IamScotticus Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I am considering moving the battery to the basket in a 90s Live axle S3. Looking for ideas. Can we have some pictures of batteries in the boot? Battery type is still to be determined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I've not seen any cats with a boot bat. I've seen some locosts where the bat was moved out of the engine bay but most regretted the decision due to terminal access (which can be addressed with a bulkhead positive stud and extra wiring). The scuttle shelf is about as close as it can be to zero polar moment but floor level in front of the pax side foot well is probably as good as it gets for cg height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Westfield Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 My prelit has the battery on the floor right behind the passenger's butt access by removing RR wheel (sort of), or remove boot floor (5 screws) garden tractor battery--2 common amperages, depending on how you want terminals arranged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDreamer Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 I think moving a big, heavy battery to the opposite side from the driver near the rear axle has some merit. Although, I’ll bow to MV8’s wisdom on best location for polar moment and CG. You asked for photos and so here is one I know and have seen IRL. This is by no means an ideal installation but will give you an idea of how much space a full size car battery will take up in that small boot. I believe there are better, smaller sized batteries on the market today. If this is you location of choice I’d look at motorcycle batteries. A big “L” or “V” twin needs lots of juice to fit in a smaller space. This photo is from the on-line auction site Bring a Trailer. Look here for more images between #76 and #79: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/caterham-super-7-2/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdWills Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Hi Scott. The Series 1 and Series IV Seven had the battery mounted in the boot. It would probably require a smaller capacity fuel tank to accommodate the battery as per the Series 1 unless you can mount a fuel tank above it as in the Series IV. In the photo above, it appears that the boot board is sitting much lower than normal for a Seven, so allowing the battery and fire extinguisher to be fitted there. With the de-Dion set-up on this particular car, there should not be a problem of the differential case hitting the underside of the lowered boot board (a definite possibility with a solid rear axle car) as in the de-Dion set-up, the diff case is bolted firmly in place. You can check SimpleSevens.org, and search the 'History' section, click on 'David Porter's 7/20' article, and at the very bottom of this section there are photographs of the bare chassis of a 7/20 look-alike race car. In one of the photos it shows the bracket for installing a battery at the rear on the opposite side from the driver. The fuel tank in the 7/20 is smaller than the regular Seven Series 2 or 3 tank. Caterham had a battery bracket manufactured by Arch for their Sevens that fitted on the passenger side of the car in front of the firewall in the lower engine bay area. Tony Weale noted that it may be difficult to service the battery in this location, and Caterham resorted to using a 'no maintenance battery'. If you check the Odyssey Battery web site, there are various sizes of dry cell batteries that may be suitable for your use. USA7s has a forum page detailing various batteries for the Seven with recommendations from owners. Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Thanks, Bill. I have the PAX side tractor battery tray. I will be doing some modifications that eliminate the room for a battery there such as an extended footwell and dry sump tank on the end of that. With the batteries getting smaller, lighter, and available in various shapes, I hope to find one to fit in some of the available boot space in a Imperial LC live axle 7. The scuttle shelf is always an option but Im trying to keep it clear for fluid tanks, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayentaskier Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Scotticus, It sounds like the main reason to move the battery is the size. Battery technology now permits much smaller batteries and lighter batteries, are you sure you can't solve the problem without moving it. I went from a 16 lb battery to a 15 oz battery; this is less powerful battery than most people would want but there are so many small choices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 yes, many choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboWood Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Balance is important, but don’t forget about the polar moment of inertia. The battery in the engine bay is behind the front axle. In the trunk the battery would be behind the rear axle. I think that will make the car slower to change direction. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 I believe we are considering very light batteries, probably under 5 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Another consideration (several actually). Don't have to have an accident; just have an alt charging regulator fail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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