HOW-TO: Tundra - Installation of Optima Blue Top Battery w/Stock Battery Tiedown

[DevinSixtySeven]

Why: In addition to the usual Optima benefits, Blue Tops have an extra set of threaded terminals to which you can attach auxilary lighting, winches, stereo equipment, etc...a Blue Top is equivalent to a Yellow Top but for the extra terminals.

Time: One hour. Soldering required, please read the whole thing first, if you don't know what you're getting in to you will get pretty cranky if you cut your ground line and don't know how to fix it.

Parts: One bolt, three or four nuts (sizing method below), one spacer pipe roughly 1-1.5" long, a washer which will rest over the opening of the pipe, electrical tape or shrink tube, soldering iron, solder, soldering wick, 6" of 10 guage stranded automotive-type wire, wire cutters/strippers or a pair of small diagonal cutters, 2-6"x6" squares of plumber's rubber sheet (the thicker stuff), rubber gloves, one Optima Blue Top battery.

1. PARTS
Remove the bolt at the front of the stock battery tie-down. Take this in to the hardware store and obtain a bolt with the same threading but roughly 1.5-2" longer, and three or four appropriate nuts. While you're there, head to plumbing and get a small 1-1.5" long stainless steel pipe section with sufficient inner diameter to fit loosely over the j-bolt at the back of the battery tiedown strap. Also get the wire (corrosive resistant, BLACK coated since it will be used as ground line) and some electrical tape or shrink tube. If you don't already have a soldering iron, Radio Shack has competent irons and support equipment (solder, wick, wire) for cheap (15 bucks set me up, including a roll of 10G wire and some shrink tube).

2. REMOVAL
Give yourself an hour between this step and driving your truck again, especially if you've never soldered anything before. You can find instructions on how to solder on this site (search for solder instruction) or online, or just ask the guy at Radio Shack. Soldering is actually very easy once you get the hang of it, and it's easy to learn as well, don't be uncomfortable if you've never done it before, if you're seriously considering this mod, learn how to solder.
Take out the bolt at the front of the battery tiedown, the nut at the rear, the tiedown strap, and the j-hook at the back of the battery. Unhook the battery terminals BLACK FIRST, and wrap a little electrical tape over the terminals so you can't accidentally set a wrench down on it and short the thing. Put on your rubber gloves and CAREFULLY (remember, it's not sealed!) remove the stock behemoth of a battery. Also remove the battery tray, you can remove the tray and the battery out at once, it's a lot easier than trying to get the battery out by itself. Clean the area under and around the stock battery tray. Make sure it is grit and grease-free.

3. INSTALLATION
Once you start this step, you're not going back unless you just happen to like wasting time. CUT YOUR STOCK GROUND LINE IN HALF. Make sure it's about in half, you're going to need the space because you will be splicing a section of 10G wire in the middle. Strip the ends back about 3/8" or so, and fan the strands out. Now get the 10G stranded wire, strip about the same amount from each end of a 6" piece (this is too long, shorten as you like, it provides room for operator error ), and fan the strands out. Now twist one end of your 10G wire to the spare end (body side) of the old ground wire, and solder the joint. If you have shrink tube, now is the time to use it on this joint, or just use some electrical tape. Twist the lengthened ground wire to the battery side of the old ground wire and repeat (if you're using shrink tubing, don't forget to put it on before you solder ). That was the hardest part of the whole thing .
Put a 6"x6" sheet of rubber where the stock battery tray used to be, and place the new battery with the negative terminal to the driver's side (same orientation as the stock battery).
Put the new bolt UPSIDE-DOWN through the battery tiedown strap, and secure with three nuts. Jamb the nuts together so you can't spin them with your fingers, but you can spin the bolt with nuts attached in the tiedown strap. Put the j-bolt back in, and put two small pieces of rubber on front and back edges of the battery where the tiedown strip will rest (otherwise it's loose). Now maneuver the tiedown strap in, front upside down bolt first, then over the battery and j-bolt. Secure the front bolt, make sure it's snug, then drop the spacer pipe and washer over the j-bolt and secure with the original nut. Tighten, rewire POSITIVE wire first, and go play .

-Sean