Braille Battery Install with Pics

[John Terrey]

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IMG_1795.jpg

[John Terrey]

Hello All,

Please excuse the empty post before. Hopefully this works and the pics will be viewable for all. My OEM battery was aging and I decided to replace with a 15lb Braille battery. I could go lighter but this is a daily driver so I was a little conservative. After I sheared abolt it became apparent that I would need to double down and get the Brailler bracket. Here's some pics of the install which was much easier than I anticipated. The final outcome looks very nice- too bad you can't see it unless the carpet is removed!

Here's my OEM or at least the battery that came with the car.

OEM Battery

OEMBattery.jpg (52.99 KiB) Viewed 11849 times

Notice sheared bolt.

Here's the broken support tray that also required the Braille bracket.

Broken Battery Tray

BrokenTray.jpg (45.41 KiB) Viewed 11846 times

Here's the batteries side by side.

Old and new

2Batteries.jpg (56.04 KiB) Viewed 11844 times

I'll add a few more posts to complete.

[John Terrey]

Here's the Baseplate and Bracket

Bracket and Baseplate

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Here's the guide marks I made with a grease pencil for the screws that drill through the floor pan.

Drill Guides

DrillGuides.jpg (38.25 KiB) Viewed 11832 times

And here's those screws and 1mm washers required to secure the top cross bracket at the proper elevation

[John Terrey]

Here's the baseplate after drilling into the floorpan!

Baseplate

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Here's the completed bracket assembly. The key is to add the 1mm washer to each side so the top cross bar doesn't crush the battery. Make sure you do this before you screw it into your car.

Completed bracket

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Next, place the battery in the bracket attach the cross bar, tighten and you're done!

Smells like Victory!

smellslikevictory.jpg (64.27 KiB) Viewed 11814 times

I've been driving the car daily without incident. I make a point of it to never leave the radio or lights on without running the car and all has been fine. The morning starts are quick and powerful.

I'll update if there are any developments. Please let me know if you have any other cool battery advice. Next I'm on to a light weight muffler. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My goal is to keep the car a daily driver so the noise level must be reasonable. Thanks!

[Aaron Goldsmith]

My only suggestion is to disconnect the battery if you're going to leave the car for a week, i'm on my second braille right now.

[Christine Grice]

My only suggestion is to disconnect the battery if you're going to leave the car for a week, i'm on my second braille right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Battery-Cut- ... sim_auto_4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mako Koiwai]

John and I have been talking lighter replacement batteries for a while. He went with the 5 Star set-up. I went with the the low rent, lighter, non-daily driver Miata, Deka Power Sports AGM ATV Motorcycle Battery ETX9, about 5 lbs ... $55 plus $12.35 shipping. Arrived in two days from Pennsylvania, Fedex. I also bought a Battery Tender Jr, $24 something on eBay, to keep it charged between events. SAE terminals were another $11.

I'll be cobbling up a mounting system for it at Henry's workshop. Andy's Miata install write up: http://tinyurl.com/cgdykn

Photos to follow.

[Marshall Grice]

John and I have been talking lighter replacement batteries for a while. He went with the 5 Star set-up. I went with the the low rent, lighter, non-daily driver Miata, Deka Power Sports AGM ATV Motorcycle Battery ETX9, about 5 lbs ... $55 plus $12.35 shipping.

John could have bought the deka Etx14 and ended up with the exact same battery he has now for half the price.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Here' the bracket I made for my Odyssey:

Battery_mount_2.jpg (383.14 KiB) Viewed 11526 times

Note the ground runs through the mount:

battery_connect_2.jpg (377.91 KiB) Viewed 11526 times

[Marshall Grice]

Note the ground runs through the mount:

i'm kind of surprised that works. the single point contact of a j-hook is far from the ideal ground path.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Note the ground runs through the mount:

i'm kind of surprised that works. the single point contact of a j-hook is far from the ideal ground path.

Two J-hooks.

I might return it to it's normal spot, which is a 10mm bolt into the chassis a few inches above where it is now. There was less strain with the current setup.

[Mako Koiwai]

Here's my low rent battery tie-down ... battery is 6 X 4.25 X 3.5 (W/H/D)

"Hard" foam underneath and between strap and battery top.

Do you think I should have crush tubes between the Miata battery tub base and the strap?

[Michael Heinitz]

Although a different generation Miata, here is my Odyssey 545 and custom mount.

[Mako Koiwai]

Installed ... a 4X4 Deck Post Tie fits perfectly over the 3.5" wide Deka ETX9 battery:

[Todd Victoria]

Will the Braille bracket work with the Deka battery?

[Mako Koiwai]

Not that particular Braille top ... there are many sizes of Braille/Deka batteries and hold down straps.

[Chad Stubblefield]

i got a Braille with this gadget on top.

[Mako Koiwai]

We have a new winner in how much can you spend on your light weight after market battery/install!

signed ... jealous (love the cut-off!)

[Mako Koiwai]

Henry's brand new Odyssey battery blew up on Sunday at the Porsche AX ?! Left the car dead on course during his 2nd timed run. Case/top is bulged out.

[Steve Lepper]

Henry's brand new Odyssey battery blew up on Sunday at the Porsche AX ?! Left the car dead on course during his 2nd timed run. Case/top is bulged out.

Is the angle of that shot, or did the positive terminal get over against the hold-down bracket? A short like that would sure blow one up.

Is the battery still in the front on that Porsche?


PS: Save your money... Braille batteries are just a fancy sticker on another popular maker's battery. They cross-reference directly to many standard motorcycle and commercial sizes.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Henry's brand new Odyssey battery blew up on Sunday at the Porsche AX ?! Left the car dead on course during his 2nd timed run. Case/top is bulged out.

Is the angle of that shot, or did the positive terminal get over against the hold-down bracket? A short like that would sure blow one up.

Is the battery still in the front on that Porsche?


PS: Save your money... Braille batteries are just a fancy sticker on another popular maker's battery. They cross-reference directly to many standard motorcycle and commercial sizes.

Even the ones with the carbon fiber case?

[Ethan West]

This thread almost makes me happy that I went with a Duralast

[Steve Lepper]

Henry's brand new Odyssey battery blew up on Sunday at the Porsche AX ?! Left the car dead on course during his 2nd timed run. Case/top is bulged out.

Is the angle of that shot, or did the positive terminal get over against the hold-down bracket? A short like that would sure blow one up.

Is the battery still in the front on that Porsche?


PS: Save your money... Braille batteries are just a fancy sticker on another popular maker's battery. They cross-reference directly to many standard motorcycle and commercial sizes.

Even the ones with the carbon fiber case?

It's a standard battery that they glue a case over. For high-temp applications, many other battery retailers (like Odyssey) use a metal jacket, and I use a moldable ceramic heat barrier panel that comes from the aircraft industry.

[Mako Koiwai]

Concerning Henry's blown battery:

The insulation on the positive cable wore through and grounded out to the strap

... something to watch for.