in our groups, if you showed up with a bungie cord you would not go on the run.
we do inspections.
nothing like an upside down or side ways battery dumping acid into the fan..
or shorting out.

Quite obvious that your group isn't from North Carolina <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />
Around here, just having a spare tire makes you "really prepared" hahahaha, a jack for it means "nerd"

Good thing I am proud to be a nerd

I would rather be a well prepared nerd. in my opinion having a spare tire with no jack? no point... haha

If you show to any C4WDC event and have a bungee cord holding, your battery in you will not be able to make the run and your money will not be refunded. I do tech inspections for Sierra Trek and we refused three rigs last year.

Also good to point out that if an improperly secured battery shifts to where the positive terminal makes solid contact with body metal, it will burn out all the grounds in the vehicle, starting with the body to frame to engine ground straps, and then progressing to instrument panel and other difficult to repair wiring problems. Even the above mentioned starter circuit ground wiring is not large enough to not fail with a dead short.

Without going into details of how the hand brake cable (an unintended body to engine/driveline electrical ground path) ends up in the short circuit path, there have been several cases of the hand brake cable to cable sheath being fused together by the short circuit current.

Some one reported this happening to their vehicle a couple of years ago, and it was a mess to fix all the damage..

Happened to me on a '84 Camaro. Batt pos fused to the fender. All ground straps melted, and the foam rubber (anti-rattle, Stupid GM) on the parking brake caught fire, just under the fuel tank. Never again I tell you. Never!

Speaking of...


I put the batery tray from a 95 Cavalier in my old 86 Turbo truck. You know, the one with the wedge that bolts down at the bottom of the tray? Wheeled it a lot and even jumped it ocasionaly and never had a problem.
Not bad for a GM peice <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
Dan

My battery used to not be tied down, and one time out on the trail, going up a steep hill, it shifted to the right and rubbed up against the power steering pump, and put a hole in the battery. battery acid all over the place, and my truck died.

never again will I run a battery not tied down

Mine are not so much tied down as tied up:

A top and bottom frame holds the two batteries together:



And 4 threaded rods hold them up under the rear seats, above the rear driveshaft: