Second battery location: OEM battery box worth it?
- Thread starter gummycarbs
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I'll return to "it just bolts in..." There is no way, even if you're a fab-god with a full shop, that you'll build something better in less time. Now, if you're just looking to kill some time on a project, OK, but ease of install rates as a tangible benefit in my book. Then comes all the other goodness that Mr. T built in that others have noted.
BTW, the box is good stuff, but take care if modifying it, as the fiberglass it's made of is like tiny knives if you get it on you when drilling, cutting, etc. Now you know the only drawback the box has that I'm aware of, too.
There is no scientific data to prove that one setup is better than the other, such as how much longer battery life or greater CCA you get from one or the other setup. All you will get here is opinions, personal experiences, and guesstimates.
AKA conjecture
I'm all for self fabbed solutions.... Buuuut.... You have to monetarily quantify your time spent fabing. When you do that + the materials you will be 4x the cost of the OEM box for something that turned out 'OK'.
For a battery box........ that is so not worth it.
For a battery box........ that is so not worth it.
Yep, great idea if one is just looking for something to do. A very fab-worthy need and one you have to figure out if you dispalce the washer bottle with the 2nd battery.
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I have a dual battery setup as you know Gummycarbs so I too am speaking from direct experience. The OEM right box is so slick to install.. I can't understand why you would want to completely reinvent the wheel. Save your special fab skills and workshop time for something more worthwhile. Certainly with your project you will find other "real" needs that you will need to solve. Betting you would have to move more than just the washer bottle in order to install at the firewall.
The question is should you install a second battery.. what is the intended need? Winch.. lighting.. etc? Having the battery at the firewall will mean a lot longer runs of "fat" expensive cable. In fact a lot more wire and complexity hooking up anything that needs 12vdc.
One last objectionable reason not to mount the battery at the firewall. It has to go on the exhaust side. I can't help but imagine which part of the engine compartment is the hottest. Would imagine right close to cylinders 4,5,6 and right above the "Y" pipe. Maybe the catalytic converters might let a little excess heat rise up to the bottom of a battery mounted there.
Just some food for thought.
The question is should you install a second battery.. what is the intended need? Winch.. lighting.. etc? Having the battery at the firewall will mean a lot longer runs of "fat" expensive cable. In fact a lot more wire and complexity hooking up anything that needs 12vdc.
One last objectionable reason not to mount the battery at the firewall. It has to go on the exhaust side. I can't help but imagine which part of the engine compartment is the hottest. Would imagine right close to cylinders 4,5,6 and right above the "Y" pipe. Maybe the catalytic converters might let a little excess heat rise up to the bottom of a battery mounted there.
Just some food for thought.
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Not sure if the battery box helps on this front but heat is what eventually kills most batteries.
Interesting find and side note, both BMW's I have locate the battery in the trunk under the floor (in their own plastic battery box). Likely for weight distribution but its also away from the heat of the engine.
Interesting find and side note, both BMW's I have locate the battery in the trunk under the floor (in their own plastic battery box). Likely for weight distribution but its also away from the heat of the engine.
Fixed that for you.
The "fiberglass" adds to tensile strength and fire resistance. And I'm not so certain that is fiberglass... I have a piece I was planning on sending off to be tested. I highly suspect that it is something else.
When cutting it I would highly recommend wearing a respirator and wetting it down while cutting...
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Not a single word of that is correct.
1) I have no preconceived notion. Quite the opposite: I'm questioning what seems to be common practice here.
2) Domestic vehicle ownership? I cited Toyota's 70 series! I don't think I've seen *any* vehicle, domestic or imported, that has a similar battery box setup to the 80.
3) "Good enough mentality" now you're just being rude and dismissive.
It's fine if you disagree with me, or have your own reasons for doing whatever you do. But don't mischaracterize my statements or make false assumptions about me.
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True, but I might get a response along the lines of, "I put a battery by the firewall and it was dead within a month".
Since I'm not hearing things like that, it means that either nobody has tried it (possible) or that the increased heat isn't a problem (either because it never was, or because modern batteries handle heat better). So, the decision comes down to what fits best into either location.
I don't think anyone on here is being rude or dismissive. If I was about to do something against the grain and came to MUD for thoughts and opinions, I would hope they'd have plenty to say to me. That's why we ask for opinions. Also, I'm all for doing things differently and trying to stand out, but sometimes there's a reason things are "common practice". And from a mechanical engineering standpoint, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 
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Install the battery where ever you feel is the right place. All people are trying to do is answer your question. There is NO mathematical data or engineering data to support either location. What opinions are offered here come from real LandCruiser owners who actually use there vehicles for more than mall cruising. Most of them have been doing the LandCruiser thing a very long time and have mega miles of dirt roads.. washboards and rough rocky paths to backup their opinions. I can assure you that the OEM battery box will not fail or fall out causing catastrophic damage. A 12vdc positive cable or terminal grounding out when and if the support for the battery fails is truly not going to be pretty sight.
So why take chance for an ugly failure just because you feel that you have a better solution. Since you are looking for solid info.. you might want to get a professional opinion after you come up with a design. An engineer that says the box will support the minimum of a 50 lb battery under the stress of rough use. Would definitely prove us all wrong. Personally I really like my wiring harness and all things attached to it! A $100 battery box/support that is well proven or a lot money and time to pry all the burnt wiring and components out!
So why take chance for an ugly failure just because you feel that you have a better solution. Since you are looking for solid info.. you might want to get a professional opinion after you come up with a design. An engineer that says the box will support the minimum of a 50 lb battery under the stress of rough use. Would definitely prove us all wrong. Personally I really like my wiring harness and all things attached to it! A $100 battery box/support that is well proven or a lot money and time to pry all the burnt wiring and components out!
This thread was a complete waste of time.
This thread is no longer a COMPLETE waste of time. This was a good post. I do the same with mine.
OK, in my world "every other vehicle I've owned".....meant you at some point you had a domestic (my bad if you didn't - clearly you didn't have most Audis or any BMW as they generally ditch the batt under the seat or in the trunk).
If you had a ton of Mazdas or VW's, my sincere apologies. Esp if they were VW's.
You formed an opinion based on "every other vehicle I've owned" - but in another post cite the 70, so you wandered some there.
As for me being rude or dismissive, you used the phrase " ..., and those batteries lasted plenty long." --- I'd call that a 'good enough mentality', it worked long enough for you to state "LASTED PLENTY LONG".
If something "lasts plenty long" by me, that means I will/would buy it again - so it was good enough.
Frankly, at this point we're splitting hairs & a prefab 'Yota box is easier than anything you fab. I have one in my stash of parts, and that's 'good enough' for me.
Dude, really - you need a holder for your battery if doing a dual setup, so this has lost all traction IMO.
I'm sorry, you win, best of luck on future projects.