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I just changed the original battery in my Elise, which was sold new in September 2004. I've been on borrowed time, as the original has not leaked, died, or slid out of the mounting brackets.
I decided to replace it with an Odyssey PC925, as it is about the same weight as the OEM and other Elise owners seem to have had good luck with them. I wanted a mounting system that would keep it from moving around, so I bought an Odyssey aluminum mount and modified it to fit my car. I bought some aluminum bar and angle from Home Depot, then modified them to fit the Odyssey bracket. Shown below are photos from start to finish, which I'll have to show in a few posts.
Here's the bracket I purchased from Odyssey, shown with the PC925:
These pics show the removal of the original battery and brackets:
This shows the size of the PC925 and brackets vs. the original:
I drilled a hole through the Odyssey bracket, then installed a few layers of some 3M double sided strips:
I installed this bracket on the nutplate:
Then bolted the bracket to the fender well. The 3M strips keep it at the proper angle so that the bracket is perpendicular to the nutplate. Also note industrial strength Velcro attached to bracket and trunk floor:
I then slid the battery in after attaching the Velcro to the bottom of it:
Attached the bottom bracket with nyloc nuts and washers, then secured it to the nutplate with the original fastener:
Attached the top bracket with nyloc nuts and washers, using 3M strips on underside of angle to cushion battery casing:
Attached cables:
and reinstalled carpet:
I recommend using the PC925 with the optional metal jacket, as it fits the bracket much better and is recommended for high-temperature environments. Also, I used blue Loctite on the original button head fasteners that attach the bracket to the car.
I'll probably reinstall the snaps for the carpet, then install the battery cover once I've driven it a few times and check the assembly for movement.
Because the rivets have a shoulder on them and would have been pressed against by the Odyssey bracket if I didn't have something to protect them. The short piece of aluminum fits snugly on the rivets and the bracket touches this plate at the top and bottom. I have some 3M double-sided automotive tape located on the bracket where it contacts this plate at the top. This allows the bracket to be perpendicular to the centerline of the nutplate threads. This is important to get right, otherwise the whole assembly will try to rotate the nutplate a few degrees and put stress on the wheel well fiberglass that it is mounted in.
Hey tmr........I've been out of town for a while. Its great to see that the installation went so well. I know you had it planned out pretty well beforehand, so I am glad you didn't run into any unexpected issues. This is something that I have on my "to do list" when I get the time. Hope to catch up with you soon!
I'm glad this worked out for you, especially on a car that gets regular autocross time. I'm an engineer by trade, so I tend to go nuts on stuff like this if I can't find a readily available solution.
I'm glad this worked out for you, as the ribbed material sounds like a good alternative to velcro. The only thing you might want to consider is using a metal jacket, which you can buy separately and secure to the battery with clear silicone.
Okay, I hope I don't sound too much like a girl here. What is a metal jacket? I'm looking on the Odyssey website and I am guessing that I need to buy PC925MJT, their aluminum battery mount, and the additional parts in the picture from the hardware store. And I have someone who can weld the angle piece for me because I *think* that is the only thing I can't do. Sound about right?
Sorry for the tardy response, but I'm on vacation with limited access to the internet. You can buy the battery with or without the metal jacket as Tony stated. Like him, I prefer the extra protection it offers. If you cannot find one with a metal jacket, it can be installed later with silicone rtv. As for the way my brackets are fabricated, you will need to have the short angle welded to the bar flat as shown in my photos to duplicate my arrangement. Others are right that it is not completely necessary, but I wanted a "belt and suspenders" installation that would keep the battery from going anywhere. If you choose to leave out that top member with the welded angle, I'm sure you can make up for it with velcro or other means.
Glad it worked out and that you were able to copy/improve on the design! If you haven't already, you may want to get a floating charger. My first PC925 died after 1 1/2 years without it due to parasitic losses.
This new bracket looks like a great solution to the problem without as much fabrication required. If it had been available when I installed my Odyssey, this might have been a much shorter thread!
Update: I was checking out my old thread to see when I installed my 2nd PC925 and if I have the math right it was installed sometime in 2010. It’s still in the car and cranking fine, but I’m a little nervous about having a 12-year-old battery in my car! Has anyone else had this kind of longevity?
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