Lewis7789's 2003 Protege5 build thread

[Cleverfrog]

A battery relocation is quite a bit more expensive than I first anticipated but it does free up a ton of room in the bay. And I was so used to seeing relocations to the trunk it didn't even occur to me to put it in the back seat (or lack thereof) until JT mentioned it. lulz

the cables aren't cheap at all

 

[bikingpro5]

Is anything you do to these cars cheap? as i have not found anything yet that did not cost me a bunch more money to either fix it or do it properly than what people say. Evan glad i could help with the battery location, it just looked weird to me that far back in the stripped interior.

 

[Lewis7789]

Summit has 2 gauge for $40 for 20' which is plenty to run it to your trunk and have about 8' left over for ground cable, and starter/alt.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/acc-1849

 

[Cleverfrog]

I'm not your mother, Phen. You should be able to pick up after yourself.

Back on topic, I was talking to JT yesterday and he mentioned I should put my battery behind the passenger seat or in the rear passenger seat bucket. Brilliant! So I'll relocate it there and re-run the wiring. Plus I can just use the OEM trunk carpet and it will look OEM.

to keep what little weight it is closer to the wheel base, right?

 

[rally2003]

The only problem with putting it in the back seat with that setup is that you won't be able to race. It has to be either behind a fire wall or completely enclosed and a certain distance from the driver. Just a heads up. I don't think the open setup in the rear seat will fly.

 

[Cleverfrog]

The only problem with putting it in the back seat with that setup is that you won't be able to race. It has to be either behind a fire wall or completely enclosed and a certain distance from the driver. Just a heads up. I don't think the open setup in the rear seat will fly.

Sounds like CR3 needs to make an enclosure

 

[Lewis7789]

Well, this battery is sealed. So it doesn't need a box. I'll double check all the SCCA and NASA rules first though, good call, Corey.

 

[Protege03ak46]

Had mine there for a good couple years. Never had a problem although its a bit weird to jump start someone. Lol

 

[Lewis7789]

Bwahaha! I never thought about that. "Hey buddy, need a jump?" opens passenger back door. WTF?

 

[Protege03ak46]

Yeah, gets people everytime!

 

[Lewis7789]

SCCA Solo rules;
17) Any wet-cell battery moved from the manufacturer’s original location
shall be in a non-conductive, marine-type container or equivalent
and the “hot” terminal shall be insulated. All batteries (on-board
power supplies) shall be attached securely to the frame or chassis
structure independent of the marine-type container. NOTE: This will
allow the use of gel cell or dry cell (AGM) batteries without a nonconductive,
marine-type container where applicable.

NASA HPDE rules;
11.4.9 Battery
The battery shall be securely fastened to the car. No Bungee cords or rubber cords may
be used to function as the sole hold down mechanism. An electrically non-conductive
material must cover the positive battery terminal. Any battery located inside the driver’s
compartment should be fully covered and firmly secured to the chassis (or tub) in a
marine type battery case. True dry cell batteries may be mounted without a surrounding
case, however a case is still recommended.

It doesn't say anything about where the battery can be located... Hmm... Maybe Jon can chime in too since he mounted his in the rear passenger cubby area of his FC as well.

 

[Lewis7789]

Yeah, gets people everytime!

Adam, have you ever tracked your protege via auto-x or track day? Has anyone ever said anything during tech?

 

[Protege03ak46]

Only time an official has stepped into my,car was when.I finished my cage. Had a SCCA rep come to check out my cage to get it signed off and legal. Only thing he said is it needs to be held down to the chassis, not just set in the box like I have it. Never said location was a problem.

 

[Lewis7789]

Oh, I forgot Ivan gave me a hand test fitting the reverse cowl hood and everything clears so I just ordered Areocatch locking latches and the PasswordJDM flush mount kit. I don't trust my GF with valuable objects so it took a while to find a suitable helper. haha! So now I can finish removing the hood release cable.

He also helped me put the shifter mechanism back into place since I got the Perrin SS and CorkSport bushings in everything.

I can't remember who told me to just give the OBX a good whack and it will come out, but thank you, it did. If anyone wants it, let me know. First to call it get's it. Just pay shipping. Shae got it for free so I'm passing it on. It's a nice shifter and there's nothing wrong with it.

 

[JDM_Pro5]

Good call on the aerocatch goodies. The center crash support and latch come out very easy. As far as the cable, I cut it near the latch, and they it all pulled out in the cabin. I kept my handle for some dumb reason. It doesn't stay mounted in the cabin once the cable is removed. Just feels naked without it. I've been thinking about remounting it some way and then I think to myself? why?

 

[bikingpro5]

I left the handle to mess with any garage that i bring the car too for service, after they pull it a few times they realize nothing will happen. Evan did you figure out if you can move the battery without issues?

 

[Lewis7789]

I might put a label on the hood release that says "Ejector Seat".

I had another wicked migraine last night so didn't get anything done. Heck, my new workbench is still half finished in the kitchen. I'll try to get so e stuff done tonight. But I don't see why that would be a problem to put the battery there. I'll ask a couple racers and see if they now anything about it.

 

[Lewis7789]

Got my Techflex today. My buddy said "Damn Lew, you covered in black hoes!". (rimshot)

 

[magnumP5]

Heh, I'll try to reply to all this. I've bene getting behind the forums lately...

I love these cable strap mounts.

That battery looks eerily similar to my "Big Crank". If I ever make it up there I'll have to take some measurements because I like that tie-down.

Because Jon said so. lulz

I've read you should have a fuse withing 18" of the battery. A breaker is just easier to work with so you can cut power without having to disconnect the battery while working in the bay and if it pops you can simply reset it and not have to replace the fuse. It was about $25 from Amazon.

ps- I don't know jack about wiring either, brotha.

Yeah, fuse/breaker it doesn't really matter. I found it easier/cheaper to get a 150+ amp circuit breaker than a fuse. My breakers automatically switch so I don't have the option of cutting power at the breaker (this is a good idea).

SCCA Solo rules;
17) Any wet-cell battery moved from the manufacturers original location
shall be in a non-conductive, marine-type container or equivalent
and the hot terminal shall be insulated. All batteries (on-board
power supplies) shall be attached securely to the frame or chassis
structure independent of the marine-type container. NOTE: This will
allow the use of gel cell or dry cell (AGM) batteries without a nonconductive,
marine-type container where applicable.

NASA HPDE rules;
11.4.9 Battery
The battery shall be securely fastened to the car. No Bungee cords or rubber cords may
be used to function as the sole hold down mechanism. An electrically non-conductive
material must cover the positive battery terminal. Any battery located inside the drivers
compartment should be fully covered and firmly secured to the chassis (or tub) in a
marine type battery case. True dry cell batteries may be mounted without a surrounding
case, however a case is still recommended.

It doesn't say anything about where the battery can be located... Hmm... Maybe Jon can chime in too since he mounted his in the rear passenger cubby area of his FC as well.

Yeah the biggest items seem to be (1) secured to the car and (2) enclosed except "true" dry cell batteries. The second item is one I've been confused about since day one as I'm not sure what a "true" dry cell battery is and if the Deka/Odyssey/Braille/etc. batteries actually meet that description. I figure I'll show up at the track and go from there. Technically my battery will be "enclosed" as I'll still have the cover of the passenger's storage bin installed for a while longer.

 

[Lewis7789]

Jon, this is the battery mount I bought. It's a little expensive but it was brushed aluminum and light weight and was guaranteed to fit so i went for it.

I'm going to move it so I'll get you some dimensions and maybe it will fit yours too.