MTFCA Forum

I have a 1922 Touring Car and need help with the Battery and Battery box area.

Parts I may need to find:

Metal Battery Box
Battery Box Lid
Wooden Battery Box
Battery

I have been using a rinky setup with a wood plank on the bottom with a Group 1 Battery (6v) the battery is ready for replacement so I decided that now might be a good time to fix up that area of the car.

I would like to get an original setup for the car and then get a battery to fit in the original space. The limits me to an Optima red top of a smaller size turned at an angle in the box or possibly an 8v battery. I dont know much about that option but it sounds interesting. Any experience folks have on that would be great.

Your. " rinky " set - up is just fine. That wood board is used underneath to compensate the difference that the taller original battery measured compared to our present modern battery availability. I use two boards to elevate the Optima Red Top 6 volt in my car.

I had dozens of lower battery boxes made several years ago. Lids show up once in a while. There are two styles. You still need to shim up a modern battery to get it to fit correctly once inside of the battery box. Good luck on your adventure! By the way the current reproductions of the battery box were not up to Ford's specs, but may work for you.

If you add a small wooden block under each hold down piece, you will spread the load on the battery case and set those clamps at the correct height, at the same time isolating them from any risk of acid corrosion.
Allan from down under.

The battery box lids were probably thrown off in the garage along with the engine pans since the batteries were changed and the lid was looked at as just an extra. The pans were thought about the same way as time went on and as a T was getting older and needing repair. A group 1 6volt battery is probably the most common size used in a T since it’s readily available at most farm stores.

I used the battery box without any lid. You have to pull the floor boards to notice.
No lid has less chance of a very bad unprotected short circuit.
Exploding batteries are no picnic.

I used the battery box without any lid. You have to pull the floor boards to notice.
No lid has less chance of a very bad unprotected short circuit.
Exploding batteries are no picnic.

Once upon a time...there was a Model T...chassis only and as it sat at the side of the road, I pulled up a seat. Yup, it had a real battery box with a real lid. I heard the sizzle for a while and while wondering what the noise was something burned a hole in my pants! I've had a bunch of T's since...not once have I thought about a battery box and cover...but they sure sound nice!

Adam, the wooden battery box was actually the battery case. The plates ans electrolyte were built into the pitch lined wooden box to make the assembled battery. The two hold down clamps engaged on the metal handles at each end of the case. These handles were there to lift the battery.

later the cases were made of hard rubber. Today they are plastic.

I still use the tin battery box in the carrier. I will never re-use the lid, having almost caused a disaster when i had an electrical problem. If you are intent on installing a cover, be sure to add an easily accessible master switch to cut off the current. There is a very good reason why so few original battery box lids have survived.

Allan from down under.