Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Battery relocation kits/ Ideas

Hey guys with all this talk about the heat soak issues with open air filters im thinking of throwing the battery in the trunk. Im doing my stereo soon so I might as well do this now. Does any one have any tips they can give me and how hard it might be to do this. I would love to be able to hide it if possible but well see.

I was thinking of using this. Linky poo

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah, I was thinking about doing that too, I'm flirting with the idea of a Vortech, but want to free up some space and possibly custom my own "cold air intake" in the mean time . . .is installation for a newbie difficult, how much would it cost for a shop to do it, and how does one harness it down in the trunk (drill into the sheet metal)???

Suneil

I moved the battery to the trunk last week, and I must say I was suprisingly pleased by how easy it was. I almost suspect that ford considered putting it there in the first place!

Basically, I didnt hide it, it just sites on the right hand side, in the space between the wheel well, and the back of the trunk.

I ran the wire through the left hand side, under the trim, up to the dash, where there is a perfectly aligned hole through the fusebox mounting braket that lines up with a plug in the firewall that the wire can slip through easily.

A couple of tips:

Use the chassis for ground, dont run a wire to the underhood area. run the battery cable to the chassi, and then under the hood take the ground wire that is there now, and ground it to the chassis.

Take the plug out of the firewall, and cut a X in it with a box cutter or such, and leave the plug out.

Take a screw driver and run it through the hole left by the plug, and then you can see inside where to run the battery cable. After runnung the battery cable through the hole, slide the plug over the wire, and then place the plug pack in the firewall.

I tied down the battery with a battery box tie down, but you can just put it in a box and ties that down as well. I was too cheap to buy the box. The total cost of this was about $20, including the cable (the most expensive part).

Dude, sounds pretty straight forward, and A CHEAP MOD for the acceleration you'll gain by relocating those 20lbs to the rear of the car. Hmmm, I'm going to buy a cheap relocation kit, and use your directions, I hope they hold true for the CSVT!!

Thanks!

did you put in a kill switch?

Fyi, I highly recommend using a box when mounting a battery in the trunk. The increased risk of a ruptured or loose battery inside the vehicle in an accident makes it really stupid to skimp the couple extra bucks to get a good aluminum or plastic box.

I got some garage guys to do mine....6 hours of labour!!!!

Kill switch required some extra time and you really only
need it if you are doing official racing....so I was told...

Originally posted by ssmumich00:

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Dude, sounds pretty straight forward, and A CHEAP MOD for the acceleration you'll gain by relocating those 20lbs to the rear of the car. Hmmm, I'm going to buy a cheap relocation kit, and use your directions, I hope they hold true for the CSVT!!

Thanks!

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I would understand the extra weight in the rear on a RWD car would increase traction for better acceleration. How does the rear mount battery increase acceleration in a FWD car?. You are removing weight from the traction wheels.

If you say the redistribution of weight increases handling, I'll buy that. Increased polar moment of inertia makes the car feel more stable, I'll buy that. But i can't fathom how just moving it increase acceleration. In fact, unless you use a lighter battery, the positive cable is longer an heavier than the original, so I would suspect less acceleration.

Of course, putting the battery in the back and putting a vortech where the battery was, now that will increase acceleration!! And if you can get a significant reduction in heat soak, maybe a little bit mnore.

I would suggest a 'marine' style battery box and include an insulated 'jumper post', with a pop off cap under the hood on the '+' feed, its a real PIA when you have to clear the trunk for a jump start etc....just my 1 1/2 cents guys!

I thought doing this was illegal in California. Am I right or wrong? Just curious cuz I'd love to do this too.