If you look at the ETKA, it appears that some Vanagon models came from
the factory with the battery in this location.
It is also where the bay-window busses had their battery, so you
probably could even use factory cables for a bay-window bus, if you were
so inclined.

Todd
'88 Westy

Joseph Angrisani wrote:

>I've been reading through the archives about installing a house battery.
>Electrically, I know what I want to do.  My question involves the physical
>location of the battery.
>
>Has anyone installed the battery in the dead space behind the passenger's
>tail-light?
>
>It seems a good location.  It is very near the alternator for the main lead
>as well as the field/trigger lead...wiring would be simplified and short
>power leads are good!  It is on the right side of the Westy, which is
>certainly the light side.  It is outside (from a chemical point-of-view).  It
>takes up no interior storage space.  Even the "weight way out back" is less
>of a lever arm than that of a spare tire and rack (or two bikes on a rack)
>hanging out rearward of the bumper.
>
>The "box" back there measures 8" top-bottom x 8" front-back x 11.5" side-side
>inside of the fiberboard cover of the intake tract.  The area is enough to
>gobble up a 9.94"x 6.88" x 7.81" Optima easily.  A hold down is simple
>too...100% access to the bottom of that box.  For those inclined, some work
>involving a new brace, some 3M 5200, and a different air intake duct even
>opens up the possibility of a ~100Ah (Group 29) Absorbed Glass Mat battery.
>P-p-power!
>
>What am I missing?  This location seems superb.  Why isn't it being used?
>
>Inquiring Minds Want To Know......
>Joe in CO
>84 Westy
>77 Targa
>
>ps...Please respond with your comments and thoughts to
>"vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com" too (with the same Subject line) so this thread
>will be archived.
>
>
>