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battery fire

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Look in the Moss catalog or others-doc2b- and get the standard battery hold down kit for your car.

It presently has:

The wrong battery.
The wrong hold down bracket->
Here make sue there are hold down bolt anchor tabs with holes in them at each end of the battery mount not the center.
The wrong hold down bolts

The addition of a plastic battery tray if missing is a plus

Similarly, the addition of the referenced thin plastic cover over the battery will add some good protection too:

1] Protect your goods thrown in the boot when traveling from contacting battery acid if any leakage.
2] provide additional insulation coverage over the generally exposed battery terminals
 
As Vette appropriately presented, it is definitely difficult to protect from main circuit vulnerabilities and, due to the high amperage, a short in this circuit can easily start a fire. I have not been able to come up with anything effectively simple to address the starter/battery/alternator circuit and, although I believe the presented device would provide partial protection (when not actually starting the car), it remains untested so also represents a risk.

Keoke has suggested main circuit protection could be provided through the use of an aircraft circuit breaker. However, I have not been able to identify a suitable device that can address the amperage required and the price may also be substantial.

For my part, I am no longer inclined to secure the main circuit through fault detection and automatic response and now considering risk reduction as a more measured approach.


  1. I intend to look for and replace my present “original” 4-gauge hot line with a line having a heavier insulator.
  2. Replacing my original starter with a gear reduction starter will also cut down the initial amperage draw and require less power to be drawn through the main line.
  3. The total amperage draw reduction experienced will allow the identification of a smaller battery replacement then my present 520 amps.

Although these changes will not eliminate the risk of damage from a shorted main circuit, other then an accident, it does lower the risk of having a short take place.

By the way, when did the standard battery hold down change? As original, my Healey came with a bracket that had 2 diagonal end hold-downs connected to an angle that pushed the battery back into a piece of wood anchored to the inner fender. The base is formed by 2 end pieces of angle iron welded to the frame with a piece of wood across the space and containing the hold-down anchors for each of the diagonal rods.

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The Optimum battery was placed in a wood box and the box in a battery tray. By the way, the wires appearing at the back of the battery are to provide constant power to my radio and is fused.

Thanks all,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

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Braindoc2be said:
I am not sure what the bolts were hooked to that supposedly held the battery in place.
Click to expand...
Hi Brent,
In this photo, you can see the mounting point for the hooked bolt. In the foreground, the small piece welded at a 45deg angle. There is another mounting point at the other end of the bracket. As Keoke said, the tray isn't attached to anything.
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RAC68 said:
Our hot lead in our Healeys extending from the battery to the starter (with circuit extending to the generator/alternator) and runs along the lower section of the frame. This hot cable placement makes it possible to strike the cable and stripping the insulation sufficient enough to create an arch with the grounded frame.
Click to expand...

With a 12 volt system, I think that is next to impossible. From what I've read, Paschen's Law says that the voltage needed to arc through 1mm of air is 3000 volts. That is about the thickness of the insulation on the main battery cable. At 12 volts, you'd pretty much need direct contact.
 

By the way, when did the standard battery hold down change?
Ray:
I am totally unaware of any change in the boot mounted battery hold down design.

The method used in doc2b's car was a mickey mouse installation by-----PO
 
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With a 12 volt system, I think that is next to impossible.

Greg:
You are right and it can not be done simply.

Further IMOP it is totally unrequired;

If the data was available covering all the Healey's that have experienced an electrical fault or caught on fire in this manner: .Plotting this data using a Poisson Distribution the repeatable factor would approach zero as a limit.

In my Healey lifetime I have only seen one car destroyed by fire I do not know the circumstances that caused it. However, That car was in the back storage yard of the Austin Healey Store when it was located in SanFernado Valley. That was along time ago.
 
Keoke said:

By the way, when did the standard battery hold down change?
Greg:
I am totally unaware of any change in the boot mounted battery hold down design.

The method used in doc2b's car was a mickey mouse installation by-----PO
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That was not me saying that my friend
 
That was not me saying that my friend
Sorry:
Took you off the hook OK!!-:highly_amused:

Thanks for showing the mounting points for the hooked bolts used with hold down bracket:applause:
 
Greg, you are correct and I should not have used the word "arc" in that sentence. However, if in some way the insulation is broken or stripped via a vehicle accident, a bottom hit, or other, it is very possible for the hot lead to make contact with the grounded frame it is attached to and with the high Amperage potential of our battery, cause a fire. Remember, the gas line runs along the same frame rail as the hot lead. Thanks for the correction.

Keoke, I wondered about a change in the way the battery was secured as I had recently attended a show and noted 3 BJ8P2s with a center secured battery bracket. Since I have always had the tie-down pictured, I was wondering if they had changed after my 64 was built.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
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it is very possible for the hot lead to make direct contact with the grounded frame

Ray:
This was my interpretation of your original statement and it is possible that the segment of wire between the battery and the fault will act like a fuse. the battery will be drained at what ever is its Capacity divided by the rate of discharge.This can override the performance of an intentional fuse installed in the circuit.

Maybe some aftermarket group has decided they would improv the battery hold down:cool-new:------:highly_amused:
 
OK, so here's some more things to keep you awake at night. If you're running an alternator you might want to consider protecting the alternator to solenoid connection with a mega fuse, otherwise an internally shorted alternator may cause your car to burn down. And if you run a battery box, make sure the battery is vented so the car doesn't blow up. And then there's that nasty javelin steering column that will pierce your heart in a crash and the lack of antilock brakes, no back up camera, headrests, lane change alarm, etc, etc. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Just got a recall notice for my ten year old Chrysler 300C SRT8. Apparently I've been driving for a decade with an airbag that's just waiting to leap out of my steering wheel and kill me. Men and ships are not made for safe harbors.
 
Thank God you wrote that in the morning Rick. I have a lot of hours before bed where I can try to forget all that. Maybe throw a beer or two into the mix.
 
HealeyRick said:
OK, Men and ships are not made for safe harbors.
Click to expand...

HERE, HERE, Rick. Maybe an answer to that Alternator waiting to sabotage us is an Amp Meter. The 30 amp amp meter will act like a fuse and open the circuit before the car burns down. Dave.
 

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See Rick,

All the issues you have mentioned have had someone identify a correction...including your 300C. By the time you fit all the safety changes to your Healey, do you still have a Healey?

Be Safe,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
Hey guys, I think I found someone to work on the car (I don't trust myself to do the wiring and body work). It is Autosport Inc. in Bloomington, IN owned by a guy named Tucker. The website indicates he only works on older British cars. Does anyone know anything about him or his shop? I can't find any reviews... Thx
 
Braindoc2be said:
Hey guys, I think I found someone to work on the car (I don't trust myself to do the wiring and body work). It is Autosport Inc. in Bloomington, IN owned by a guy named Tucker. The website indicates he only works on older British cars. Does anyone know anything about him or his shop? I can't find any reviews... Thx
Click to expand...

Well now I cain't be sure:

But years ago, there was a fella by that same name that designed and built an American car N they run him otta business.--:angel2:-----:jester::devilgrin:
 
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