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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1936 battery tray

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1936 battery tray -- page: 1 2     JM 04-24-2012 @ 9:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 822 Joined: Oct 2009 Jim, here is my opinion on this. I own 4 cars that have under the floor battery mounts. In the past I have purchased the 2LF lead acid Script batteries from places like Antique Auto Battery in Hudson, Ohio. Although these batteries fit the stock '35 under floor mounting just as the original low profile batteries did, I have had bad luck with them as far as their life and refuse to pay the high price again for an item that does not last as long as it should. I bought an Optima 6V red top battery over several years ago and at first was thinking of an engine compartment mount on the frame. I have seen several mounted this way and it does not look that bad. I would never consider messing with a firewall mount. I finally decided to mount the Optima, in the original under the floor battery location, by making a stainless steel sheet metal U shaped drop down bracket. This allows the Optima to be mounted in an upright position and have plenty of room for clearance of the original '35-'36 sheet metal battery cover. I don't worry about doing much maintenance because the Optima is sealed and does not require the typical maintenance that a lead acid battery requires. I chose to attach the battery maintainer wires so they stay under the floor and come down within easy access to reach under the car and attach the plugs during winter storage or during long periods of no driving. I am getting ready to purchase another Optima for my '35 coupe and at this time I never plan to buy another lead acid battery for any of my Early Ford V8's. The last Optima I bought was on sale @ $125.00 + free shipping. I'm hoping to find that same deal for the next one. If you would like to see pictures that I have of an Optima mounted on the frame in the engine compartment or pictures of the drop down mount that I made to fit in the original battery box, send me an email at john.mason@zoominternet.net and I will send them out to you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with a battery and its mounting. JM horrocks_j 04-22-2012 @ 9:24 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 153 Joined: May 2010 In keeping with the CLEAN AND TIGHT tradition that my dad has handed down, just by coincidence, before I read this thread, I had removed the battery yesterday, cleaned it with baking soda, cleaned the hold-down, and the rails in the frame similarly. Even though it's only been in the car two years, and we used the treated felt washers around the posts, it had created some yellowish build-up on the hold-down and on the rails. A little wire brushing and priming/painting took care of the cosmetic work, used a wire brush cleaner on the posts and ends and reattached everything. I also topped off one of the cells which was a tad low. Distilled water is usually recommended. I'll put it on the to-do list to go back and put on some battery terminal protector spray. It was about an hour long project. Not the most fun I've had with the car but I feel a bit better. Not sure how this relates to the discussion but I'll throw it out there anyway. We don't have an Optima but use a standard lead-acid, low profile unit. At Hershey Fall 2011 meet I came across EFV8 Member Larry Cossar's swap meet booth, and he had on display a very nicely fabricated battery cover that was advertised this way: "35-36 Ford, Custom Battery Cover, when installing Optima 6V battery in an orig9inal 35-36 battery case, no frame mods req'd, eliminates acid issues on frame rails." Now that I read it, I speculate that he's made this cover so you can put an Optima inside a Ford Script battery sh*ll. For concourse judging, the Script battery is an item on the judging sheet. I took a photo of it and of Larry's contact information, but he's in the membership roster too. One of the details we've worked out is where on the battery cover can we snake out the leads that go to our battery tender, and we've found a little section of the cover that doesn't pinch the wires. I wonder if the battery tender was the cause of the corrosion? Hmmm. In an attempt to promote friendly discussion- Jeff/VeryTangled Henryat1140 04-11-2012 @ 1:28 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 110 Joined: Nov 2009 Just thought of this to add. If you do move the grounding point from the universal joint cover to the frame (a good idea IMO), you should run a separate ground strap from the engine to the frame. A convenient place to do this is at the bell housing. You can run a short ground from the bell housing bolt to an already drilled hole in the frame. This assures a good ground for the starter. Similarly, you can run a ground strap from somewhere on the body to the