Chim battery relocation location

[Dominic TVRetto]

Hi all,

As part of my stripdown/rebuild I want to move the battery to unclutter the birds nest, extend passenger legroom and most importantly, move the weight backwards..

I know that Phazed (Peter) and others have moved the battery to the boot on top of the petrol tank - this keeps them from intruding on roof stowage space, but the downside here is that the weight is up high which is undesirable from a COG perspective...

An alternative would be in the cubby hole behind the passenger seat, although space is small, so assume smaller lithium battery and some fibreglass work required for this solution.

Anyone done anything different or have any other suggestions, or general thoughts appreciated..?

I am also looking at installing Anderson connectors, or similar alternative, to make charging more accessible and easier. Any suggestions about locations or alternatives would be great.

Thanks, Dom


Edit: just to add that I've put it in this forum so Griff owners can see... Feel free to move if required, thanks.

Edited by Dominic TVRetto on Thursday 1st January 23:42

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Went for the cubby hole solution , Odessey Racing battery in the drivers side and fuse box in the passenger side . Anderson connector and Power Isolation switch under the passenger side dash..
I leave my TVRs connected to Accumates in the garage , smart plugs turn on charging on a Wednesday between 8am and 8pm .... I leave the Chim windows open and it's usually fully charged in 6 hours

[Belle427]

The COG thing is a non issue really if you use something like an odessey extreme battery in the boot but there is a 50/50 split here on how safe it is.
COG also stands for Chimp on gas, some others might find this mildly amusing!

[Dominic TVRetto]

Thanks for the info Belle - might you be able to elaborate on the safety issue? Thanks.

[BritishTvr450]

Battery located directly on top of the fuel tank. Not the greatest idea but so far there is no evidence it’s caused any fires. In the event of an accident then there is clearly a fire risk but being rear ended in a Tvr would increase fire risk in any case.

[Belle427]

As above really.
I did it in a Chim, used the odessey extreme 925 battery I think it was and a proper mounting bracket. Allowed me to then drop the fusebox down in its original location for easier access.
Wasn`t too concerned on extending the legroom just tidying up that mess that lives hidden away down there.
I do see the sparks in boot thing if you ever had a rear ender but I was willing to take that risk, I ended up front ending it a few months later anyway!

[Dominic TVRetto]

Thanks all.

Has anyone put Anderson connectors on the exterior anywhere? If so, where?

Converting the pram hood to Malaysian hardtop, so thinking about access for charging in the event of a dead battery...

Anderson connectors in boot is one option if battery in cubby hole - but external location much easier/quicker if possible...

[Belle427]

There is what`s called a mag code connector some have used that`s easier to mount but its not heavy duty enough for much else other than charging.

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Dominic TVRetto said:

Thanks all.

Has anyone put Anderson connectors on the exterior anywhere? If so, where?

Converting the pram hood to Malaysian hardtop, so thinking about access for charging in the event of a dead battery...

Anderson connectors in boot is one option if battery in cubby hole - but external location much easier/quicker if possible...

T Cars have it on the chassis rail externally ... which I use on my Tuscan ... but it is important to keep it in good condition and packed with grease . Corrosion has caused major problems ... fires ., so some have moved it to inside the engine bay. But a Tuscan bonnet can be opened without access to the inside of a car whereas as that isn;t the case with a standard Chim..... As I say if you garage a car leave the window open and unarmed .
I don't arm my TVRs in the garage because it flattens the battery quicker ... I just arm the whole garage .

I have used the Anderson connector with a long cable when I had an alternator failure and drove 30 miles on a borrowed battery sat on the passenger seat from the RAC breakdown man .

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Sunday 4th January 20:15

[TA14]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

Went for the cubby hole solution , Odessey Racing battery in the drivers side and fuse box in the passenger side . Anderson connector and Power Isolation switch under the passenger side dash..

That sounds neat. Do you have any photographs? Does it limit the amount that you can move the seat backwards?

[Tyre Tread]

I moved mine to the boot. Initially I put it low down near the base of the wheelarch but it caused an issue with hardtop space so eventually ended up getting relocated to the centre top of fuel tank.

I know of one person who didn't insulate the terminals after relocating the battery there and they found smoke coming from the boot one day. It transpired that the terminals had worn through the varnish to the single carbon fibre layer which was causing it to burn and set fire to the fibreglass. Fortunately he caught it before it did too much damage.

Also, if you do pack any electrical connections with "grease" do not use grease. Instead use Vaseline as it will protect the terminals and is thixotropic: It will not cause any lack of electrical contact/increased resistance.

If I was doing this gain I'd buy a different shaped odyssey battery and place it behind the seat in the cubby.

[TA14]

Nice thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[TA14]

TA14 said:

The Three D Mucketeer said:

Went for the cubby hole solution , Odessey Racing battery in the drivers side and fuse box in the passenger side . Anderson connector and Power Isolation switch under the passenger side dash..

That sounds neat. Do you have any photographs? Does it limit the amount that you can move the seat backwards?

I see that it's here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... would it be better to sit the battery in a steel tray?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

TA14 said:

I see that it's here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... would it be better to sit the battery in a steel tray?

It is secured in place with an ally tray, the old photos were during installation/re upholstering .... now

[Zeb74]

Don't forget also that relocating the battery in the boot without an external connector (it's not your case) could be annoying when flat, you will have some difficulties to access to it.
Whereas (without an hardtop) it's quite easy when located in the cabin even with windows up (don't ask me why I know... twice ).

[Tyre Tread]

Zeb74 said:

Don't forget also that relocating the battery in the boot without an external connector (it's not your case) could be annoying when flat, you will have some difficulties to access to it.
Whereas (without an hardtop) it's quite easy when located in the cabin even with windows up (don't ask me why I know... twice ).

It's not an issue if you know how to get into the boot when the battery is flat

[Zeb74]

Tyre Tread said:

It's not an issue if you know how to get into the boot when the battery is flat

Not an issue but not as simple as accessing to the cabin which doesn't need tools.

[davidd]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

It is secured in place with an ally tray, the old photos were during installation/re upholstering .... now

Neat install, which model is the battery? Is that shelf a bit bigger on a chim than a griff?

Thanks

[The Three D Mucketeer]

davidd said:

The Three D Mucketeer said:

It is secured in place with an ally tray, the old photos were during installation/re upholstering .... now

Neat install, which model is the battery? Is that shelf a bit bigger on a chim than a griff?

Thanks

It's an ODYSSEY Extreme PC1100 550 Cold Charging Amps not cheap .. but on my 2nd one since 2014 ... 12 years ago so not too bad ... expecting to replace shortly . But it wasn't easy last time

[Dominic TVRetto]

Many thanks all, for the information and links.

Loving those battery cages - any advice there?

Dom

Edited by Dominic TVRetto on Tuesday 13th January 23:50