24 replies to this topic

[mini-mad-mark]

Hi All - thinking for my project car to put the battery under the bonnet (clubman front end) as being fibreglass, to put it in the standard under backseat location would mean having to run two high power cables to the front subframe (do-able but would be neater if I could get the battery under the bonnet)

 

I think I can fit a standard mini size (038?) at the front over the starter motor as I've deleted the fresh air scoop/snorkel (purposely for this idea) and possibly mounting off the inner wing but I haven't worked out exactly how just yet - considering some kind of bracketry off the clutch housing as an alternative

 

Anyone ever done it?

Any reason not to do this?

Any ideas how to mount it?

 

Is there a smaller/lighter battery I could use - its not an everyday car but I wouldn't want it to be any less convenient/usable than if I was using a standard L/A battery  

[steeley]

I had one similar to this in my beach buggy about 8 years ago it worked really well as you can mount them
on their side

https://www.batteryc...uMaApAOEALw_wcB

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Edited by steeley, 07 July 2020 - 04:51 AM.

[eric67]

My concern would be weight distribution as you are adding a fair chunk of weight forward in the car which sounds counter intuitive. 

Edited by eric67, 07 July 2020 - 06:38 AM.

[mab01uk]

Battery inside the front wheel arch on my brothers race Mini (1973)

 

 

[mab01uk]

Hi All - thinking for my project car to put the battery under the bonnet (clubman front end) as being fibreglass, to put it in the standard under backseat location would mean having to run two high power cables to the front subframe (do-able but would be neater if I could get the battery under the bonnet)

 

I think I can fit a standard mini size (038?) at the front over the starter motor as I've deleted the fresh air scoop/snorkel (purposely for this idea) and possibly mounting off the inner wing but I haven't worked out exactly how just yet - considering some kind of bracketry off the clutch housing as an alternative

 

I would not use the clutch housing for bracket support as the engine is rubber mounted and moves/vibrates, not good for a battery, plus the extra weight won't help load on the engine mounts.....

Edited by mab01uk, 07 July 2020 - 08:44 AM.

[mab01uk]

Battery was up front under the bonnet on the first prototype Minis in 1958.....

http://www.theminifo...k-daniels-1993/

 

 

Edited by mab01uk, 07 July 2020 - 08:48 AM.

[Spider]

 

Hi All - thinking for my project car to put the battery under the bonnet (clubman front end) as being fibreglass, to put it in the standard under backseat location would mean having to run two high power cables to the front subframe (do-able but would be neater if I could get the battery under the bonnet)

 

I think I can fit a standard mini size (038?) at the front over the starter motor as I've deleted the fresh air scoop/snorkel (purposely for this idea) and possibly mounting off the inner wing but I haven't worked out exactly how just yet - considering some kind of bracketry off the clutch housing as an alternative

 

I would not use the clutch housing for bracket support as the engine is rubber mounted and moves/vibrates, not good for a battery, plus the extra weight won't help load on the engine mounts.....

 

 

I'd suggest fabricating mounts to come off the subframe with perhaps a steady, if needed, to the inner wing.

 

Batteries (as you know) are heavy. Fabricating a battery tray that was only bolted to the inner wing will likely in time crack around the bolt holes, the steel of the inner wings being only a single sheet and not thick.

 

There was an updated prototype Moke they built that had the battery in the engine bay, if I can find the photos, I'll scan them up here.

[MrBounce]

My friend did this in his GT. He used the battery tray from an old ADO 16 Morris 1300 we found in a breakers. That way he could easily mount a Mini-sized battery above the starter area. Worked beautifully.

[mini-mad-mark]

Thanks all for the good input - especially the mounting off the engine/vibration issue - I had no idea that would be a concern.

 

I will have to look at an ADO16 under-bonnet picture - my mate had one years ago but I don't recall how it looked - I don't think its going to be something you can easily get these days however, even if it does fit the bill

 

Also noted about the strength of the (fibreglass) inner wing as a mounting - mounting off the subframe sounds the favourite but I'm no fabricator so will need to do some kind of mock up and get someone with the necessary skills to make it for me

 

Under the wheel arch a good use of space but pretty hard to access without a flip front (as per the picture) so probably a no to that one.

 

Like the idea of the odyssey battery (7kg vs 11kg for a standard 038) also usefully smaller - 185L x 79W x 192H vs 245L x 135W x 200H for an 038  - Steeley - what terminals does it use - are they standard/same as a mini (is that called T1 type?) they look like some other type but it's not that clear from the pics/link.  I can use anything as I don't have anything specific at the moment (only some standard mini cables) also is it really a good replacement for a standard battery with no downside?

[mini-mad-mark]

I have just looked at the spec for some standard 038 batteries and they have around 35Ah capacity vs the odyssey with 16Ah

 

CCA for 038 typically around 300 Amps and for the odyssey I think it is 170 Amps (not in the link as far as I could see so Mr Google says that)

 

So the odyssey is half the battery a 038 is in those terms or am I over simplifying?

 

Will it be OK or will it cause me problems if I use one - as I mentioned the car wont be a daily however if I do use it I don't want it to be an issue over using a standard 038.

[timmy850]

I’ve seen a van over here converted to an estate with rear seats (we only got the van here) and they also used an ADO16 battery tray under the bonnet to move the battery out of the way

[mab01uk]

AUSTIN MORRIS 1100 / 1300 ADO16 RANGE OF CARS BATTERY TRAY USED BMC PART:-

https://www.ebay.co....SQAAOSwhAde6Qew

 

Aluminium securing brackets for Odyssey and Varley race batteries:-

https://www.merlinmo...curing-brackets

 

Edited by mab01uk, 08 July 2020 - 07:33 AM.

[mini-mad-mark]

Thanks for the links mab01uk - I was always a bit worried about mounting to the inner wing. As MokeSpider says the inner wing might crack (he mentioned metal) but being fibreglass I'm not sure if that would be even worse - its about 5mm thick but not sure about its integrity to the rest of the shell as it might not be constructed the same as a metal mini inner wing - it is tied into the bulkhead and wings similar to the metal car but no idea about the strenght of the panel itself

 

Might be one of those things where I just have to try it - this would get me there quickly - mounting off the subframe would probably be better but would cost me much more to work out and get it fabricated by someone (as I don't have the necessary welding skills)

 

Still hoping someone can give me a definitive Yes/No for the specific Odyssey battery mentioned (PC680) and whether it really would be OK as from what I read they seem to be aimed at motorbikes, jet skis, skimobiles and stuff like that rather than cars

 

Odyssey batteries are available for cars but I assume nearer to standard sizes/weight/AH/CCA? I haven't studied that yet

[johnR]

When I ran a youth autograss motor project we ran minis with the batteries in the front. We tried the Odyssey batteries (can't remember which one) - they were great, being both smaller and lighter than standard. The terminals were smallish bolts so you would need to convert the cable ends to rings.

[Shooter63]

A 680 will start it no problem, I have a similar battery on my 2.0 turbo kit car, I'm going to do the same thing on my mk1 as I'm putting different things in the rear battery area. If you think about it logically, the engine is only 1300 and low compression at that in comparison to bike engines and they use small batteries.

Shooter