optima battery hold down

[Inf]

I MacGyver'd one a long time ago when I got a red top, but I don't have a picture handy or anything. I basically used the J bolts from my old battery hold-down and took a piece of scrap barstock aluminum i had around the shop, cut it, drilled holes at the right spacing, and wrapped the whole thing in electrical tape. It looked awful, but it did the job and I was able to move to Austin on time. I should probably come up with a better solution.

[Jeff G 78]

I was thinking of making a simple L bracket that goes from the bolt hole in the firewall down to the battery top and then across the center of the battery with a hole drilled to accept the factory J-bolt. Welded to the bottom of this bracket would be two angle brackets looking down that would sit on the front and back edges of the battery. I figure that 1/8" thick steel about 1" wide should work with the angle brackets being a bit wider. The firewall end would have a slot like the factory hold down. I would glue rubber pads to the bottom of the angle brackets where they contact the edges of the battery. The factory J-bolt would have to be shortened a bit as the Optima battery is shorter than stock.

This bracket could be made from aluminum as well, but would need to be a bit thicker so it didn't flex at the J-bolt end.

I'll refine the design a bit before I make it. When finished, I'll take pics and post them. Hopefully, I'll make it in the next few weeks.

[=Enigma=]

Optima offers height adapters where needed. I thought I was going to need one for installation of a Red Top in my 4runner, but I ended up not needing it. I was planning on using it in the Z if needed. If I have time later this week I'll, pull the batter from the 4runner and see if it fits in the Z using the Optima height adapter.

Optima height adapter

http://www.optimabatteries.com/publish/optima/europe/en/config/technology/hold_down_and_height.html

[Jeff G 78]

But why would you want to raise the 40(?) lbs up an inch higher? You want to keep all weight as low in the car as possible. Even when it's raised, the stock hold-down bracket still won't work on an Optima. The battery is way smaller than the factory battery.

I am in the process of drawing up my battery bracket idea in CATIA. I'll figure out a way to do a screen print and post the drawing when I'm done.

[=Enigma=]

Good point as far as raising the weight, however what you'd really be doing is putting it back to where it was in the first place. No gain, no loss. That said, I didn't consider the type/shape of the stock mounting bracket so I guess this wouldn't work anyway.

[Jeff G 78]

Here is the basic bracket design. I still have to fine tune it, but this should give an idea of what I'm thinking.

As far as the battery CG, raising an Optima battery will actually raise the CG above the original battery CG due to the lightweight plastic spacer below it.

[Jeff G 78]

Here it is with the slot at the top. What do you guys think?

[dsommer]

Looks Great!!!

Is this for the red top?

Are you going to be fabbing these or is this a one off for you? I'd be interested in buying one.

[Jeff G 78]

Yes, it's for the red top. I plan on making only but anybody is welcome to run with the plans and make them for all. If I had the means, I'd use aluminum, but for now it will be steel.

[=Enigma=]

That looks great Jeff. Thanks for the images. You have given me some ideas on a mount for my own rig.

[ezzzzzzz]

I bent a piece of 1" wide stainless in this same fashion to hold my red top down. It does not have the small tabs shown to steady the battery front and rear though. I haven't put the car on the road so I don't know if it will shift. Oh yeah, my red top has the plastic cover relocated to the bottom to raise the battery up about an inch. It works fine and looks great.

[Carl Beck]

If you just bought, or plan to buy an Optima battery - just to get you on the road for now......

Basically the Optima Height Adaptor can be placed under the battery, or on top if your using the side mounts for the battery terminals. So if you put the height adaptor on top - and still want to use the top mount terminals..... you have to cut the area around the top terminals out of the height adaptor..

Since the Red Top Optima is smaller (length and width) than the original battery - I simply cut the plastic height adjustor into a couple of pieces... then placed them around the top of the battery - to fit the OEM battery hold down frame.... While this solution works fine, I have a "custom bracket" on my long list of "things to do"...

BTW - that Red Top really cranks an L24 over!!!

FWIW,

Carl B.