Help With Staying NHRA Compliant For Battery Relocation!

[ImportEater98]

Hey Folks....
Just got my Moroso battery box for my relocation. I have an 89 notchback. The fuel cell is mounted in the spare tire area, and due to my roll cage, my battery box won't fit on either side of it. Now i am stumped on where to put it. I would like to put it behind the passenger seat where i have removed the rear seat. My problem is that NHRA says that the battery cannot be located in the passenger compartment. Yet it says i don't need a trunk to passenger compartment firewall if i use an NHRA approved battery box.....grrrr....so basically whether its in my trunk or in my back seat area it still makes it unprotected by a firewall. I have the rulebook in front of me, but this is definately a gray area. HELP!!!!

 

[86bluecobra]

i think if it is a sealed box with a vent and you have a switch that kills your engine mounted in the rear and it is visibly marked which way to shut off you are ok. i have a sealed box in my hatch mustang with a vent and the tech guys at the track were happy.

 

[jrichker]

Some other help for you...

Rear mounted battery ground wiring. Follow this plan and you will have zero
ground problems.

One 1 gauge or 1/0 gauge wire from battery negative post to a clean shiny spot
on the chassis near the battery. Use a 5/16” bolt and bolt it down to make the
rear ground. Use a 1 gauge or 1/0 gauge wire from the rear ground bolt to a clean
shiny spot on the block.

One 4 gauge wire from the block where you connected the battery ground wire to
the chassis ground where the battery was mounted up front. Use a 5/16” bolt
and bolt down the 4 gauge engine to chassis ground, make sure that it the metal
around the bolt is clean & shiny. This is the alternator power ground.

The computer has a dedicated power ground wire with a cylindrical quick connect
(about 2 ½”long by 1” diameter. It comes out of the wiring harness near the
ignition coil & starter solenoid (or relay). Be sure to bolt it to the chassis ground
in the same place as you bolted the alternator power ground. This is an
absolute don’t overlook it item for EFI cars

Picture courtesy timewarped1972

Crimp or even better, solder the lugs on the all the wire. The local auto stereo
shop will have them if the auto parts store doesn't. Use some heat shrink tubing
to cover the lugs and make things look nice.


For a battery cut off switch, see
http://www.moroso.com/catalog/categorydisplay.asp?catcode=42225 is
the switch http://www.moroso.com/catalog/images/74102_inst.pdf

Use the super duty switch and the following tech note to wire it and you will be
good to go.

Use the Moroso plan for the alternator wiring and you risk a fire. The 10 gauge
wire they recommend is even less adequate that the stock Mustang wiring.


There is a solution, but it will require about 40' of 18 gauge green wire.

Wire the battery to the two 1/4" posts as shown in the diagram.

The alternator requires a different approach. On the small alternator plug
there is a green wire. It is the sense lead that turns the regulator on when
the ignition switch is in the run position. Cut the green wire and solder the 40'
of green wire between the two pieces. Use some heat shrink to cover the
splices. See http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=7 for some excellent
help on soldering & using heat shrink tubing.

Run the green wire back to the Moroso switch and cut off the excess wire.
Try to run the green wire inside the car and protect it from getting cut or
chaffed. Crimp a 18 gauge ring terminal (red is 18 gauge color code for the crimp
on terminals) on each wire. Bolt one ring terminal to each of the 3/16" studs.
Do not add the jumper between the 1/4" stud and the 3/16" stud as shown it the
Moroso diagram.

How it works:
The green wire is the ignition on sense feed to the regulator. It supplies power
to the regulator when the ignition switch is in the run position. Turn the
Moroso switch to off, and the sense voltage goes away, the voltage
regulator shuts off and the alternator quits making power.

See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) & Stang&2Birds (website host) for help on 88-90 wiring and lots more…

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/IgnitionSwitchWiring.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/88-91eecPinout.gif

Diagram courtesy of Tmoss and Stang&2birds.

Diagram courtesy of Tmoss and Stang&2birds.

 

[ImportEater98]

WOW! Thanks for all the input....i was a little unsure about the safest way to wire this, and that all explains it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As for my NHRA compliance issue....anyone else run into this? I wonder if theres a number i can call to ask NHRA about this.

 

[ImportEater98]

bump please

 

[RBRANDX]

To keep it simple, I have a Taylor alum box, mounted in the back of my GT, and a visible switch that "kills" the car when engaged, and have never had any problems with tech at many different tracks in multiple states. The "common" problem with most installs is that the switch does not shut the car down immediatley. good luck!

 

[ImportEater98]

Thanks for the info, but still no one can tell me if i can mount my battery in my backseat?

 

[RBRANDX]

check this out
http://www.spmotorsports.com/ATCmisc_elecign_battery_reloc.html

as long as you have the right box, it will not matter where the battery is mounted, hell, you could have it ride shotgun!

 

[ImportEater98]

Well i think i am just going to mount it in the back seat.....I have tried emailing and calling NHRA and no one has got back to me. Moroso Techline can't answer my question, so screw it....I'll try it. If tech kicks me out, not much i can do. Thanks for the info....
Anyone else care to shed some light on this???

 

[ImportEater98]

UPDATE:
I finally got someone from the tech department at NHRA to answer my question.
No matter what, the battery has to be behind the C-Pillar...whether its in a box or not. This is good to know now before i go and mount it and have to rip it out again!

 

[lxwants12's]

see my battery isnt in a box...and the guys at one of the local tracks are really strict...the only thing he made me upgrade were the studs i used for the battery hold down....they have to be 3/8 and tey cant stick out more the 1/4 inch when the nuts are tighten...my kill switch is simple enough...it cuts the ground off to the battery...but b4 i get to the tech line i pull the plug off the alternato so when he hits the switch..car shuts off right away..i know its kinda cheasy setup..but its secure and i works and they are happy with me at the track...i have my kill switch behine my license plate too....i had 2 inch studs sticking out of the back panel with a nut on each in which the plate rest then another nut after the plate to hold it...you would never be able to tell i have a switch..then when i go to the track i just take the plate off!