Series Two 944 Electrical Cut-out Location

[944 man]

Id be interested to hear where people with series two cars have located their electrical cut-outs, along with their batteries if they havent persisted with the original location.

I dont want to move the battery out of the rear wheelarch, but Im not sure how to seal it in otherwise. I would also prefer to locate the master switch here but it will probably entail the use of one extremely long bowden cable...

It is still acceptable to mount the pulls on the rear of the car, I believe, but its far from ideal as no one will look for them there.

Completed prep so far runs to half a roll of yellow insulation tape wrapped around the earth lead! []

 

[Neil Haughey]

Metro battery (ISTR can't be sure) inside a standard size battery box from DT in the original location. Use the windscreen adjustment/mounting blocks to mount an L bracket for your cable pulls at the bottom left of the screen. The original blocks are bin fodder as they don't really serve any useful purpose but the location and bolt holes used by the blocks are perfect for cable pulls. Its almost like Porsche designed the car for this to be possible.

 

[944 man]

Thanks Neil. I have always believed that the switch needs to be as close to the battery as possible - does Kevin mount it here (I was under the impression that he did) or immediately adjacent to the positive terminal?

 

[benjj]

Not a huge help to you but on my early car I've decided to keep the battery where it is up front and mount the external cut off through the (now redundant) aerial aperture.

 

[944 man]

Thanks Ben. Its more the location of the actual switch which is vexing me, rather than the pull ends of the bowden cables. Have you seen Neils post? I think that using the windscreen block mountings as a fixing point for the bracket is ideal and a good deal less likely to be damaged in the event of a car-scenery moment. []

 

[benjj]

Just read it now. Yes, absolutely agreed, Neil's got it in one for a later car.

 

[Neil Haughey]

On all the cars I have seen including my own the switch is in the centre console on a custom panel. The cable pull then goes straight out via the glove box aperture.

 

[944 man]

Perhaps Im being too cautious in wanting it to be alongside the battery. Id want to cut it into the fore and aft cable though and not run extra cables from the fuse box to the centre console and back.

 

[Neil Haughey]

Pretty sure there is just enough original cable to do it as I don't ever recall buying heavy gauge cable. I was tempted to replace the lot with a lighter battery cable as its very heavy but its costly and didn't really seem worthwhile at the time to save a couple of Kg.

 

[Cater_Racer]

Simon,

We've got the external pull at the lower windscreen - as per Neil, I think it's almost a standard amongst the 944 fraternity.

the Varley "Red Top" race battery is fitted on the floor where the passenger seat came out. so the switch is mounted on a panel we made fitted to where the radio is usually fitted. that way it's easily accessible by the driver, close to the battery and a simple run for the cable from under the screen.

HTH

Gerry

 

[944 man]

Thanks Gerry. I had been hoping that your battery was still in the boot... []

 

[Eldavo]

I'm watching this thread closely; now I'm doing more trackdays I'm considering this along with a bigger extinguisher - possibly plumbed in too.

I'd mount the cutout in the carbon plate I have that replaces the radio and the external pull in the "usual spot".

Post up what you do Simon and then it makes it easier for me to take advantage of your hard work

 

[944 man]

Its the actual switch location in a dual purpose car thats troubling me Dave. I also believe that the switch should be as close to the positive terminal as possible in order to make it as effective as possible in all circumstances.

People seem to use the switch as the drivers means of control, but this is like mounting the extinguisher only where the driver can reach over and squeeze the handles together - its far from ideal, all in order to get a spurious benefit.

I think that I will buy a 12ft long bowden cable and see whether its possible to operate a rear mounted switch using a windscreen mounted pull, and piggy back the drivers control onto this, probably using a 'pull to stop' head.

As far as I can gather from reading the current Blue Book, theres nothing to stop the controls from being mounted at the rear of the car under the rear window, but theres potential for a difficult scrute to refuse me and its far from the first place that a marshal will look in the event of an incident.

Both drivers controls will be mounted on an alloy plate fastened to the near side of the transmission tunnel alongside the gear lever.

This was much easier on my old car which had its battery under the bonnet. Maybe Im overly concerned about the unswitched length of positive cable. Im sure that Kevin Eacock would laugh at me!

 

[Cater_Racer]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

Thanks Gerry. I had been hoping that your battery was still in the boot... []

Hi Simon, I think you have to have it fully enclosed in a leakproof non-conductive compartment even if it's in back because its still within the passenger compartment. I found it virtually impossible to meet the requirement, so the only exception is the "Red-Top" leakproof batteries.

They are much lower cranking and AH so I needed to reduce the cable runs. hence passenger floor.

 

[944 man]

I had intended to fit a small battery box in the original location Gerry. In honesty though, I havent done much to find a suitable part. I hope to use a lithium battery if the price drops sufficiently, which might not need a battery box, although Id still use one as its good practice.