AD battery relocation?

[Jesse Z]

'51 3100, I'm wanting to uglify my engine compartment by relocating my battery to the firewall. I see lots of guys do it but I can't tell what bracket/tray/mount y'all are using. Should I just move the stock tray from underfloor up to the firewall? Should I get a 55-59 TF tray? Speedway sells a nice universal tray. Will the firewall need reinforcing?

[dsraven]

I can't remember exactly but I think the 55-59 trucks had 2 "C" channels on the back side with nuts welded to them and the bolts for the battery box screwed into those nuts.

[mr48chev]

All I can say is that you will hate it before it's all over, Been there, done that it looked like hell.
I think I used the same bracket that dsraven suggested. scavenged a TF bracket from the junk yard in Crawford Texas when that was the only thing you went to Crawford for. Lived in McGregor, worked in Waco then.

You may not have as much trouble with the battery dripping acid on your new valve covers now as I did. Looking back my alternator probably overcharged a bit and boiled the battery.

[morgan71]

Get an AGM battery and mount behind the seat if you have removed the stock seat. If not leave where it's at

[joedoh]

I used the stock tray on the last couple trucks, mounted to the firewall, no reinforcement. worked perfectly, nice fit for an upgraded battery too. I used a flat bar with a couple holes as a hold down strap. easy peasy.

[Jesse Z]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

All I can say is that you will hate it before it's all over, Been there, done that it looked like hell.

Ha ha, I became well-acquainted with your opinion on firewall-mounted batteries while doing a search for this question!

Originally Posted by joedoh

I used the stock tray on the last couple trucks, mounted to the firewall, no reinforcement. worked perfectly, nice fit for an upgraded battery too. I used a flat bar with a couple holes as a hold down strap. easy peasy.

That's what I want: shorter cables, better accessibility, simplicity. After all, Chevy changed over to the firewall mount, so there must have been a reason.