MTFCA Forum

Will a modern Group 1 battery fit in a reproduction battery box?

These are the dimensions for the battery box that Lang's sells. It does not account for the space from the top of the box and bottom of the lid
Battery box with lid, (has no Ford script). The inside dimensions are 9" long, 8" high, and 7-1/4" wide Diagonal 11.557in
Group 1 Batteries appear to come in different sizes
Traveller Heavy-Duty Battery .......... Duracell Ultra Flooded 640CCA
Product Length 9-1/8 in. .......... Length: 9 in
Product Height 9-3/8 in. ........... Height: 8.625in
Product Width 7-1/8 in. ........... Width: 6.1825 in

I would expect this to fit but for any of these is how they measure the height - top of the case or top of the caps/posts
Interstate 1-VHD
Length 9 inches
Height 8 3/4 inches
Width 6 15/16 inches

Some choose to use a Optima RedTop 6v diagonally not sure would fit because of its width in the corners of he box
Length (in.) 10.0625
Height (in.) 8.125
Width (in.) 3.625
Diagonal (in) 10.696

TRDxB2 wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 07, 2022 9:09 pm

Some choose to use a Optima RedTop 6v diagonally not sure would fit because of its width in the corners of he box
Length (in.) 10.0625
Height (in.) 8.125
Width (in.) 3.625
Diagonal (in) 10.696

The Optima will fit the reproduction metal box just fine. This photo was test fit, later trimmed the lid for the cable and ground strap. Then fitted a 1/4"piece of plywood to the inside of the metal lid to act as insulator for the terminals.

Fastened the lid with factory clamps. Now of course with the wood liner inside the lid, one can't lift the tiny access door to add water.....but why? Optimas need no H2O

The most important thing is that any battery that will fit in the box must be held down, especially if using a battery box lid. Batteries do not appreciate bouncing around.
The cases of the early batteries had built in handles to lift them, as do modern batteries today. On the original wooden cased batteries these handles were steel loops on the top edge of each end of the case. On the later hard rubber cases the handles were moulded into the case. The battery box lid rested on these handles, so it was clear of the terminals. The hold down clamps on the battery carrier engaged on the reliefs at the ends of the lid. Thus, the load applied to the lid was transferred to the battery case handles and in turn the force was used to hold the battery down so it could not go walk-about or dance around in the box.

You can do exactly the same thing with any modern battery. It involves making a couple of wooden spacers. These are L shaped pieces to go on each end of the battery case.They need to fill the gap between the ends of the battery and the battery box, and need to be high enough to keep the battery box lid off the terminals. The battery box lid rests on the spacers. The original hold down clamps then engage on the lid, the clamping force is transferred to the wooden spacers, and through them to the battery, holding it down as it was originally. A spacer board under a modern battery will mean the leg on the L shaped piece will not have to be so deep.

I like Dan's red top fitting. The wooden bar he uses does just the right thing. If that is a current photo, and the date written on the battery is the year it was fitted, I hope my two red tops do as well. One is in its sixth year now. They are largely a fit and forget item as far as maintenance goes.

Allan from down under.

Simple solution to install/lift/carry it around is a battery strap

Frank, those are good for lifting batteries, but they do not come with a guarantee that they won't break the seal around the battery terminals and the rigid cases on modern sealed batteries. The heavier the battery, the more likely this will happen. The Auto electrician with whom my son did his apprenticeship would not stock them.
In my T's I tie a loose loop of plastic packing strap around the battery before lowering it into the box. That's my handle to lift them.
Allan from down under.

A group 1 fits just fine. You must put a board in the bottom of the box to bring the battery up to the top of the battery box. Still, there is no support for the lid. I cut two 1/4" thick boards to fit the front and back of the battery box, that are high enough to support the lid. I used an original Ford script battery case to get the correct dimension for these two pieces. Been working for over ten years.