Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

[Syclone Rob]

I would like to relocate my battery so I can put in a cobral elbow and a k&n filter. I don't want to put the battery into the box. Is there any other places where I can put it? I have searched and found very little on placing the battery under the box by the frame rail..??!!
I have found this through google, though I haven't read anything about these guys on here... but it looks like a kit for relocating the battery by the frame...
http://www.conleyracing.com/cppgmc.htm


any input would be much appreciated!!!

 

[Jer]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

I haven't checked on space yet but one could fab up a custom bracket to locate it to the rear fender/cladding area just behind a rear wheel well. If room is tight one could check into running two of the hlaf size Hawker batteries. If I relocated mine, that's where it would go.

 

[Flyin Ryan]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

that pic is the ATR bat relocate im sure.. and it mounts under the batteries original location where the vacuum ball is located at. many have said this setup blows.. me personally am mounting mine to the back bed area because mine's daily driven and I don't like the idea of my battery and terminals under the truck.

 

[Ian Turgeon]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

kb's kit puts the battery outside the frame rail under the bed in front of the tire. After some experience with one theres no way I'd put the battery there, its gotta be accessable in under a minute imho.

 

[Ian Turgeon]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

ATR's kit comes with some hammer-to-shape metal pieces that extend the lower portion of the fender well allowing you to put the battery under the stock location behind the foglight.

Im not sure on Conley's kit. Why cant you put it in the bed?

 

[blk00z28]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

The only way I could see not having to run the wires under the truck would be to do it inside the truck, thru the cab and into the bed. That would be a pita to do, and would take for ever. And you'd probably have to drill holes in the cab to do it. Which I wouldnt do.

What dont you like about moving it to the bed of the truck?

 

[Syclone Rob]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

How do you guys run it into the box without drilling holes?? thats what I am trying to achive.... otherwise I have no other choise but to do that I guess

 

[Jer]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

How do you guys run it into the box without drilling holes?? thats what I am trying to achive.... otherwise I have no other choise but to do that I guess

You can look for grommets that aren't full already but there's not going to be anything large enough to run the thickness of wire that you're gonna want (read: need) to run. Drilling a hole and putting a grommet in isn't that big of a deal really.

 

[Ian Turgeon]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

You can use the drainage holes at the front of the bed, I imagine you could enlarge them to fit the cables through, and It wouldnt be too noticable should you move the battery back.

However the box will require holes to mount it to the bed, although these are smaller then whats required for the wires.

I was not keen on doing myself but after seeing adam deal with his kb kit, I knew the best place for me was in the bed.

 

[Syclone Rob]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

I will go that way... thinking about it more made me think about rocks etc flinging up hitting the battery.. Is there a relocation kit for moving that battery to the box?

Rob

 

[SYO237]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

DO NOT mount the battery under the bed.

Learn from my experience.


I have the KB kit that mounts the battery outside the frame, just in front of the passenger side rear wheel. Battery sits right behind the front quarter panel of the bed.

It looks really cool since you cant see the battery, but its the biggest headache when having to deal with anything battery related.

Heres a few reasons why this is one of the worst mods Ive done.


1. Dead Battery. having to jack up the truck, removing the wheel and basically having to almost disassemble everything to get the battery out. Forget about doing jumper cables... theres so many things that you risk grounding out on and shocking yourself, its not worth it. 12v does not feel good.

2. Exploding/Leaking Battery. Its not an enclosed box, its only a tray. If the battery explodes or leaks, you risk it going all over your frame, inside of the quarter panel. Not safe.

3. Side impact. Imagine if you were to get into an accident and a car hit your quarter panel and cause the battery to ground and start a fire...bad enough you got hit, now you get to use your fire extinguisher too. Its just not a safe place for it and is better off in the bed in a protective box. This has always been a concern from day one when I installed it. And if you think "i'll never get into an accident..." theres a reason why they are called "accidents".



I just went to start my truck yesterday after it had been sitting for awhile... just wanted to crank it, and give the battery a charge.... yeah well... its dead. So now I gotta deal with reason #1. Fun huh?



Do a battery box in the bed. I agree on the pain it would cause to drill holes in the bed...but look at it this way... the battery will be safely relocated and the small holes you have to drill can easily be fixed with minor body work if you ever choose to revert back.


:2cents:

 

[SYO237]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

was scrolling through some pics...found a pic where you can just see how the battery sits under the bed when i was installing my caltracs.

Theres supposed to be a protective metal cover to keep debris and water from going everywhere.... due to I dont drive my truck in the rain anymore, ive never had it in... with the tie down strap, its doesnt move... plus the support beam that bolts to the botom of the bed panel and to the bed xmember would stop it if it were to get loose.

 

[Jimmy]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

That picture would make an awesome t-shirt

"The GMC Syclone in it's natural state"

 

[SYO237]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

Yeah... im still wondering why I dropped a grand in rims and tires..... I shoulda had the jackstands chromed instead.

 

[myclone]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

Yeah... im still wondering why I dropped a grand in rims and tires..... I shoulda had the jackstands chromed instead.

Funniest thing Ive read this week since I wonder the same thing at times.

