tuff
coating.
Mounted Ford type solinoid to the plastic box that holds the battery.
 
i go straight to the starter because i'm going right past it anyway.
Direct from battery to starter you will have maybe 10-15 feet of large gauge wire that is always hot. Works but can you imagine what would happen if it shorted to
chassis ....... meltdown no more mopar! Yes the factory did it under the hood but was much shorter
and its path less complex.
 
i go straight to the starter because i'm going right past it anyway.
Well that makes a lotta sense.
But
I bought the Mopar kit in 1999, and going up the passenger side, the cable was too short to reach the starter. No big deal, I just moved the relay and jumpered over. Then I ran the field wire thru a relay that shuts off the alternator when the emergency shut-off gets tripped.
 
For the Pos to starter, I run from the rear pass corner, across the top of shock crossmember area in trunk, then up the drivers side sill plate area. If it's an auto car, use the clutch grommet for a pass through point. Grommet is close to the starter and down low on firewall, yet high enough to keep your feet off it.

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I also run a Ford style relay in the trunk to keep that cable cold except when starting. The alternator wire is also on a Continuous Duty relay so when the kill switch is thrown, nothing outside about a 2" cube is hot in the car. It's a safety thing. Until you watch a 25K race car burn to the ground because of a constant hot alt wire, you may not understand. BTDT, put a CD relay in all the time now.

How my stuff is set up all the time now.
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I am likewise planning a Ford relay in the trunk to keep the positive cable dead except during crank. And I'll have a 4ga wire (fused in front and rear) running from the alternator to the + side of the battery in the trunk and a 2nd separate 4ga wire fed AFTER the master disconnect (and fused) will bring power to the front of the car to provide power for everything. The battery cable will go straight from the + terminal on the battery to the starter since it's cold except during crank. This schematic allows the master disconnect to kill the engine, fuel pump, etc (although I'll also have a fuel pump disable based on the engine not running). The engine is a 10.5:1 CR 408 so nothing exotic.

So my question to the forum is what size battery cable do people use...I'm thinking a 1/0 size should be adequate but interested to hear from the experience of those that have "been there, done that." Thx!!
 
Please stop connecting the alternator to the battery This defeats the purpose of a "safety" switch
 
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