'31 Battery Mount Confusion

[jimmyz80]

My '31 coupe that I inherited from my dad has always had a battery hold down shaped like a rectangle that encircles the top of the battery, and then is held down by the two studs/nuts on opposite corners. This setup always seemed shaky to me for two reasons:

1. Since the hold down frame is only "held down" at two corners, it's easy for it to flex and potentially rise up to short out the forward-facing negative battery connector. I've always just kept a piece of rubber between the battery cable and the hold down to prevent this, but I'd like to figure out something more proper.

2. The threads on the studs don't seem long enough to properly hold down the battery. It has a stack of about 6 washers on each corner in order for the hold down nut to properly put some pressure on the hold down frame.

The battery is a Group 1 battery, which I thought was supposed to be the correct dimensions, so I'm puzzled why the hold down doesn't seem to hold it down properly without the hacks I mentioned above.

I tried ordering a set of the hold down "corner clamps" which I believe are the original design but I may be mistaken, in hopes that they would make everything fit better. No such luck... Again the studs don't have long enough threads, and it seems like even if they did, the corner clamps would end up tilted so much that they wouldn't secure the battery.

Is this battery box perhaps something incorrect that my dad installed long ago? I bought a set of new studs to see if I could correct things that way, but the studs on this battery box don't appear to be removable. They are pressed in.

Any suggestions to get things back to how they should be, and also to hold the battery firmly with no risk of a short? Thanks!!!

I've attached a few photos of the battery box corners, as well as a demo of how the corner clamps would end up tilted when tightened down....if there were enough threads.

[CarlG]

Group 1 battery is only the closest to the original Ford battery that is made today. The dimensions are not exactly the same.

[Badpuppy]

Group 1 is shorter, which explains the washers. The early corner clips were changed to the surrounding cap because of the tendency to slip off. What you have is correct for 1931, except for the battery itself.

[Gary WA]

If not looking for points then get a nice 1/4" +- rubber mat for under battery to raise up a bit.

[jimmyz80]

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I guess another alternative would be to just thread the studs down another 1/4" or so? Also with the corner brackets, were they just slipped onto the stud and then tightened with a nut from above? Or did they have a backing nut installed under them, to help keep them from tilting too much?