MGB I want to move the battery to the Boot in my 69B

[69MGC]

Hi Guys
I want to move the battery from the under rear shelf battery cage into the boot of the car. Has anyone done this conversation? If so, what parts did you use to secure a regular 12V battery, and where exactly did you place the battery? Do you have pictures of your conversion?

Thanks
Kevin

 

[Scargo]

I never gave thought to relocating one to the boot because of taking up valuable space, having tie-down concerns and disrupting the center of gravity of the original design.

On more than one occasion though, I have ditched the twin sixes and converted to a single 12v using just one of the holes.

 

[69MGC]

I never gave thought to relocating one to the boot because of taking up valuable space, having tie-down concerns and disrupting the center of gravity of the original design.

On more than one occasion though, I have ditched the twin sixes and converted to a single 12v using just one of the holes.

Thanks for your insight Scargo.

 

[YakkoWarner]

I never gave thought to relocating one to the boot because of taking up valuable space, having tie-down concerns and disrupting the center of gravity of the original design.

On more than one occasion though, I have ditched the twin sixes and converted to a single 12v using just one of the holes.

That is what I ended up doing as well - I don't have the size/part # handy for the battery I used, but it is a smaller square shaped single 12V that is smaller than 1 of the original 6V (I think it was for some models of German car but not certain - it is not a ATV or tractor battery though) along with the battery well liners from Moss. I had to make my own hold-down for it and it is slightly taller than the original 6 volt, but the cover will go on without touching the terminals. I will probably also put some sort of plastic/fiberglass sheet on the inside of the cover just to be safe before it hits the streets.

 

[69MGC]

That is what I ended up doing as well - I don't have the size/part # handy for the battery I used, but it is a smaller square shaped single 12V that is smaller than 1 of the original 6V (I think it was for some models of German car but not certain - it is not a ATV or tractor battery though) along with the battery well liners from Moss. I had to make my own hold-down for it and it is slightly taller than the original 6 volt, but the cover will go on without touching the terminals. I will probably also put some sort of plastic/fiberglass sheet on the inside of the cover just to be safe before it hits the streets.

I hadn’t thought of a small 12v, probably because I didn’t realize that one existed to fit inside the battery bin as you and Scargo suggested. I’ll look into what might fit.

 

[YakkoWarner]

I hadn’t thought of a small 12v, probably because I didn’t realize that one existed to fit inside the battery bin as you and Scargo suggested. I’ll look into what might fit.

Next time I'm up at the car (probably next weekend) I'll get the part #/size code off the battery for you. Unfortunately its not at home so I can't just grab it after work....

 

[badtr4]

battery in trunk- you need to put it in a plastic, acid proof, containment box, well anchored, with a vent to outside the vehicle. you may need to add reinforcing on the underside of the boot metal if only anchoring to the floor sheet metal. Consider what will happen in an accident when designing this.
R

 

[69MGC]

battery in trunk- you need to put it in a plastic, acid proof, containment box, well anchored, with a vent to outside the vehicle. you may need to add reinforcing on the underside of the boot metal if only anchoring to the floor sheet metal. Consider what will happen in an accident when designing this.
R

Thanks for the insight R. I am reconsidering the battery move and buying a 12V battery that will fit in one of the original battery boxes.

 

[AngliaGT]

I've been using Interstate batteries for Miatas,&
have had really good luck with them.

 

[69MGC]

I've been using Interstate batteries for Miatas,&
have had really good luck with them.

Do you know the series number for the Miata?

 

[Joe Reed]

51R

 

[YakkoWarner]

Apologies for the fact that it took me a while to get back to you on this, but this is the battery setup I am using:

It is hard to read on the reduced size image I can put here, but the part # is 151R-DLG, 370 crank amps at 0F, 460 crank amps at 32F, reserve capacity 57. It has plenty of power to spin the engine over just fine.

This shows a sort-of-straight piece of plastic across the well opening to give a reference to how much clearance there is above the + terminal. I used a + terminal with a side-attach bolt for the cable ring, a top-stud marine style terminal would work but gets really close to the cover. I did have to custom make the battery cable since in this configuration it needed to be longer than a stock one. Not worried about the - side since it just connects to ground anyway.

The 2x2 block sits almost perfectly flush with the top of the well - I'll probably leave it in there just to keep anything from deforming the metal cover down enough to contact the + terminal (when I was trying a marine type terminal it was essential). It is probably not needed with the side-attach terminals (which you can get at WalMart - less than $8.00). If your car is still set up as positive ground you'll need to reorient the terminal accordingly.

 

[69MGC]

Great info. Thanks for being so detailed. In the process of working on the front end suspension right now. I will deal with the battery at the end of the project.