JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, I'm not a drag racer or need to pass any tech inspection so don't worry about that.
What I need to do is make a tray to hold an Optima red top battery on it's side. Terminals down at about a 45* angle.
This is going into the rear of my car in the drivers side cubby hole. I'm only using the top posts.

I don't think I can mod an aftermarket tray so I'll probably have to make it from scratch.

I was thinking of taking a 1/8 piece of aluminum plate and bending the edges up. Have about a 1.5" lip all around and then add a strap over the back side, not the top of the battery.

Do you think I should support the spiral cells or just have the top and bottom plastic edges support the weight?

I can add a metal wedge piece under it to hold it at the correct angle. Does that sound OK or should I make it from steel?

Here's what the battery looks like:

TheBlurLS1

iTrader: (8)

Why do you want to turn the battery at an angle? I'm not even sure if this is Kosher.

Starz T/A 17

iTrader: (6)

if its an optima battery you can mount in any way you want, you could even mount it upsidedown b/c its a gel battery, no wattery acid to worry about leaking. as of your setup sounds like a good idea just goin to probally take some time

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I thought of a more streamlined design. Take some flat plate and cut it to fit around the spiral cells, but be curved on the ends to cup them a little. The big plastic lips on the top and bottom of the battery will keep it in place during hard cornering. The curved ends will keep it from moving in a front to rear direction and a top strap will keep it from lifting up if I hit a bump or something. Then this plate can be welded to a triangle shaped wedge to get the proper angle.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I'm waiting for a response from Optima as to whether it's OK to support the battery by the spiral cells or if I should support it by the top and bottom edges.

orangeapeel

iTrader: (18)

I know where to get a full billet box for the optima batteries that can be mounted at any angle.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Yea, those are real common, but they won't work in this application.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I haven't heard back from Optima.

I've thought of another way to do it. I'd like to have the tray not be seen, just have the entire top of the battery seen through a window.

Instead of a strip of angle iron across the top and bottom to support it by the edges, I think I'm going to cut a piece of 3" ID exhaust pipe in half and then fold it open so that it cradles all 3 spiral cells. I'll take some plate and cut 3 "cradles" that kind of match the shape and weld one near the top and one near the bottom to hold the battery up and support all 3 cradles. I'll bend the bottom ends 90* to act as mounting lips so I can bolt it down and maybe add one more piece of plate between the 2 legs just to stabilize it.

I think I can bolt it down to the car by drilling holes in the rear sheetmetal and dropping in some 3/8 tee-nuts and then welding them in. That way I can bolt down the battery tray very securely and if I want to remove it, the threaded nuts will be flush with the sheetmetal. I'll just dab some silicone in them to seal them from the outside elements.

Order 66

Care to share this info?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Ebay is full of them.
Here's a few you might like.