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.: batteries |
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So, somehow I need to get twenty-four of these
Odyssey PC1500 batteries
into a car that was designed for one. In front I had
the engine compartment (I guess now it's called a motor compartment), and in
the rear of the car I had the volume that contained the gas tank, two large
mufflers, and a spare tire. When I chopped the back of the car I gave
up the idea of a spare tire. |
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The Odyssey batteries are absorbed glass mat, so they can be
mounted in any orientation except down-side up. This freedom allowed a lot
of creativity in how I could arrange them. The
front pack of 12 batteries required a lot of tinkering and tuning. And while
the cardboard box method is commonly used, I wanted to make sure everything
fit before before I spent countless hours with scissors, markers, razor
blades... etc. only to find out it still might not fit. Cardboard boxes are
not batteries.
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Using a CAD model was critical, but proof of
concept occured when the battery pack was installed and the hood closed without
a problem - and 1" of clearance.
While it may seem trivial, getting
right & left, positive & negative battery cable terminals takes some thought (at
least for a clean look!).
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After a lot of hours making a CAD model,
I came up with this configuration. For the initial design I used rough
dimensions for the batteries, but with all the little mounting tabs,
ribs,... etc. I eventually asked Odyssey for a CAD model which they sent
without hesitation. |
The rear pack wasn't a big issue - but
it's still 600lbs of lead that I needed to lift UP into place. The rear pack
consists of four sets of 2 batteries (mounted on their side) and one long
rack of four mounted conventionally. |
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