Don Plumley

I picked up a lightweight Odyssey battery. Needs a hold down. Rennline has a very nice one, but for $135, I thought I'd take advantage of a little spare time and make one on my own. For reference, here's the Rennline unit:



I made a template for the base, cut out some 3/16" aluminum, did the grinding/sanding dance, here are the parts ready for assembly (this is kind of like watching a cooking show where all the ingredients are prepped -- getting to this part probably took about 4-5 hours):



And the assembled mount. The 5/16" threaded rod connectors are held to the base by countersunk machine screws. This and the rod are secured with some locktite:


Here's the base of the mount in the trunk. I used the existing hole and mounting ledge, and also ran the base under the ABS mounting bracket for additional security. It's really held in tight. In the back you can see some automotive foam/weatherstripping to keep the battery from banging into the trunk wall:


And the completed unit in place:



I ran the top clamp over the right edge in case I decide to mount a battery cut-off switch later - like the Rennline unit. But as I read the POC GCR, the switch needs to be behind the struts, so I may end up cutting it down. Although I provided extra clearance around the terminals, I think I need to make it even bigger around the + terminal, and may consider coating the entire surface in some sort of non-conducting material. But it was the sort of quick fun project I needed to re-develop a sense of accomplishment.

Cost? Scrap Aluminum, $8. Hardware, $7.09. Time - well, let's just say I did it for the fun of it. Weight savings - about 10 pounds from an Optima. Now, back to the suspension work...gotta get the bushings around the TRG front sway bar. And the dollar savings are needed as I just ordered a full set of ERP suspension arms from Viper Bob for the rear (ouch!).

Any comments or suggestions on how to improve or make safer is appreciated.

Ron Adair

Don -

Nice job. You value fun (shall we say) appropriately (which is to say) highly.

Do you have a milling machine in your garage?

Did you give up golf?

Ron

Don Plumley

Thanks Ron. No milling machine, I'm a total hack. Just a jigsaw and a drill press - but the drill press broke so I did it all with a hand drill and a die grinder.

Not playing much golf at all anymore...and not missing it either. Race cars more fun!

Thanks again,

Don

chris walrod

Great work Don! Very nice indeed!!

os993

Very nice indeed - bravo!

AOW162435

Excellent work. Consider having the pieces powder coated clear once you've established the final shape.


Don Plumley Fabrications, Inc.


Andreas

InTheAir

Cool, Don.

viperbob

Very nice work Don... I see you are keeping busy. So you have a nice Win with your battery hold down. Now time for the rear suspension....

rattlsnak

awesome, if you feel like making another one, let me know!

Don Plumley

I improved the mount by 1) using a small piece of angle bracket on the bottom mount to absolutely prevent the battery from sliding L/R (thanks to V-Bob); 2) increased the size of the terminal reliefs; and 3) glued a piece of vinyl hose along the perimeter of the mount to provide insulation and additional grip. Here it is:

Bruce SEA 993

I bet it would be some real eye candy if you drilled more lightening holes in it and cut off the extra material at the end to the left of the instal picture!

Cheers! looks good!

AOW162435

On second thought, maybe just use metal polish to clean the pieces up a bit. I found that clear powdercoating can dull the look of polished aluminum.

Andreas

Don Plumley

I actually dulled them - using a random orbit sander - to make them un-shiny.

Thanks though!

dbf73

Nice work Don - a couple of questions:
any chance of you uploading templates?
I know the top piece was extended to mount the cutoff switch but I'm not sure why the bottom piece extends to the right in the pix. Was this just to duplicate the Rennline piece?

Mark in Baltimore

Very cool, Don! Yeah, it's a good idea to insulate the edge near the terminals; as the sparks flew, I said motherf**k about four times when I was moving my Odyssey around.