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Old April 29th 2010, 21:21
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Post Super Beetle Battery Relocation

by Chris Percival
Jun 17, 2003

Overview

I have decided to move my battery from under the rear seat to the front wheel well, to help with weight distribution. My requirements were that it was quick and easy to do, retained the spare wheel and be as low as possible. The obvious solution was to place the battery in the spare wheel (which in my case is the stock item). This also has the advantage of not using up much space. You should not notice any difference in electrical performance, but you will notice a positive effect on the cars handling.

For this job you will need:
  • 3 meters of suitably sized battery cable in red.
  • An earth lead (I used my existing battery earth lead, but you may need a longer one).
  • 2 battery terminals. I used quick release covered terminals.
  • A cable connecting block, for attaching the new cable to the old one (you could use a large connector block, but I used a rubber sleeved one made especially for the job)
  • A drill and grommet for passing the cable through the bulkhead in the front.
  • A length (1 meter should be enough) of 6mm threaded rod.
  • 4 butterfly (wing) nuts and washers.
  • A length (again, 1 meter should be enough) of angle iron. You will need to drill some holes in this for the threaded rod, though mine was already perforated.
  • A battery sized sheet of rubber.
  • Plywood and jigsaw for the finishing cover.

Procedure

Step 1
The first job is to make the clamp that holds the battery to the spare wheel. You will have to experiment a little, as every battery is a different size. The idea is to have the angle iron sat in such a way that its ends are in holes in the wheel, this supports the angle iron and stops it moving when you clamp it down on the battery.



The threaded rod goes down through a hole in the wheel and up again through another hole. The butterfly nuts allow me to get to the spare tire if I need it. The only down side with this setup is that if I need to get to use the spare tire, the battery will have to sit in the wheel-well unsupported, but then that would only happen in an emergency.

Step 2
Next is the wiring. The earth lead on the body is to use the back side of a wing fixing bolt on the left hand side (looking at the front of the car). Note that on a left hand drive car, this may need to reversed.



I bared the metal on the body where the bolt comes through, and then put the earth cable on and a new nyloc nut. Attach negative battery terminal.

Step 3
The live lead goes back into the cab on the opposite side from the earth lead. Drill a hole in the bulkhead as shown in fig 3. Use a grommet to protect the cable.



Lead the cable down to the floor, then run along the outer edge of the floor pan (following the wiring loom on my car), then across under the back seat to the old battery location.

Step 4
Remove the old positive battery clamp for the existing cable, and join to the new cable, making sure the join is protected from shorting from the body. Fix the cables here so they can't waggle about too much.



Step 5
Attach the new positive battery terminal. If you can't find covered battery terminals, you will need to find something to protect the battery. Next I created a wooden cover to fit in the top of the spare wheel, just to finish it off, and help support the battery.



If all goes will, you will be able to start your car like the battery did not even change position. You will now be able to enjoy improved handling with the new location of the battery.
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