frame, thus assuring a good ground for anything that depends on metal-to-metal contact between the body and frame. When the cars were new, this wasn't necessary or a problem, but years of accumulated crud, rust and corrosion can be present. It takes very little in the way of crud or corrosion to render a 6V connection bad. Henryat1140 04-10-2012 @ 6:16 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 110 Joined: Nov 2009 >Chiming in . . . . . In my experience, the battery _shouldn't_ be neglected. I have a 36 Phaeton like yours with the battery under the floor. The main thing to remember with early Fords 6V system is CLEAN AND TIGHT. For example, the connection from the positive terminal to chassis ground originally went to a bolt on the universal joint cover. That is a very critical connection and can be thought of as the 'main artery' of the electrical system. There is a convenient hole in the frame that you can move the end of the positive cable to. You could use a 5/16" bolt with flat washers and a lock washer. Before mounting this, use something like a Dremel tool to make the area on the frame shiny and clean. REALLY CLEAN AND SHINY. Also check and maintain the other connections, like the one on the starter terminal. These action cost nothing but will guarantee a nice crisp starting action, loud horns and bright (for 1936) lights. Another thing to consider is a battery cut-off switch. Lets you totally cut off the entire car from the battery. Old wiring, brittle insulation etc can be a fire hazard. Regards, don't mean to preach . . . . Jim43 03-17-2012 @ 3:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 3 Joined: Nov 2011 Well they do sound like the way to go. I will start shopping. Thanks for the advice. Jim43 supereal 03-13-2012 @ 11:01 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 If you plan to buy several, most Interstate Battery dealers will likely cut you a deal. Our shop is such a dealer. We pay more dealer cost than the retail price was not so long ago. If you can find the 6 volt variety for less than $125, take it. When ordering online, the shipping charges will add up, as the batteries are fairly heavy. Compared to conventional batteries, the life is remarkable. We still use our original one on the bench for testing purposes. As is said, "it isn't how much you pay, but how often you pay it"! TomO 03-13-2012 @ 7:07 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7243 Joined: Oct 2009 Do an online search for the Optima battery. At just a glance I saw the battery for sale for $128.28 - $146.99. If you do not need it right away, keep searching. I bought mine a few years ago for $118 with free shipping and a friend bought his a week later for $112.99 with free shipping. Tom supereal 03-12-2012 @ 8:13 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The Optima is a sealed gel cell battery that needs no service. The only precaution is to always charge them slowly, should the need arise. When charging, they do emit a slight amount of gas. Check your charging voltage with a voltmeter across the battery with the engine running above a fast idle. You shouldn't see a reading above about seven and a half volts. Don't try to adjust the voltage regulator. It requires special equipment, and is seldom necessary. You can buy the Optima from any Interstate Battery dealer Jim43 03-12-2012 @ 7:45 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 3 Joined: Nov 2011 Thanks for the ideas. I am hearing a lot of votes for the Optima batteries here. My big reason for moving it is so I will be more inclined to maintain it. Check the water and clean posts and all that. I suppose with the Optima, clean the posts good install the battery and seal the posts with some battery spray stuff and forget about it for a long time. That sounds OK to me. Does the voltage regulator need tweeking or is there anything to do other than install it? I have a couple other cars that are getting ready for new batteries too, what is the best way to buy these things? I know they can vary in price depending on where they are bought, but where is good? I am in New Hampshire. Thanks; Jim43 trjford8 03-08-2012 @ 8:26 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4202 Joined: Oct 2009 Mounting the battery on the firewall is not a good idea. First you have to drill holes for the mounting tray and then there is the possibility of the battery leaking and ruining the paint under the hood. It is also always in the way when you need to work on the right side of the motor. You can get a stainless drop down battery box from Speedway Motors that will mount to your frame under the right front fender. If you have to move the batttery this would be your best option. The battery stays cool, if it leaks it goes on the ground, and it puts the battery closer to the starter. 35 Ford and supereal have also given you another option using the Optima battery.

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