Battery Placement on a FED

[codysisson]

I have read the NHRA rules on battery placement however I still cannot determine if I can put the battery behind the seat  in a metal box. I have a chute pack body on a FED. The rules say if the battery is moved to the rear, you must build a firewall or a sealed box. Can anyone clarify this for me? I am using a sealed AGM small format battery.

Thank you,
Cody

[wideopen231]

With chute body you m ay not really need the battery that far back. Body will add lot of rear weight anyway and part of that will be hanging behind you.. i also have chute body and know its heavier then I thought,which is why I have full chute and short body's for car. I have two location for battery.One just a head of motor and behind tank at front,could not fit into nose or I would have. IMO its one of the biggest balance pieces on the car. 

  I will satrt out with mine in front and if car does not pull the wheels any I will move to front of motor.Whi ch I like best as it means less cable which means less weight plus better power to starter with short cable.
If after dozen or so runs and I fill motor is tuned out and the car is still not  pulling front wheels cpl inches I will look at moving it back.With my fat 215 lb butt sitting behind axle I do not think it will be issue.
  If you are running wheelie bars remember thats more weight out back.If running battery probably 35 plus pounds in rear  with chute body and anything except skeleton driver I would have wheelie bars.

 Roo man would be good  bet for some tips on the rules and weight distribution.

[PSweeney]

I had the same dilema.  I considered putting it between / under my seatpan / axle as theres a void there where the battery could be housed in a cradle and dropped out from below.  After fooling about trying to make a clean set up,  I decided I needed to have it up front but could not stomach seeing it in the open rails

We considered two options, one was to use 2 x 6v 3 cell packs in series and hide them behind the side panels next to the motor but we discounted this as the diaper made it difficult and would be in a hot area.

Second option which we went for was a removeable cradle just ahead of the motor which slung the battery low and within the profile of the chassis but which was further hidden by a breather tank scalloped internally to cover the battery.  My first effort used an old Ford vacuum tank but I may replace it..  I think I'll be remaking this tank from scratch now I have a shrinker / stretch to make nice formed ends. 

Another option to consider is a small motorcycle 12v battery under the cowl to run electircs and start from a slave.

[rooman]

On Mark Vaught's car we have an aircraft starter so the only electrical power needed is to run the various solenoids, tail light and the data logger. We use an 18 volt tool battery and it works great. The mounting base for it is made by Mike Berry, the pro stock motorcycle racer and it is a little "spendy". If you had an old dead battery drill or such I would bet that you could salvage the requisite parts from it to save some $$$.
  If you are using a larger unit the sealed batteries should be legal as is but I would put it in a box just to be safe in tech. I have seen a lot of pro mods recently with the batteries in the cockpit so they are getting away with it.

Roo

[masracingtd1167]

Cody I would think you would want to keep as much weight as possible off the rear of the car . There are some pretty small batteries that you can mount way up front . Look at Jegs on line at batteries there are a lot of choices . Bill

[George]

Our battery is in the nose of our car. Optima full size and adds 40+ to the nose. Cables are in the top frame rails.

[codysisson]

Thank you all for the great feedback!!
I would prefer to start the car from an external source and eliminate a starter battery however the rules state that I have to "self Start".  I was hoping to keep the battery/mag disconnect switch in the rear along with the battery to eliminate a remote cable and forward disconnect switch. I too was a little concerned about the weight in the back however the battery I am using is a 15lb AGM small format so it is quite small.

I guess I can try it and if it does not seem to work out, I can always move it.

Thank you all again!
Cody

[dreracecar]

You can be self starting, Point to the start button on the dash ,just dont take the battery with you. They could be referencing no axilerary starters

[AF150]

I think the rules are saying...no push starts. Start batteries can be on a cart, ATV or whatever
you towed the car to the staging lanes with.

[tcarr]

I think the rules are saying...no push starts. Start batteries can be on a cart, ATV or whatever
you towed the car to the staging lanes with.

not entirely true, i know for nhra's top dragster you must have an onboard starter, a block or mid plate mounted starter. What the rules are for is to try and get rid of blower starters and the time it takes to use them. Put them on, prime, start ( hopefully only once) remove and get the vehicle holding starter and battery pack out of the way. The whole process takes to long for top dragster or top sportsman, which i find weird cause its alright if a AA/PM wants to run in comp and use a blower starter.

Im sure you can run along the edge of the rules if you want and have a block mounted starter BUT have the battery pack on your tow vehicle like AF150 sorta mentioned. But im also sure if your losing opponent was to raise enough fuse during his lose it would become more of a problem then its worth to carry the extra few pounds for a battery

[ss4]

not to hijack the initial question.

So NE II and Super Comp, do you have to be self starting with a battery on board??  I am running a block starter.

[codysisson]

Thank you all again for the great feedback. What a breath of fresh air having this resource from all angles. I don't feel so alone doing this project!

I'm off to Bakersfield next week. I hope to see a lot of rigs and get more ideas.

[JeffV8]

I used one of these batteries on my shifter kart for the electric water pump and gauges.. Light weight and small.  Check it out.

http://www.ballisticparts.com/

[ss4]

is there a website for the cordless drill adapter.  I am not finding when searching under Mike Berry.  Also are does the unit step the voltage down to 12 volts from 18 volt??

[rooman]

is there a website for the cordless drill adapter.  I am not finding when searching under Mike Berry.  Also are does the unit step the voltage down to 12 volts from 18 volt??

Try these guys,

http://www.neilparks.com/chassis/powersupplies.htm

Roo