Re: battery size and holderand other things
Posted by Joe on September 09, 1998 at 07:02:41
In Reply to: battery size and holder
posted by James Shotwell on September 08, 1998 at 22:53:32
| : I finally pulled up my floorboard to grease the slider zerk today and discovered my battery APPEARS not to fit very well in the box. Looks as if someone jerry-rigged it.From the bottom it looks like pictures in parts catalogs.(rememberthis is my first model A)However from the top there is nothing holding the battery in place.As a result the battery has shifted at bit and the clutch touches the end of the battery and the brake linkage is rubbing the side of the battery. Neither appear to be hurting the battery. My battery is a 6V Exide Commercial, size is 6 3/4 inches by 10 inches. Is that the correct size battery? (high is ok) : From the top I see 4 LONG bolts coming from below.From below I see the X with a square plate in the middle. : If I have the wrong size battery I want to fix that problem before I bend and form things to make it all fit. The battery was put in just before I bought car, say 4 months ago. : I was planning to order the sq holddown battery top I saw in parts catalog but without knowing correct size I might be wasting money and time.thanks for any help..... Jim Batteries are one of the bugaboos of the Model A crowd. The original "battery hold downs" for the Model A were just "fingers" (2 of them actually) that caught the opposite corners of the battery and held it in the battery bracket.These existed in at least two styles, forged or pressed, depending on your model year but were very simple in construction and only kept the battery from up & down movement.(I'm not sure what you are describing about 4 bolts, it maybe an aftermarket bracket) The original Model A battery was slightly larger than our modern "Type 1" size battery (about 1/2" or so overall in each of the horizontal dimensions) and when you put a modern battery in the Model A bracket it tends to "shuck around" a bit.Fortunately, by itself, mine does not overturn and fall out of the bracket. I am not sure of the modern replacement "Ford" marked batteries (you know, the ones with script "Ford" on the side which are sold through companies advertising in Hemming Motor News and which typically sell for about double what a normal battery goes for.)I suspect these may be the original Model A battery size.They certainly should be for what they cost. I use the square battery retainer frame you mention with some success on my modern type 1 battery.I found the frame size agrees with the Model A battery bracket studs and would likely fit an original Model A battery, but a modern type 1 battery is still a bit too small for the whole rig.To answer I put a couple of strips of wood applied to the inside of the frame and held with electrical tape to restrain the battery movement even more.Not a thing of beauty but it all works. I have often thought that to make a very thin walled wooden box to surround and contain the type 1 battery would be a good homemade fix and solve the modern battery size problem in a manner consistent with 1929 practice.This would be rather than going to the expensive Ford battery.The box might be a bit fragile since the space to be taken up force the wood material to be quite thin.I even thought about stenciling a script "Ford - Made in USA" on the outside of the box just for pretty.Oh well, another project I haven't gotten to yet. Perhaps this is a suggestion for an aftermarket accessory to some enterprising entreprener.A slip on plastic cover similar to the exterior of the expensive "Ford" battery exterior that has a cavity that will take the type 1 modern battery.Such a cover could be molded with plastic quite cheaply and would make an attractive setup and solve a continuing Model A problem with the modern batteries. Hope this all helps. Best regards, |
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