I’m currently putting my interior back together after nearly 3 year restoration process.
My OEM seats were in terrible condition, so I opted to upgrade to C5 Z06 seats. I’m redoing the interior in black from the original Medium saddle.
It seems to me that the C5 seats do not flip forward as far as the old seats.
is my memory fading, or has anyone else made this same conclusion?
Im using the old seat tracks with the aluminum adapter plates, so the seats still slide forward, but seems to me that it will be a huge pain to reinstall the battery in the rear compartment.
I’m seriously considering relocating the battery to the front passenger side where I deleted the hvac components.
it only seems natural for it to go there anyways.
I understand about weight distribution, but I plan to use the compartment bays for carrying tools with me. (It’s a habit I have to carry tools with me wherever I go, whatever vehicle I’m driving, if further than an hour from home. Been caught without tools one too many times).
Another reason, I’m not getting any younger, and climbing around in the car with the seats in is especially difficult, not to mention lugging a battery over the seat without using the center console to rest my knee on.
When I run my new battery to starter cable, I would only need about 14” worth of cable rather than 12’ of cable run thru the trans tunnel.
Lastly, if I need a jump or need to jump somebody else off, it would be much easier to pop the hood and have access to the battery.

In my mind, there’s several pros to relocating the battery.
Anybody have any cons to offer (besides the weight distribution) before I bite the bullet and purchase a battery tray? I have no intentions on racing this car. It will be a fun cruiser for some very spirited mountain road driving and weekend cruising.
Thank you!

 

Jarhead 74 Vette
Not sure where you are in planning, but have you looked at the 63-67 battery tray kits? they make them for cars with a/c and without a/c from what I can see.
https://www.corvettecentral.com/sear...q=battery+tray

 

Sounds like the new seats will look good.
Are you moving the battery from behind the driver's seat to behind the passenger seat or moving it under the hood, and what part of the HVAC is removed?
Don't both seats fold the same?
How often do you change a battery?

 

Really sounds like he wants to put the battery under the hood. Best guess is he removed the evaporator/heater core box as there is No part of the HVAC system under the hood and certainly nothing that would match the size of a battery.
So, he wants to put the battery right there in the right hand rear corner of the engine compartment. Next to cylinder number 8.
Yup, I agree, how often do you change a battery.
None the less. His car and all that heat off the engine and exhaust isn't a concern.

 

If you are determined to move the battery to the firewall, buy the battery pan below and fab your own battery pan supports to bolt to the pan and to the firewall up and away from the #8 cylinder exhaust manifold heat.

Make sure the pan length and width are wide enough to fit your battery into the pan.
55-62 Battery Pan
Part # 171307
$79.30

 

If pulling the seat out is easier than relocating the battery, perhaps it will be easier to leave the battery where it is. I routinely pull my seats out for wiring changes, but that's pretty easy with the clam shell seats, and easy to reach bolts.

Otherwise, I'm assuming you mean the back corner of the engine compartment, and not under the dash behind the map pocket, right?

 

If you think it is a pain to put a battery in the compartment behind the driver's seat, wait till you try to lift it over the fender and sneak it down between the fender top surround, the inner skirt, overflow bottle and the engine. And that's the easy part. Consider that to remove it you now have to reverse the process by lifting 40+ pounds of battery up out of the same space, all while your back is at a 90 degree angle and that heavy battery is at the end of your reach.

The only possible place to put it is on the right in the space behind the inner skirt and below the heater box, this is where 56-62 and 63-67 (non AC) Corvettes have it. Don't even think about putting it on the left, 63-67 AC cars have the battery on the left under the master cylinder. To change it you need to remove the front tire and a trap door in the inner fender and take the battery in and out through the wheel well. Not a fun way to access it at all.

After playing with Corvettes for close to 50 years, I've installed and removed plenty of batteries from both under the hood and from behind the seat. It's not fun either way but if you think it's going to be any less of a hassle to pull it out from under the hood of your Corvette I would suggest you take a look at the battery's location under the hood of a 56-62 or 63-67.

If you do move the battery to under the hood, make sure you come up with some kind of a heat shield to protect the battery from the heat of the exhaust manifold.

 

Keep the battery away from H-E-A-T!!

