[Bob Parmenter]

Hi Michael,

Hope to see you again at Red Hook on the 16th.

You can put it just about anywhere you want, but you have surmised correctly to put it on the ground circuit. It is less sensitive to amperage draw and won't require as much concern for cable size.

Now the part that will likely get me flamed!
Part of your current problem is the Optima battery. I've had several hot rod friends use them. The idea of a jell filled battery that is less sensitive to vibration and mounting position is very compelling. However, they have had similar problems as you with low power after sitting for a while. The speculation is that the battery "doesn't like" the infrequent charging cycles of a hobby car that is infrequently used. There may be a more sophisticated analysis of the problem, but that seems to be the empirical evidence. Most of us have had better service from a dry cell alternative sold under the Odyssey brand (and perhaps other names). It has many of the same "advantages" as the Optima and is smaller. As a replacement in the above referenced hot rods, with no other changes to the charging system, they have performed very satisfactorily.

Hope this helps.