• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

MOTORSPORTS - Battery Location

Offline
What about the whole perfectly good 68 MGB GT?
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
You're right, Kenny - somebody should've bought this one before I started 'lightening' it...the only rust is in the floors which I'll replace after the GRM Challenge

but, it was ugly!
 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin
Platinum
Country flag
Offline
Ummm... SWMBO has a rather strong opinion as to just how many LBC's should be lyin' around th' hovel here at Chaos & Mayhem PTY., LTD....

I've rather exceeded that allotment already.
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Lucky I don't have that problem...I've a solid, sweet '73 GT in the wings - just arrived!
 
Offline
Hmmmmmmmmm.......
 

200mph

Member
Country flag
Offline
An SCCA racer made inexpensive sets of bathroom scales with leverage. He sold lots of them and they worked great. I sold mine long ago, and cant remember his name... here's a link to a similar style near you, Tony:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-4-ROL...sspagenameZWDVW

they do show up occasionally on ebay. I'm sure there are oval racers in your area who would lend you scales or help you (grain scales are another option... **** heavy to move around, though).
I agree with locating the battery last to help balance the corner weights.
Mike
 
Offline
Grain scales Sounds like lots of moving the car carefully with three tires dangling precariously. There's a few scrap metal yards around here with the big scales too. We used to have one at the metal yard I worked at for a while.
 

LLAngus

Jedi Knight
Offline
Tony

Two thoughts 1. scales can be used at a truck stop or sometimes at a livestock feed store or mill. 2. we put our battery between the rear tires on the drag car. Of course, we used a large tractor battery for extra life and ballast for our minimum weight. I would not put the battery in the direct driver/passenger compartment for safety reasons (in case of roll over, etc).

Bruce L

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Offline
I wonder how well a 2 pound Gel-Cell 12V battery would hold up? You could put that nice Optima in the truck!

How many ampere/hours does a racecar draw from a battery when it's running? We (oops sorry - you) could save alot of weight going to something like that!
 

LLAngus

Jedi Knight
Offline
We didn't run an altinator. The water pump was powered by fan belts that we had to put on with the pump pulley. If you know whatI mean.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Offline
Sounds even lighter! Good stuff, whatelse ya got?
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
I've a cut-off switch for my alternator...& I've thought about a little lawnmower battery

...I'll try to get up underneath & take some photos today.
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Here's what it looks like up underneath the GRM car today....oh, the salmon color is the factory primer that's under the undercoating I'm slowly removing.

batterybox01.JPG

batterybox02.JPG
 

jlaird

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Yes of course, undercoating is heavy stuff.
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Jim...the undercoating/soundproofing/seam sealer in the interior & engine compartment/front wheelwell areas of the car weighed 30 pounds when I swept it all up, dumped in a paper bag & weighed!
 

MGA Steve

Jedi Warrior
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Here's what it looks like up underneath the GRM car today....oh, the salmon color is the factory primer that's under the undercoating I'm slowly removing.

[/ QUOTE ]
You know, Tony, that the GRM car is going to be so nice and have so many hours in it when you get through, it will be a shame to take it to the track. The problem with substituting labor for dollars (and spending two years preparing it) is that you might break something that took weeks to get "just right"! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif


Just ask "frankenstang" over in the Triumph section--he has been taking his Mustangs to the GRM Challenge for several years (I think he finished 6th or 8th a couple of years ago). But he is still as optimistic as ever--he is now into LBCs and building a Jensen-Healey with a small-block Chevy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/patriot.gif
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Steve - I'm looking forward to getting it out on the track this summer to see how it handles..after the GRM, I'm gonna do it right (heck, might even remove the V6 & go back to MG power for historic racing!)....but, this labor thing is killing my back! There are easier ways to do things but the GRM budget doesn't allow - oh, wait, that's the reason! To see if you can build a good car less expensively!
 

jlaird

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Gesh tell me about the back. Only good deal on old engines is that everything is oil covered and well protected underneath. Have not had to resort to heat yet.
 

