Pelican Parts Bulletin Boards

Name	Post
Gonzo	Has anyone tried moving the battery into either the rear or front trunk? I've thought about doing this in my 71 914 since the battery tray & support has rusted out. Does anyone think this could work?
Paul914	Moving the battery out of engine compartment is generally a pretty good idea - the way I see it, if you don't mind sacrificing a little trunk space, and you're not freakish about maintaining originality, it's worth it! I made the swap in one of my cars to the rear trunk - the front trunk just seems to be too much of a pain in the ass since you'd have to re-route the positive wiring almost the length of the car .. I put the battery in the rear trunk, pass side, along the "engine compartment edge" of the trunk interior .. I used one of those plastic marine battery holders just in case the battery ever leaks (although it shouldn't, it's pretty level) .. the wiring runs right through the front side of the trunk - a couple of rubber gromets, and a tie strap here and there and thats about it .. The top still fits nicely in the trunk, the battery is tucked away nicely where the rain can't get to it (and cause any rust damage on my suspension console), and as an added perk - I've got a little more room to maneuver when working on the #3/#4cyl side of the engine .. Kind of makes me wonder why I've only done this on one of my 914's (laziness I guess) - oh well, I'll put it on "the list" for the other cars! -Paul
Chuck Wills	I agree with Paul. Moving the battery is a really good idea. If weight distribution isn't a concern, go ahead and put it in the rear trunk. It's much easier to rout all the wiring to the back. I put mine up front. It was a pain in the a** to get it all hooked up.. The front location is better for weight distribution, but not for ease of wiring. The + cable to the starter is pretty long, and you have to find a good place to tap in to the + power for the rest of the + wires that used to attach to the + post on the battery. The wiring on my car was "modified" when I got it, so others may have had a better experience. If I had it to do over again, I'de probably go with the rear trunk idea. Let me know if you want more details on re-locating to the front. -Chuck
divezic	Yes, moving the battery to the trunk was an easy task. I read that some people routed the cables through a hole already in the floor of the trunk. That requires long cables so I decided to drill 2 holes between the engine compartment and rear trunk. I cried through the entire drilling, but a few Chevy PCV grommets cleaned up the scars. I lead the cables through the grommets and now have a pretty clean installation. Not a factory fresh look, but neither is rust.