Yeah....I spent awhile staring at the spare wheel well. Unused space. I have a full size spare; 225/60 15 Torque Thrust D. I don't like the idea of limping home from parts unknown on a space saver, etc. Just swap out the bad tire and move on down the road. Leaning toward an Optima to avoid leakage/gas-off problems mounted in the spare well in some way with a cover of sorts and lay the spare flat on the floor. If the battery goes south, again in parts unknown, don't want to be stuck looking for an odd shaped Odyssey at the local parts store. The well in my Bird has a hole in the bottom that kind of vents that area anyway. Need to fit/fab a shelf of in the well to accept a hold down, etc. Finding a conventional battery to fit if the Optima gives up should be relatively simple for quick on-the-road fix. A cutoff switch is a secondary priority. Not really intending on drag racing much if at all at least until the Fordomatic is changed. Maybe a few runs if I make the Boronda thing in San Diego. My engine is moving up the HP/Torque charts and the old Fordo is going to be under unfair strain at times.

57 Black Tbird 312/auto

In his 57 Bird, a friend of mine put the battery in the spare tire well and is using a donut for a spare laid flat on the floor.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

I'm not 100% sure that it is ok to use an optima unvented like this, but I have for a couple years. The HD solenoid is overkill for my use but safer I guess. I followed the advice of others on this and NHRA rules. But I will defer to others if its really necessary on my car. It adds more cost that's for sure.

I'll have to shoot a picture of the cut off switch setup. It's a heavy switch that can be optionally operated by a rod and handle sticking thru the backup lens. You don't need this for rulebook unless you are a certain ET, but I did it anyway as a safety precaution.

Again I think an odyssey is worth the $ just because of the space saving and simplicity, it could really be tucked away. Battery tenders are the key though. Found the NHRA ruling on it. FYI, No test and tune nite with my car at any strip has ever paid any attention to my setup, pro or con though.

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

One thing about the Optima battery, you can mount it in any position without a sealed box because it is jell inside not water. No fumes, no spills.

Gary Ryan San Antonio.TX.

Alan, that is a nice arrangement. What are the dimensions or what Optima battery model are you using? I looked at some Odyssey batteries, kind of pricey. I have a Motorcraft BX24 but it is a little large. I have a speaker panel mounted as the divider panel so I need to work on something with that. It is obvious to me the battery box from Summit is too large to use.



http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1231/overview/



I put the Motorcraft battery in my 65 Galaxie so a smaller battery and tray instead of a sealed box might have to be the way to go. Can you explain the wiring scheme for the solenoid and cut off?

57 Black Tbird 312/auto

here's my install. Batt bracket mounts to divider panel between trunk and interior. still have floor space. one hole thru trunk floor with grommet and sealer, cable runs aforward along frame rail protected and out of the way. I used insulated cable clamps.

I think the odyssey battery is a good suggestion and would have tried it if I didn't already have the Optima.



Also I have a heavy duty solinoid and a cut off switch mounted in back which has been really handy for saving the battery + using the battery tender.

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

Not being a T-Bird owner I don't know how the trunk is laid out. Most people take the spare out to reduce weight at the drags. If you leave it in the mount for the battery should balance things a bit. I think the RV slides would work. I looked at some today. The battery is still strapped down securely so that shouldn't matter. In fact if the slides are locked there is no reason the inspector would even notice. They are looking for a hold down clamp or strap. I think a metal box would work better or you could put a plate on top of the slides and fasten the battery to that.  Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Thanks for the tips Chuck. In the Tbird the spare tire well and the sheet metal surrounding the fuel filler neck take up the passenger side of the trunk. I may mount it forward on the left side to put the weight more evenly distributed with spare and above the rear axle. The 57 Bird trunk and body are pretty long and hang out past the rear axle considerably. Mounting holes will be tricky as the floor of the trunk is over the gas tank. I was looking at some sliding battery trays at RV parts websites. Not sure yet what to do. I bought a complete relocation kit from Summit with a sealed plastic battery box, 20 feet of red positive cable, a few feet of black cable to attach to the frame, cable ends, vent hose and hold down and mounting hardware. Not sure if a slide out battery box would be legal for the drags. My first idea was to run the positive cable up the frame rail to the firewall.

57 Black Tbird 312/auto

Might try the RV sites, also. If your cable isn't red, a little red shrink sleeve every so often would be a cheap fix. The other option is a smaller Odysey battery, the one in the trunk of my 32 cranks the yblock as well as if was up front. It holds a charge for months, if I remember to open the battery sw.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

The common location in the trunk is on the passenger side. This adds weight on the right rear wheel for better traction. Running the cable isn't that hard. You can buy cable by the foot. Make sure you use red for the positive all the way up. Helps avoid future mistakes. Most hardware or autoparts stors have clamps with rubber liners that you can use to hold the cable snug. These require drilling holes for screws to hold them. You may also find some existing mounting bolts that will work. The ground only has to go to the frame at the rear.

As far as a slideout for the box check commercial computer supply shops. They should have some short slides that latch.  Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire