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Aft Batt Tray and P680

RVG8tor

Well Known Member
Looking for ideas on how anyone has moded the batt tray for an aft mounted odyssey. Did you just rivet angles to the size required or did you rivet the box that you can get with the battery. Any pictures or ideas would be appreciated.

Cheers
 
Ask Vans

Mike,

There is a set of drawings from Vans that details an aft mounted battery tray in the -7 models. The name of the drawing is OP-16.

The drwaings use angle pieces and F-729A to assemble a frame and a pre-fabbed battery tray.

Perhaps they have something similar for the -8.

If you want the PDF, PM me and I will email it to you.

Scott
 
mod for P680

We riveted two pieces of angle across the battery tray to make a slot the appropriate width for the P680, ensuring that teh battery would then sit centrally under the retaining bar. That seemed a lot easier than trying to modify the tray itself.

Hope that helps.

Chris
 
Thanks

I do have the battery tray, I was just wondering what others have done to modify it since it is designed around the larger Concord battery. It seems like the consensus is to rivet some angle to the size of the Odyssey. I do not have the battery yet but will get the size on line and make it a 1/4" larger. The only other idea I had was to use the metal box some have used for a firewall mounted battery and just rivet that to the battery tray base that comes with the kit.

Cheers
 
Mike,

I don't think there is a need to add 1/4" space for the angles. I think the best way is to just buy the battery and layout the angles with the battery in place to make sure that you get a good fit. Several builders have let their batteries sit around for 2-3 years before using them and there doesn't seem to be any significant ill effects. Just my 2 cents.

20051227mountedbattery1.jpg

20051227mountedbattery2.jpg
 
Battery orientation ...

Has any one fitted one of these batteries laying flat? ... are there any problems with using a horizontal orientation?

Cheers,

Matt
 
Last edited:
Yes, you can lay an Odyssey flat, or even upside down. Also, Odyssey makes their own battery hold-down for the PC-680.

Bill Newkirk
 
I have had my two Odyessey PC680 batteries laying flat for 150 hours of operation now, no problems at all. Now only that, but they just happen to be a nice fit between the ribs under the floor of the baggage area. They are supported by the ribs, not the belly skin. I made my baggage floors removable, but it is a bit of a chore removing all those screws. Fortunatley those batteries don't need to be looked at very often.

Randy C
 
How about clearance with the bell crank?

Is anyone who has used the Van?s tray in the rear position bothered by the proximity of the contactor(s) and the elevator bell crank when fully forward, full down elevator? I have been looking very closely at that, having just completed that subassembly. Is that why some have moved the contactors to the side?

I spend more time scratching my head than anything else it seems.
 
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