On the topic of this thread.... I built my own battery location deal in a S10 project some years ago that was very similar to the KB set up (didnt even know KB existed then so go figure). Anyways, all the reasons listed previously about why you shouldnt locate the battery under the bed are SO true.

Jumping a dead batt was an excorsize in futility (sparks/shorts/melted cables/etc).
Replacing the battery required loosening the bed to gain access (yeah, that was fun).
Battery was subject to debri damage (~1/2" thick coating of burnout rubber on it was proof enough for me).
Side impact equals 1000+ amps exposed to a dead short which equals fire no ifs ands or buts.

Put the battery in the bed and save your sanity.

 

[Jer]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

1. Dead Battery. having to jack up the truck, removing the wheel and basically having to almost disassemble everything to get the battery out. Forget about doing jumper cables... theres so many things that you risk grounding out on and shocking yourself, its not worth it. 12v does not feel good.

There's no need for all this. Just positive to the battery lead off the back of the alternator and neg to a good engine ground. Set it to a medium charge setting and let it charger for a while and you're good to go. If you plan to let your truck sit at all you'll want to put a charge to it anyway as letting your battery completely discharge is bad for the battery anyway.

2. Exploding/Leaking Battery. Its not an enclosed box, its only a tray. If the battery explodes or leaks, you risk it going all over your frame, inside of the quarter panel. Not safe.

I would suggest an gel battery for this mod if you choose to do it.

3. Side impact. Imagine if you were to get into an accident and a car hit your quarter panel and cause the battery to ground and start a fire...bad enough you got hit, now you get to use your fire extinguisher too. Its just not a safe place for it and is better off in the bed in a protective box. This has always been a concern from day one when I installed it. And if you think "i'll never get into an accident..." theres a reason why they are called "accidents".

If you get hit hard enough from the side an enclosed box won't help as much. The only options are to add a battery-top breaker or relocate it to the inside of the frame rail if safety is a concern (read: it better be otherwise don't attempt to relocate a battery in your vehicle). You're about ten times more likely to hit someone with the front of your car then get hit from the side, but that's why the bumpers are there.

 

[SYO237]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

response in order:


1. I dont trust charging my battery by hooking it up to the alternator positive and a ground. Id rather completely take the battery out and have it charged. Its safer and gives me a chance to inspect the battery.


2. Can I borrow $150+ for an Optima? Plus, how big is the optima as far as height? A standard 75 series already fits super tight, I dont see anything else much bigger or taller going in the same spot without having to cut some of the support beam and xmember for the bed if you look in the pic.

You could modify the plate if you have a welder to move around the brackets to bolt it on the frame and for the battery to sit in.


3. If this kit could be mounted INSIDE the frame, my truck wouldnt be a prob as much due to I dont have any exhaust, but for those who do, youd have to move the battery back farther in the corner of the bed (rear end collisions and the loss in pumping that much juice through 18ft of cable). You certainly dont want it above the driveshaft for obvious reasons... the gas tank is in the way for the driver side....so this is why KB probably came up with this location. But then, inside the frame, you still would have to deal with having to jack up the truck, etc for any sort of maintanence.




I think the kit just plain sucks and could be better. My :2cents: , but Im changing out to a box in the bed for peace of mind.

 

[93ty475]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

Don't forget that the driver's side will always be an option....just have to do relocate the remote oil filter....not a real big deal to do...just buy a used relocation setup to work on and tap ect....The battery tray takes a few minutes to make....our stock positive lead is long enough....here's a few pics...

 

[Jer]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

1. I dont trust charging my battery by hooking it up to the alternator positive and a ground. Id rather completely take the battery out and have it charged. Its safer and gives me a chance to inspect the battery.

Well, for the other 99.9% who don't mind having their battery in the vehicle to charge it, this is the easiest method if your battery is hard to get to. How is removign the battery from the truck safer to charge?

2. Can I borrow $150+ for an Optima? Plus, how big is the optima as far as height? A standard 75 series already fits super tight, I dont see anything else much bigger or taller going in the same spot without having to cut some of the support beam and xmember for the bed if you look in the pic.

No, you can not borrow the money. You can however do some better shopping as I've never paid over $100 for any of my Optima batteries. Sizes seemed to be pretty comperable although the Optima battery is slightly more narrow.

3. If this kit could be mounted INSIDE the frame, my truck wouldnt be a prob as much due to I dont have any exhaust, but for those who do, youd have to move the battery back farther in the corner of the bed (rear end collisions and the loss in pumping that much juice through 18ft of cable). You certainly dont want it above the driveshaft for obvious reasons... the gas tank is in the way for the driver side....so this is why KB probably came up with this location. But then, inside the frame, you still would have to deal with having to jack up the truck, etc for any sort of maintanence.

I can't speak to the kit itself as I was more talking in generalities and addressing specific questions/problems with battery relocating.

I think the kit just plain sucks and could be better. My :2cents: , but Im changing out to a box in the bed for peace of mind.

I can't speak for the 'kit' itself but if I relocate my battery to the back (which I plan to do) I'll probably use my own parts and will probably put it inside the rear cargo area since I have an Optima.

 

[Syclone Rob]

Re: Any other locations for battery other then in the box-Syclone-??

Is there a kit for putting the battery in the box of the syclone? Or is it just buying parts and putting this together yourself?

Rob