Battery relocation

[earlyre]

changing the headlights on my buddy's vibe the other day, pulled the battery to access the driver's side light.
that corner, (Left front) is where the car was wrecked in it's previous owner's tenure, and hastily repaired,
they slapped in a motorcraft 36 series battery(slightly wider than the spec'd 35), no hold down bracket, or it's bolts, the only thing holding this battery in place is that it's literally wedged into place between the airbox, upper radiator hose, headlight, and fender wall. that and gravity.

does the battery tray really just SNAP into the hole in the bracket? and the weight of the battery keeps it in place? or am i missing more parts?
anyway, i was wondering if there is room in the spare tire area for a standard marine battery box? ( i know his car has either the donut spare, or the jack/tool kit, but not both)

I did price the oe bracket and rod @ a few different parts websites, came to like $30 with shipping. surely i can get a plastic marine battery box & maybe 20ft of hefty guaged (like 2) wire for a similar price?
thoughts? ideas? ridicule? let me know.

[KITT222]

The factory battery mount is a tray, the rod, and a mounts with screw. Something like this:



The Vibe does in fact have a compact spare, screw jack, and tire iron. However, behind the plastic panels is a load of room. I'm aware of one member who has done it. I'll ask him about it, and maybe tell him to post advice. I myself am rather interested in battery relocation, too...

[earlyre]

The factory battery mount is a tray, the rod, and a mounts with screw. Something like this:



The Vibe does in fact have a compact spare, screw jack, and tire iron. However, behind the plastic panels is a load of room. I'm aware of one member who has done it. I'll ask him about it, and maybe tell him to post advice. I myself am rather interested in battery relocation, too...

he has the tray, but that's about it...

I know they "shipped" with the tire and the jack and the iron but in the years between when his vibe rolled off the line, and when he bought it in 2010, either the tire, or the jack & tire iron disappeared... ( I Just don't remember which)

so you are saying that like the HHR, these models have built in "smuggling compartments"(similar to the Millennium Falcon) built in between the body and the interior panels?

[KITT222]

so you are saying that like the HHR, these models have built in "smuggling compartments"(similar to the Millennium Falcon) built in between the body and the interior panels?

Oh yeah, lots of 'em! There's even space between the rear seat and the bottom of the car. You could hide lots of (perfectly legal things) in the Vibe without any suspicion getting raised.

[tpollauf]

The Vibes without the monsoon sub, etc. should have ample room to relocate the battery. The Pontiac G8's came with the factory battery located on the drivers side in the trunk! Thought that was odd but it sure makes for working under the hood a bit nicer

[troyguitar]

This is an old thread but I'm bumping it with some information. There is space to move the battery to the trunk without removing the spare or anything else if you get the right battery.

I went with the ETX18L from East Penn Mfg. These batteries are sold under a ton of different brand names including Braille, Deka, Big Crank, and others.

Parts needed for project:

ETX18L battery, $90
XS Power 580 short brass SAE terminal adapter kit, $10
16 feet of battery cable, I used 2 ga welding cable, I bought a pre-assembled kit with terminals and everything for $70 on ebay - search "battery relocation kit"
2 feet of 1/8" aluminum to make a couple brackets to hold the battery down, I just used a few self tapping screws into the sheet metal

Stock battery vs ETX18L:



Battery bolted down:



Spare tire cover modified with dremel to fit over the battery:



A bigger battery could also fit on the other side of the spare tire, but I am building a subwoofer box which will take up that space so I put the battery on the driver's side. If you put the battery in the far passenger corner you will need more like 20 feet of cable.