Bugeye58

Yoda
Offline
Tony, I'm running a DEKA Gel cel that is actually the battery for an electric wheelchair. They now have a glass mat battery that is the same size as a garden tractor battery, but with a lot more power.
I've never had any starting problems, even with a hot restart on a 16:1 engine.
Jeff
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Jeff...I never would've thought of that...how much does it weigh? What are dimensions?
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
dougie 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Austin Healey 1
jfarris ALSCCA Club Race Barber Motorsports Park Racing 0
S Classic Motorsports : 10 Common Spridget Mistakes Spridgets 1
DrEntropy Classic Motorsports video "review" Lotus 0
Patrick67BJ8 Special Tuning using AF Equipment by Innovative Motorsports Austin Healey 27
jfarris LBC's at Barber Motorsports Park Racing 1
jfarris 24 Hours of Lemons Barber Motorsports Park Racing 2
C Live: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Austin Healey 6
HealeyRick Earls Court 100M in Classic Motorsports Austin Healey 5
dougie Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival 2014 Austin Healey 17
Michael Oritt Elva to be featured marque at VRG's 2015 New Jersey Motorsports Park races Racing 1
S Classic Motorsports article on the Sebring Alpine Sunbeam (Rootes) 1
dougie Classic Motorsports SCCA Champ Truimph Racing 4
K Classic Motorsports Magazine Triumph 3
aeronca65t TR6 Grassroots Motorsports TR6 For Sale Triumph 4
M Classic Motorsports Sept Issue Spridgets 5
Twosheds Michael Oritt in Vintage Motorsports Racing 12
BobbyD F40 Motorsports & Chasing Classic Cars in CT Triumph 6
tony barnhill Barber Motorsports Museum British Motorbikes 3
BobbyD Wedge Classic Motorsports & Wedges Triumph 1
S Wedge TR8 Article in Classic Motorsports Triumph 0
Mickey Richaud Wedge Wedges Featured in "Classic Motorsports" Triumph 4
Gearhead South Jersey Motorsports Park Racing 4
John Moore Transmission Swap Article in Classic Motorsports Spridgets 11
Monark192 Team Sprite in Classic Motorsports Magazine Spridgets 10
ChrisS New Jersey Motorsports Park HELP! Racing 1
martx-5 TR2/3/3A Classic Motorsports Article on TR3 Suspension Triumph 2
jlaird Classis Motorsports Spridgets 1
T Classic Motorsports Triumph 5
kennypinkerton I got my first Classic motorsports.... MG 3
tony barnhill 2006 Grassroots Motorsports Kuhmo Challenge MG 8
tony barnhill MOTORSPORTS: GRM Car Springs MG 38
tony barnhill MOTORSPORTS - Exhaust MG 1
tony barnhill MGB MOTORSPORTS - MGB Anti-Sway Bars MG 21
tony barnhill Latest "Classics Motorsports" MG 9
tony barnhill Latest "Classics Motorsports" Spridgets 1
tony barnhill $2006 Grassroots Motorsports Kuhmo Challenge MG 7
tony barnhill Classics Motorsports Midget Up-date Spridgets 2
Simon TR4a Triumphs in Classic Motorsports Triumph 1
MGretired Coveland Motorsports Screen saver MG 1
Bret Classic Motorsports MAG; X-Ray Specs! MG 6
I Imps in Grassroots Motorsports magazine Sunbeam (Rootes) 8
K TR2/3/3A Old school battery shut off switch....... Triumph 3
tahoe healey Battery Chargers vs. Maintainers Austin Healey 25
Bayless What size battery for my '67 Sprite? Spridgets 5
Sopwith_Camel battery drain Jaguar 35
Popeye General TR Battery Tray - yes or no? Triumph 11
Gatheringtree TR2/3/3A Changing out the battery liner Triumph 11
B MGB 1977 MGB Battery Box and Shifter knob MG 4
B T-Series Battery replacement mgtd MG 2

Similar threads

Top