So on my '30 5 window, I have the battery sitting in the trunk (Z'd the frame 6 inches so the trunk floor is raised). I'll get a picture up later today. When I drive the thing around the damn battery moves around all over the place. How do you guys get it to stay in place? I don't really see any place to hook a bungie cord around, but I haven't look all that hard. Have people built like wood or metal mounts to hold it? Just looking to get some ideas, or see if anyone sells something. Thanks for any input!
Lots of the fellas use a marine battery box. I have used them myself in various applications and they work fine. If you don't want to box your battery for whatever reason another thing I have done in the past is use an old leather belt. Cut it in two, poke a hole in the floor on either side of the battery and bolt it down with the buckle side close to you so you can buckle it.
Use a steel strap above the battery, with a hole at each end, and long bolts going into the battery tray (or the metal that the battery sits on). Drag racers have had to do this for years, to be allowed to run their cars on the drag strip. But it's a good idea on any car, to have the battery secure!
I used a marine battery box in my roadster and bolted it to the floor. I wouldn't think about driving a car with the battery not being well secured. HRP
An unsecured battery is a potentially deadly hazard in an accident. Starting a fire is the most likely, but a broken case spewing acid all over the place is no picnic either. Glad you are on the way to getting that handled. Ray
....................Not to mention having a 40 lb. battery come sailing through a bulkhead (assuming there is one) and hitting you in the back of the head.
that's another reason I like to leave the battery under the hood. Not an option on many of the early cars, but putting it under the floor is also a good way to get it away from me.
take a junk piece like this and make this the bolts came from tractor supply... they came with a really flimsy rubber hold down that didn't hold anything. could easily just drill holes in each side of the battery and hook it through your trunk floor..
Bungee cord battery hold-downs are a NO-NO, period. The hold-down depicted by "Squirrel" is what is mandated by IMCA Stock car rules. His battery is properly secured.
All sorts of ways to tie it down. As said by another I'd never drive with it loose. It could do so many bad things!
Are we really doing threads about how to secure a battery now? Jake, I know you're a young fella, just getting started; go buy some reference books, join a car club, go to a local show...take notes, look at how others have done it, then get out in the shop/garage and fab one up to your liking (hot rodding has always been a DIY proposition). Sounds like you're overthinking it... Best of luck!
I'm thinking the marine box, properly size selected, has an extra advantage in giving you some space to add insulation around your battery, for those of you who park your ride outside in colder climates.
read what squirrel said. Loose battery is an accident waiting to happen. I prefer out of the trunk or behind the seat. Under the hood, under the floor or elsewhere is the best and safest but if you must mount in trunk put it in an enclosed box as suggested bolted down well. Some boxes are enclosed and have provisions for a vent as well. On 40's I mount them under the pass fender or under the hood. Have seen em blowup!
28 Model A Roadster. 15 gal gas tank off center to drivers side. Battery filling in empty space on pass side. Held down by old fashioned battery bolts mounted to a flat alum plate, which is attached to wood under gas tank, with traditional old battery hold down on top with 2 wing nuts.
A length of 1" by 3/16" thick angle can be welded up to make a frame and bolt/weld it secure. Add a pair of ears, to put Squirrel's long rods thru. Any water or salt washes out, as this cuts the corrosion down.
I like the steel hold down on the base. Its cleaner. Battery life is diminished due to crap falling off the plates and shorting plates at the bottom.
The op's first post is so scary after reading it a couple of times, I'm kinda hoping it's a joke. But I don't think so. At the very least, take a look at what factory cars from the past 50 years have done, there's bound to be an idea there. Whatever happens, don't drive it until the battery is safely secured. And if it's in the trunk and it's not a sealed type battery, it needs to be in a marine type box ventilated to the outside. Batteries can be dangerous for many reasons. They can also explode.
They also make a bolt in box...If you can't somehow make something yourself...$20.00 will save your battery, your car, and maybe your life....A bungee cord....Seriously ??????? http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Weld-In-Battery-Box,3455.html
On a friends A he used a 5 gallon jerrycan holder (think jeep) and sectioned it for a battery. On mine a found a cheap battery box and sectioned it to fit my battery..............both are under the floor, bolted to the frame.
Speedway has your answer... http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shop/...tml?NoRedirect=true&OriginalQuery=battery box
Happened to me at the track. Battery was in a marine box, I had all-thread rod through the trunk floor, but a thick plastic bar across the top of the marine box. The tech guy was being a real harda**, not just with me, but everyone. I outsmarted this Smart-A**, and used a closed end 1/2--9/16 wrench for a hold-down; had to use something handy. Looked good, functioned fine, but I still went out in the first run of eliminations. Never saw that particular tech guy at any other race. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Stock Morris Minor: (This is an early one - Series MM - with the side-valve engine. Photo from Wikimedia.) The battery hold-down is a length of light steel angle with the ends flattened and drilled to receive two long hook bolts. The hold-down runs along the top forward edge of the battery and the hook bolts run diagonally down to holes in the battery tray sides. This is because the tray has a base and a back for the battery to seat against. Doing the search for the pic I was amazed on how many Minors, even quite presentable ones, the battery hold-down is either missing or installed incorrectly.
My hair catches on fire when I see a battery held down with a bungee cord. A lot of good suggestions here.
Look at Kinetik batteries... they offer a sleeve for the battery to drop into, keeps them very well in place... Then just do a strap over the top... Its a sealed battery and they don't take much room either. Agree with all posts before. These guys are on point for safety and longevity...
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