46 replies to this topic

[Cloud9...68]

I had been in contact with Robby, Higher Connections' owner about nine months ago, but he hasn't returned my calls or emails in over six months, so I was wondering if they're still around. I'm interested in a set of heavy duty power cables. Thanks.

[link517]

Ordered a set 10/23/11

[Darryl]

I got a few sets from him probably middle of last year, give or take. He is sometimes slow to repsond, but as far as I know, still "alive and kicking".

- Darryl

[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... OK, I'll try him again. I was communicating with him quite a bit on the creation of a battery relocation kit, but then he stopped returning my calls and emails, I got busy with other aspects of my build (and other things), and have since decided that the battery relo isn't worth it - I'm going to go with a lightweight "racing" battery, but keep it in or near it's current location, but I still need a new set of cables, both because mine are old and brittle, and to hopefully reduce the line loss and give the little battery some help in cranking over the engine.

[flash]

lol - i make the battery relocation kit you were talking to him about. he and i just never got into production on it. your thinking was exactly why. to do it right, it's pretty expensive for what it is. the cable and connectors required so as not to lose voltage over that distance are not cheap.

still, in a race car, getting that weight off the front, and into the rear, makes a pretty big difference when it comes time to corner balancing

[Lim Yong]

Hey Flash,
can it be done for $300??

[judge]

Right Hand Drive cars have the battery in the well behind the left hand rear wheel, accessed through the boot [trunk] in the Cab. I don't know what it might cost, but you would likely be able to source parts from one of the UK parts suppliers. Try porscheshop.co.uk or porschepartsonline.co.uk and they might be able to help.

[Cloud9...68]

With the ultra-lightweight racing batteries available these days, some under 5 pounds(!), it seems like for me, the hassle, cost, and weight (from the cables) associated with moving the battery to the back doesn't make sense. And for a street car, I don't understand why anyone would want to do this, unless they have a specific plan (like maybe a bottle of nitrous ) for the spot the battery currently sits in. Although for someone with a cab from which they've removed the ballast, I suppose it would make sense to put the battery in that spot. Seems like an awful lot of work to go through for a street car, though, but as I've said many times, when you buy an old European sports/GT, you're buying a hobby as much as a car.

[94SilverCab]

I was hoping he would develop the lighting harness kit that Ice Shark made. I have the wiring kit and I just feel safer knowing its in there. My original wires were brittle and the insultaion was brittle and breaking off.

Jay

[flash]

i noticed the difference when i moved the battery in my street car. keep in mind that i have made a LOT of suspension changes, but moving the battery, thereby taking 35lbs off of one corner, and moving it to another corner, was every bit as noticeable as removing the boat anchor from the right rear corner. it's hard to get weight off the front of the car, and easier to get it off the rear. moving some of it helped with regaining balance.

i agree that is is a lot of work. it also isn't cheap. but, it did help with the corner balancing. i was able to get within a couple of pounds at each corner.

yes, it can be done for under $300, but not by much, after factoring in the cable, connectors, terminal block, and tray kit.

the upside is that i picked up a half volt at the battery.

back to the original question, i know robbie was trying to get going again, and was going through a tough time. i have not spoken to him in a while, but am sending him a letter shortly.

[EEZATOY]

I received a set from him in January @ that time he said he was filling a number of orders....

[Lim Yong]

There are two thongs I wanted to do to the front. Remove the pop up head lights and relocate the battery.

I removed the spare and exhaust from the rear and wanted to remove weight from the front.
thats the plan.....no luck so far

[Cloud9...68]

Living in Hawaii, I would think you could get away with a much lighter weight battery, and just leave it in the stock location. I would run a set of Higher Connection power cables to cut down on the resistance to help the battery out. Relocating the battery, while certainly doable, is hard, and adds a bunch of weight due to the longer cables.

Now that I'm FINALLY done with my daughter's car stereo install, I plan to tackle a fixed headlight conversion for my car. I'll let everybody know how it goes.

[flash]

the cables were only about 4lbs, and spread out across the car, and very low. not really an issue. taking 35lbs off the front wheel, and putting it over the rear made much more of a difference, and i don't lose the reserve.

when i had the light flywheel and power pulleys, i was frequently in deficit mode. a small battery might have caused me problems. that is exactly what led me to move mine rather than go small. it's a street car, and i have a stereo, and like to run AC, therefore i needed a bigger battery so it didn't dip.

[Cloud9...68]

I hear you - there is certainly some risk with going with a smaller battery. However, here in Austin, where, believe it or not, we do have the occasional cold day (much colder than Hawaii, anyway), I've been running a poor man's lightweight battery for the past several years - I bought the smallest, cheapest, and surely crappiest, battery I could find at Autozone, and it has given me zero problems, even on days where it's dipped into the 20s, and my cables are in pretty bad shape.

It's a tough call, and it depends on how the car is driven. But I would venture that most people wouldn't notice the benefits of moving the battery to the back in a street application, as appealing of a mod as it sounds. But, for some people, this car is a project, and balancing out the car by moving the battery to the back is definitely cool.

[Lim Yong]

Really good points.... I just had to replace the 35lb battery (interstate). Funny that Sears didn't carry one for our car and Costco wil not
replace the battery.

Anyway, love to get a battery relocation kit and a nice clean fix headlight solution.

[Cloud9...68]

Lim,

Have you seen Pablo Crespo's car? It's a race car, but the fixed headlight conversion he has on it is about the nicest I've seen which retains the stock fender. What sets his apart is that his lexan covers are slightly curved to follow the curve of the fender; the other similar conversions I've seen all use flat lexan covers. AJ Hartman Racing did Pablo's conversion - you might want to check out their web site.

[tamathumper]

Neato!

[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, it's still the "light-inside-the-hole" approach, but the curved covers make all the difference, aesthetically. The mounting of the lights is actually pretty simple, and the lights aren't terribly expensive (about $125 apiece for Hella Bi-Halogens). AJ Hartman Racing sells the curved lexan covers for $180 for the pair. Obviously, Pablo's car is a pure racer, but personally, I think these lights look good enough to be passable on a street car.

[Lim Yong]

Nice,
thanks for that info..I'll check on it.