Trunk mounted battery

[Atuckman]

Any Day2 suggestions for a trunk mounted battery? were there any preferred vendors in late 60s early 70s? thanks guys, adam

[Plowman]

N.M.W. battery box in right rear[aiso weight box]. Paul

[Tommy]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Atuckman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Any Day2 suggestions for a trunk mounted battery? were there any preferred vendors in late 60s early 70s? thanks guys, adam </div></div>

Looking through scores of old magazines over the years I found a lot of the trunk mounted batteries were pretty basic with just a couple of rods and flat stock holding it in place similiar to most 80's-90's cars and trucks. For weight some racers used very large batteries instead of the standard size. The weight box works too. Either way your drilling holes or welding something to mount to. Some of the Mopars I saw in old magazines had the best looking setups. I don't have any pics to post, Dave may have some <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif.


Tommy <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

[whitetop]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Plowman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">N.M.W. battery box in right rear[aiso weight box]. Paul </div></div>

NMW was probably the most &quot;official&quot; battery box but I don't recall seeing them a lot in street cars.
I did a quick looksie through some catalogs 68-72 and the only one I could find was the NMW

But what I have seen most of all in street cars at least in the ISCA show cars circa early to mid 70's was a box that was adapted from marine/boat use.

It kinda looked like a small cooler. Light blue bottom, white lid and it was larger at the top than bottom and it had straps holding the lid down and had vent tubes coming out the side that went downward out of the trunk.

Somebody was selling these boat boxes for automotive use because there was bunch of them in ISCA show cars of the day. ISCA was strict-batteries had to be in boxes in the trunk and each car had to have a fire extinguisher and you got extra points for Gas, Oil Water cans..remember those??


As what Tommy said most guys probably just made something that would hold the battery in place and maybe run some vent tubes.

[Atuckman]

i found a few different versions. thoughts?

[whitetop]

Middle one looks most era correct-maybe try to tone down the shine, get rid of the clear plastic hoses and uses black rubber instead.. Last one looks to billetly/modern with it's cast and polished brace. First one looks kinda amaturish but that is the look many are after with all out race cars.

[Atuckman]

thanks for thoughts. i think the first version was used in the mid 60s hemi cars. the second is aluminum. the third is polished but its availble without that shiny finish. i love this stuff

[turbojet427]

My Day 2 project 69 camaro has a rear mounted battery on the right side. It was in a old Moroso plastic box. You have to be careful how you wire a rear mounted battery, so you don't have continous live wires running through the car. If you get me your phone number I can help you out or draw you a wiring diagram how we did it. I love the way it looks!!! Even the disconnect switch looks good!!!

[PxTx]

NMW for reference.

http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/Plowman7/Tow%20Tabs/NMWsalespaper_1.jpg

http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/Plowman7/Tow%20Tabs/DSCN2670.jpg

[Salvatore]

two pieces of 1/2&quot; bolt rod a piece of flat 1/4&quot; thick steel and some flate square washers, nuts and lock washers. Nobody was to technical back in the old days. Can't make everything into a car show piece.

[mr.4speed]

i like the competition engineering box looks like old nmw
paint it orange and your good to go
summit racing part#c4029





http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CEE-4029/?rtype=10

[Plowman]

Hey you guys-Back in the day, we did not have all that stuff. So all we did was a leather belt ight off your pants (32-34 inch). If you had access to other stuff that's what we did. Paul

[Salvatore]

there you go Paul!!! Today, the novice car guys have to make sure it is nice enough to win a car show and not something that would just do the job!

[markjohnson]

Battery in the trunk has always been a great idea but don't forget that if do any kind of Drag Racing at an NHRA track, you gotta have a master cut-off switch at the rear of the car which can be a bit of a pain if you don't wanna drill primo sheetmetal on your car. Anyway, do a Google search and check out early '60's Chrysler Max Wedge cars. They came factory with battery-in-the-trunk. I'm pretty sure that moving the battery back there accounts for a full 1.0% in front/rear weight bias and that's always a smart move.

[Plowman]

I put a cut off switch on a hinge[house door hinge],bolted the hinge to the bumper, pushed it up out of the way for street driving, pulled it down when I went to the track. Paul

[x Baldwin Motion]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: four speed</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
i like the competition engineering box looks like old nmw
paint it orange and your good to go
summit racing part#c4029





http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CEE-4029/?rtype=10 </div></div>



this looks like the way to go.

the trunk mounted battery I did in box Nova 1981 was a standard universal steel try and a plastic marine box.

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Atuckman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Any Day2 suggestions for a trunk mounted battery? were there any preferred vendors in late 60s early 70s? thanks guys, adam </div></div>

Actually the majority of guys back in the day just bolted the original battery tray onto the trunk floor, used the factory hold down hardware and that was it. That was how my 70 hemi charger was set up in 1970.

I still kick myself for cutting off the tow tabs that were welded to the bumper brackets. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif

[MosportGreen66]

Adam,

This is a trunk photo of the blue/white stripe '71 Motion Chevelle (shop car).

I have no reason to believe this is not the unit Joel installed.

Dan

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/mosportgreen66/CarFiles137.jpg

[Nova Jed]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pxtx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/Plowman7/Tow%20Tabs/DSCN2670.jpg

</div></div>

Somehow those tow tab pins find there way into these shots? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif The Bat box looks like that one from Summit? Blast it and paint it orange.

[Tommy]

What ever you install or fabricate.... Be sure to stick various decals on it <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif. Just like Trunk stickers or carry on tool boxes, decals work in the trunk. I have a NMW battery box as well but probably won't use it in any current projects. When I do though, it will get some vintage local speed shop decals from my home town. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/cool.gif


Tommy <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

[Atuckman]

really appreciate all the feedback.

[A/MP]

Hi Adam,
Dan's photo looks very close to my Camaro which is original B/M. On this one Joel used the engine compartment battery tray and he added a section of heater hose to act as a grommet where the battery cable comes trough the trunk floor. He did the same thing for the fuel lines that run to the electric fuel pump. It sounds crazy but it still works after all those years.
Lud

[mockingbird812]

Nice shot Lud and welcome. Pls post a few other shots of your B/M.

[Salvatore]

there you go A Tuckman. Don't get to trick with this stuff. Nice camaro and welcome!

[tabooo]

Your correct Sammy, old school was the basic of the back-yard mech.

[Atuckman]

thanks guys.

Lud- so nice of you to join! im not by the chevelle but im going to check the trunk holes to see if its a match.

cant wait to see your incredible ride at MCACN. going to be the talk of the show

i still need to figure out how it comes home with me <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif

[Xplantdad]

Welcome Lud...to the best car site on the net!


Lud's car can be seen here:
http://www.carguychronicles.com/2010/04/baldwin-motion-l88-camaro-spectacular.html

[MosportGreen66]

Awesome truck photo! Thanks for posting...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: [email protected]</div><div class="ubbcode-body">there you go A Tuckman. Don't get to trick with this stuff. Nice camaro and welcome! </div></div>

Sam, I think you're totally misinterpreting the angle of Adam's questions. Adam, like I, were not around during the hey-day of these cars. He is seeking help to add METICULOUS details to his oftly rare cars. I know Adam well and he is hardly a trophy collector - he is a real enthusiast!

Dan

[Salvatore]

Dan,knowing that some of you guys were not around then or new to the hobby is why I was just pointing out that the way it was done in the old days is how Joel, Paul the Plowman and or most of us did things back then. Cheap, a somewhat jury rigged job BUT functional. Nothing trick and not alot of store bought stuff. Homemade and to the point. Don't think my statements need to be debated here. And YOU know personally that I would never knowingly steer any of you guys wrong.

[DarrenX33]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: [email protected]</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dan,knowing that some of you guys were not around then or new to the hobby is why I was just pointing out that the way it was done in the old days is how Joel, Paul the Plowman and or most of us did things back then. Cheap, a somewhat jury rigged job BUT functional. Nothing trick and not alot of store bought stuff. Homemade and to the point. Don't think my statements need to be debated here. And YOU know personally that I would never knowingly steer any of you guys wrong.</div></div>

:bigthumbsup: It was driveway paintjobs and backyard build ups back in the day. Sammy is spot on. He should actually be the admin of the Day 2 section.

[mockingbird812]

&quot;He should actually be the admin of the Day 2 section.&quot;


<span style="color: #FFFFFF">ooooooooooooo</span> <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/flag.gif <span style="font-weight: bold">CONCUR!!!!!!!</span> <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/flag.gif

[Salvatore]

and you..... El Presidente!

[whitetop]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: [email protected]</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dan,knowing that some of you guys were not around then or new to the hobby is why I was just pointing out that the way it was done in the old days is how Joel, Paul the Plowman and or most of us did things back then. Cheap, a somewhat jury rigged job BUT functional. Nothing trick and not alot of store bought stuff. Homemade and to the point. Don't think my statements need to be debated here. And YOU know personally that I would never knowingly steer any of you guys wrong. </div></div>

This^^^

Also, look at many magazine feature cars of the 1970's and for the most part they were ROUGH. Dirty undercarriages, dirty engine bays, rough workmanship.

Look at the early Motion photos. The workmanship was wanting in some cases. In one pic they painted the traction bars while on the car and white overspray was all over the rear end and springs but this is how things were done back then and were probably the same with other dealer built cars as well.

[Salvatore]

exactly Dave. Everybody tries to make things way better than they were originally, me included. Look at the 1000 point restos on some of these cars out there. Got a little out of hand IMO. Don White schooled me more and more into the survivor, one repaint type cars without the full blown frame-off jobs and that to me is kinda where I want to be anymore. But again JMO. I believe Bill Mitchell did alot of work for Joel in the old days. Everything was functional and to the point but not car show worthy all the time. Car shows in those days were model T's and Model A's anyhow.

[bbbentley]

Is a battery disconnect (kill switch), Day II correct?

[bbbentley]

????

[Spooky]

In our area, I don't remember any. We did put the batterys in the trunk

[Bernhard]

I only remember seeing them at the track in the early 80's never before.
Should look to see when Moroso and other possible vendors offered them first for sale.

[x33rs]

I seem to remember NHRA didn't implement the cutoff switch rule right away when batteries were relocated. I think that rule came later. So in my eyes I'm thinking like Bentley and would tend to believe it's not technically a "day 2" mod. More like a late 70's mod out of necessity if you want to hit the track with a battery in the trunk.

I'd bet someone here remembers when that rule was implemented.

[Keith Seymore]

I seem to remember NHRA didn't implement the cutoff switch rule right away when batteries were relocated. I think that rule came later. So in my eyes I'm thinking like Bentley and would tend to believe it's not technically a "day 2" mod. More like a late 70's mod out of necessity if you want to hit the track with a battery in the trunk.

I'd bet someone here remembers when that rule was implemented.

We ran our GTO up through 1974 without a battery cutoff switch (still doesn't have one).

The car was delivered new with the battery already mounted in the truck (the battery was sitting on a re-purposed production battery tray).

K

[x33rs]

Thanks Keith,
My guess was late 70's when that rule came into play from what I remember. So at least with your information we can safely say it wasn't in affect up through at least 1974.