Putting it in the engine compartment will reduce the life expectancy of the battery. IF you HAVE to relocate the battery keep it away from heat but be sure to install a insulation jacket over the battery to protect it a little anyway. The one thing that you must take into account when relocating a battery is where will it be safe and secure? If a battery goes airborne in an accident it could hurt someone or cause a fire very easily. It is essential that any battery be secured to protect those around it.

Electrolyte is very dangerous and can blind people easily. A flying battery could spill electrolyte on your passenger or even yourself. Batteries are dangerous items and should be treated and handled carefully. Never drive with an unsecured battery in the vehicle!

 

I am a little confused so maybe someone can educate me. I am old so speak slowly. I had a 67 for over 10 years and the battery was in the engine compartment, under the heater box. If GM put the battery there back in the day, and although it might not be the ideal place to relocate it, why is it so bad for the life of the battery now or so dangerous? If I recall there was a metal plate between the battery and the engine, perhaps to dissipate the heat. I loved the 3 compartments in the back of the car at the time. The only downside I knew of was that someone could shove an icepick in between the gills and puncture that battery, Which would disarm any alarm you might have. Then they could hook up to the car and tow it away. I personally like it behind the driver seat because as said, how ofter do you really need to move it. And it was a pain getting it out of the 67. But everyone has a different idea, which keeps life interesting.

 

Thank you all for the insight!!

Several of you had asked for my proposed location.
I have deleted the ac and heat, so no heater box.
I was thinking installing the battery in the vicinity of where the heater box was, to make it easier to lift out if needed or to access for jumps as needed.

I am still in resto mode, and haven’t installed the engine/trans yet.

Honestly, I forgot where the washer bottle was originally, so I’ll reference my AIM and/or old pics of the car before I started tearing it apart. That is a very good point, though.

As for heat, I guess these SBC’s put out more heat than current cars today.
Because most cars I’ve seen have their battery under the hood. That’s why I wasn’t too concerned about the heat issue at first.
I will be running 2.5” rams horn manifolds (if that makes any difference) vs headers.

I agree with you guys that how many times will I be installing or removing the battery? I suppose that will depend on what battery I end up buying.
I typically buy parts store Duralast Gold, and have had ok luck with them.
Any other recommendations?

I thought I’d be killing 2 birds with one stone by relocating the battery, opening up another bin for tools, and shortening the battery cable length.

I have lots to consider.
Thanks again for the insight!
You guys are great!!

 

Heat is only a concern with a battery in early Corvettes because of where it is located, right next to the exhaust manifold in an area where there is little to no air flow. GM included a metal heat shield as part of the battery hold down to help deflect heat from the battery. They didn't include any insulation and it wasn't anything special, just a little piece of tin.

In all honesty in the 48 years I've owned my 62 I've never had a heat shield of any type on the battery, but then my 62 has headers which dissipate heat better than cast iron exhaust manifolds do. I also don't think the battery in 53-62 Corvettes is quite as close to the manifold as it is in 63-67's (and since 68-82's share the same basic frame as 63-67's, a battery under the hood would be just as close to the manifolds as in a 63-67). I don't believe today's modern batteries are as likely to boil the fluid in them as early batteries did (I have vague memories of checking the water in batteries when doing oil changes at the gas station I worked at while in high school, but it was rare because most cars already had sealed batteries by 1971-72). There is no need to have any great concern about heat around the battery, but just as a precaution a simple heat shield between the battery and manifold can't hurt.

No 60's engine ran as hot as modern engines do. A 60's engine normally operated between 160 and 180 degrees, while today's engines are designed to operate at 200-220 degrees, and more. This is because modern engines need to run hotter to help burn off emissions as part of the emission system. Many modern cars come with an insulation blanket around the battery to help protect them from engine compartment heat, but today's batteries are asked to do a lot more in a much tighter space, than old ones. Between the higher under hood temperatures that modern cars operate at, and all the electronics that have to be powered in new cars, heat is a much bigger issue for batteries in new cars than it is for anything built in the 50's, 60's or 70's.

 

Thank you for the thorough explanation! This was very helpful!

 

you will most likely put the battery in more times while fabbing this setup than you will the rest of the time you own the car. i think this is a suboptimal idea...

 

Some batteries have a built in plastic handle. There are also battery removable straps for sale that grab the top posts if you have one.. I feel that you should leave the battery behind the seat. Lou.