Scarsman's "Big Blue"

[Scarsman]

I finally replaced my battery last fall, so I guess it's about time I update this a little. It still had the original stock battery, at 8 going on 9 years old! Really can't complain! It was getting so if it sat for a week it would crank really slow, and overall just seemed a little sluggish.

I did a lot of reading on a lot of forums, and pretty much decided against the Optimas. Seems like they have gone down hill in recent times, and aren't what they used to be.

I settled on going with an Odysey battery, and I wanted the biggest, highest powered battery I could fit under the hood. While researching Odysey I found out that the Sears Die Hard Platinum batteries are Odysey batteries in Die Hard wrappers. I confirmed this directly with Odysey, and they do indeed make them for Sears. However, they are much cheaper from Sears!

After comparing dimensions for hours I decided on the Die Hard Platinum 31M. It is bigger than the OEM battery, and will not fit in the OEM battery tray, so I removed the OEM tray and built a new one. It is a very tight fit, and you quite literally could not fit a bigger battery in there! It has standard top posts, as well as a set of marine style posts. I put new standard clamps on the battery cables, and I used the marine posts for the winch cables.

Here are the specs for it:

• 1150 CCA. That's right, 1150 cold cranking amps! :dance
• 205 minute reserve capacity

And now the important part, some pictures!


Here is the OEM battery tray and how it is held down. There are 4 bolts that go into threaded inserts in the metal fenderwell:






Here is the replacement battery box. It is 16g steel cut out in one pice and bent into shape. It used the OEM bolts to mount. I didn't get a pic, but I put a piece of 1/4" think rubber in the bottom to provide some cushion for the battery. I put a "nut clip" on the tab on the right of the picture.




The top hold down hinges open and is held shut by a bolt that threads into the nut clip that I put on the tab seen above.









This battery flat cranks the motor! It is very noticably faster cranking than before, and it fires much quicker than before. I am very pleased with it.

 

[ABNTROOP]

Thanks for the tip on the die hard platinum batteries being same manufacture, I'm about due, and was dreading the $$ on the Odysey. I had no idea! good lookin out!

 

[n0useforaname]

Nice build! I know this thread is old, but I need to get another set of Kryptonite stuff on my rig.. I notice you know Dmaxstore... you ever have a Dmax in the past? I ran their stage 3 kit on my old rig and loved it!

 

[RamRod]

Great battery install!

I as well went with a Sears Die Hard, however in Canada they no longer sell it under that name! (they used to)

For us Canadians the Odyssey battery that gets re-badged as the Sears Die Hard, get re-badged and "Pow-R Surge".... this is starting to remind me of the movie inception!

After testing the battery I bought.. rated at 690 CCA..... the computer read out told me that my battery had 985 cca!!! For $130 I wont complain!

 

[Scarsman]

Nice build! I know this thread is old, but I need to get another set of Kryptonite stuff on my rig.. I notice you know Dmaxstore... you ever have a Dmax in the past? I ran their stage 3 kit on my old rig and loved it!

I wish I had a Dmax!!! No, I just found then while looking for better tie rods.

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

 

[RamRod]

BTW how do you like those Cooper STT's???

I am weeks away from pulling the trigger on new tires and I am having a hard time deciding!

 

[Scarsman]

BTW how do you like those Cooper STT's???

I am weeks away from pulling the trigger on new tires and I am having a hard time deciding!

I LOVE them! Had them in mud, sand, dirt, rocks, snow pack roads and 3' deep snow. They ride great with minimal noise and are wearing really well. They are really flexible so when you air them down they really spread out and wrap around stuff. The sidewalls are very tough. I've gone over rocks and roots and had them folded up over the rim of the wheel and thought for sure they were going to get cut, but nothing yet. They've really taken a beating and they just take it with a grin. I'll likely go with them again unless something else really takes my fancy by then.

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

 

[RamRod]

Hmmm that sounds like what I want in a tire lol

 

[Renagade132]

You do some amazing work Scarsman! I have a question, isn't the H2 battery come set up for just a side terminal battery? Will that battery mount bracket work on any battery for the H2? Can you stamp any letters you want on the bracket? Of course I am interested in getting one of these from you as well

 

[Scarsman]

Thanks! Yes, the OEM battery only has the side post setup for the horrible GM ends. I made this box to the specific dimensions of this battery, which is bigger than the OEM one. If you were staying with the OEM battery, I still have my old one, so I could make one to fit it. As for the holes in the box, yes, I could cut pretty much anything into it. I have a CNC plasma table, so if you can draw it I can cut it.

 

[BlueSteeleHorse07]

Scarsman, what's the cost of the CB Antenna Mount. Entered your website, saw the mount, but no price?

Dan

 

[Renagade132]

Scarsman, I'm probably going with the Odyssey PC-78 1500(I have a buddy that can get me one for a good deal)whitch I believe is the one that will fit side terminals, or do you suggest I cut the cables and turn it to a top terminal battery? Is that what you did?

 

[Scarsman]

Scarsman, what's the cost of the CB Antenna Mount. Entered your website, saw the mount, but no price?

Dan

I just sent you a PM on this.

