Frustrated by my lack of traction, I decided to relocate the battery to the trunk to help with weight distribution. The arrangement shown in the schematic guarantees that both the battery and the alternator will be isolated from the engine (and each other) if the rod is pushed in. In addition, only one heavy gauge wire is needed from the trunk to the engine compartment. I did not want to have to run two thick wires, and have the alternator current travel a distance of 30 feet before reaching the loads. I've got two electric water pumps which draw a good bit of current continuously, and I want the alternator to be very close to these loads. I also like to rock while I'm spanking Camaros
, so the closer the alternator to the electrical loads, the better.
This arrangement will not draw any current when the key is off. So the battery will not drain when you walk away from your car. The only time the relay and solenoid are drawing current is when the master cutoff is enabled, and the key is on. The penalty for these features is an additional automotive relay ($6 at any automotive parts store) and a high current solenoid switch ($75 from Summit - still searching for alternatives). I think this is a reasonable price to pay to have an NHRA legal system which does not draw any current when shut down, and requires only 1 heavy wire.
I was conflicted on whether to keep the "push off" rod in place all the time (cool - a serious drag car!), or keep the car looking stock and beautiful without any blemishes. My vanity won out, and I plan to keep the stock tail light in place for daily driving. I got a cheap replacement light off ebay which is drilled for the push off rod. It takes only 15 minutes to hook up the push off rod and special tail light.
The car runs great as usual after this mod. It starts just fine - no indication of weak starting. The charging voltage is around 14 volts, just as it was before the modification. I still plan to go and measure voltage drops everywhere for reference.
This arrangement will not draw any current when the key is off. So the battery will not drain when you walk away from your car. The only time the relay and solenoid are drawing current is when the master cutoff is enabled, and the key is on. The penalty for these features is an additional automotive relay ($6 at any automotive parts store) and a high current solenoid switch ($75 from Summit - still searching for alternatives). I think this is a reasonable price to pay to have an NHRA legal system which does not draw any current when shut down, and requires only 1 heavy wire.
I was conflicted on whether to keep the "push off" rod in place all the time (cool - a serious drag car!), or keep the car looking stock and beautiful without any blemishes. My vanity won out, and I plan to keep the stock tail light in place for daily driving. I got a cheap replacement light off ebay which is drilled for the push off rod. It takes only 15 minutes to hook up the push off rod and special tail light.
The car runs great as usual after this mod. It starts just fine - no indication of weak starting. The charging voltage is around 14 volts, just as it was before the modification. I still plan to go and measure voltage drops everywhere for reference.
