Overview

In order to support the winch, ARB air compressor, ARB freezer/fridge, offroad driving lights, HAM radio, and worklamp the electrical system on the RRC is getting an update. The plan is to use the following components to create a simple but robust charging system:

High output 140 amp alternator- Described in a previous post.

Sears Die-Hard Platinum (Odyssey 1500) battery - Group 34

Odyssey PC1500 Welded Battery Tray

Napa Mil-spec Battery Terminals: Part #s 728222 for Neg. 728223 for Pos.

Battery voltage monitor - Simple, cheap, 3 color voltage light - No picture or link right now.

Installation

Installing the alternator required a modified bracket. Erich at Lamorna Garage made short work of it with the tools they have in their shop. I crimped in the new connectors, wired up the new alternator, adjusted the belt tension, and was all set.
The RRC didn't come with a battery tie-down. I looked into buying the original Land Rover tie down, but the design was very flimsy and designed for a much smaller battery. After considering a few different options including a LR mil-spec bracket, plastic trays from NAPA, and making my own tray I settled on the Quality Power Odyssey PC1500 Welded Battery Tray. Simple, strong, and definitely designed to hold a battery that's being tossed around in an offroad environment. The bracket comes in raw steel, so I hit it with a couple of coats of spray paint and installed it using 4 Rivnuts and a set of nice Hex head bolts. It was really tight in the RRC and I had to be careful how I routed the new painless headlight wiring harness, but it all snugged right up and everything is happy.


Dan's bad-ass rivnut tool


Rivnuts installed in the battery tray (It's Manastash dust, not rust)


  
Battery tray installed


Dropped the battery in, secured the top of the bracket using the hex head bolts provided with the bracket, and moved on to the battery terminals. This tray is specifically designed for this battery making for a perfectly snug fit.


  Battery installed, topo portion of the bracket connected, and battery terminals wired up. Stay tuned for the accessory wiring cleanup. :)

The battery terminals are beefy and required that i changed several ends of accessory cables. It seemed like a good time to evaluate what all was getting attached to the battery and clean it up. I settled on routing one heavy gauge power cable to a Blue Sea fuse box under the drivers seat, a second wire to a smaller Blue Sea fuse box under the hood, and a third that would route directly to the winch. The one under the seat distributes power to the stereo, HAM radio, fridge, Overland Navigator computer, and possibly the rear worklamp. The one under the hood will distribute power to the ARB air compressor, HID fog-lights, on-board shower pump, and anything else that might come along. Finally, I plan to put a quick disconnect inline to the winch that can be used to quickly hook up a set of jumper cables w/o having to pop the hood. Stay tuned for details on that.