Scarsman, I'm probably going with the Odyssey PC-78 1500(I have a buddy that can get me one for a good deal)whitch I believe is the one that will fit side terminals, or do you suggest I cut the cables and turn it to a top terminal battery? Is that what you did?

That sounds right, group 78s are side post. I personaly hate side posts, and switched mine to regular style clamps. Both because I don't like them, and because that's what the battery I wanted had.

That being said, you don't see the corrosion problems on battery connections that you used to anymore because batteries are sealed better than they used to be. In the old days it was common for batteries to seep acid out around the posts, which would start corroding the cable ends, and on side posts you would quickly see them get froze up and start breaking. Side posts were worse than top posts because they get more torque applied to them when tightening them than top posts.

 

[BlueSteeleHorse07]

Here is my truck. It is a 2005 H2 SUV, 6.0 V8. We got it in 2010, coming out of a 2006 GMC Envoy. Here it is the day after we got it:

Came with original tires on chrome wheels, chrome nerf bars, chrome tail light guards and fuel door, chrome hood handles and latches, chrome mirror caps. Yegghhh! Too much chrome!

First mod was ditching the nerf bars and painting the chrome side mirror caps and roof rails with black bedliner. I also found a truck at a dealer with black hood handles and latches, and talked them into letting me switch them out for mine:

Second was upgrading the flimsy OE tie rods for a set of Kryptonite tie rods from the DMax Store. “That’s not a tie rod! THIS is a tie rod!”

Next was picking up a set of OE wheels, sandblasting them and coating with black bedliner and mounting a set of 37x12.5 17 Cooper STTs:

Those wheels looks sweet, I was thinking about the same thing to my set of OEM, but instead of coating them with black bedliner, I was thinking more in the line of black powder-coating, for both my OEM wheels and brush guard. There a place approximately 30 miles from where I live that does powder-coating, I just got to find the time to go there.
Dan

 

[BlueSteeleHorse07]

BTW how do you like those Cooper STT's???

I am weeks away from pulling the trigger on new tires and I am having a hard time deciding!

I have Cooper Discoverer STT, although I have only used them twice for off-roading, but to me, they performed outstanding, by the way, I got those Cooper STT with Scarsman's recommendation.

Dan

 

[Scarsman]

I have Cooper Discoverer STT, although I have only used them twice for off-roading, but to me, they performed outstanding, by the way, I got those Cooper STT with Scarsman's recommendation.

Dan

Gee! Maybe I could get them to sponsor me! :giggle:

 

[Renagade132]

Scarsman, I will see if my buddy can get me a top post Odyssey battery, not sure which model to get, as they matched this to the H2 battery, so I will see if they have maybe a marine style one like yours as well, that way I can get the same bracket you already designed!

 

[BlueSteeleHorse07]

Gee! Maybe I could get them to sponsor me! :giggle:

Never hurt to ask! Nothing ventured nothing gained. You might want to provide pictures of your rig off-roading with those Coppers, you might get it on a advertising poster. If it works out you might get tires for life, mmmm...pretty sure they don't have advertising of Coopers on Hummers, might also upgrade the Hummer image in the public eyes.

Dan

 

[Polar Bear]

I finally replaced my battery last fall, so I guess it's about time I update this a little. It still had the original stock battery, at 8 going on 9 years old! Really can't complain! It was getting so if it sat for a week it would crank really slow, and overall just seemed a little sluggish.

I did a lot of reading on a lot of forums, and pretty much decided against the Optimas. Seems like they have gone down hill in recent times, and aren't what they used to be.

I settled on going with an Odysey battery, and I wanted the biggest, highest powered battery I could fit under the hood. While researching Odysey I found out that the Sears Die Hard Platinum batteries are Odysey batteries in Die Hard wrappers. I confirmed this directly with Odysey, and they do indeed make them for Sears. However, they are much cheaper from Sears!

After comparing dimensions for hours I decided on the Die Hard Platinum 31M. It is bigger than the OEM battery, and will not fit in the OEM battery tray, so I removed the OEM tray and built a new one. It is a very tight fit, and you quite literally could not fit a bigger battery in there! It has standard top posts, as well as a set of marine style posts. I put new standard clamps on the battery cables, and I used the marine posts for the winch cables.

Here are the specs for it:

• 1150 CCA. That's right, 1150 cold cranking amps! :dance
• 205 minute reserve capacity

And now the important part, some pictures!


Here is the OEM battery tray and how it is held down. There are 4 bolts that go into threaded inserts in the metal fenderwell:






Here is the replacement battery box. It is 16g steel cut out in one pice and bent into shape. It used the OEM bolts to mount. I didn't get a pic, but I put a piece of 1/4" think rubber in the bottom to provide some cushion for the battery. I put a "nut clip" on the tab on the right of the picture.




The top hold down hinges open and is held shut by a bolt that threads into the nut clip that I put on the tab seen above.









This battery flat cranks the motor! It is very noticably faster cranking than before, and it fires much quicker than before. I am very pleased with it.

Do you make these trays???? I would be interested!

Btw, love the ballast bracket for the HIDs also!

 

[Scarsman]

Sorry! I missed this post! Yes, I can make another one of these. I would just need to know what the exact dimensions of your battery were if different than stock.