Battery hold down bolts

[troublemaker427]

I am attempting to install the proper size battery and hold down in my 57 Custom. My question is are the battery hold down J bolts two different lengths? The one that hooks to the core support appears to be to short. Thanks

[JimNolan]

Yes they are. Best I remember the long one goes near the starter solenoid. FWIW: I've got 3 new batteries sitting here that are replicas of the original battery. Two wet cells and one jell cell. None of which will turn over a FE engine that's been running long enough to come up to temperature. One manufacture listed a 625 CCA on his battery. When we checked it (the wet cells) they had @ 400 CCA brand new fully charged. I used the rods and made my own hold down.

[lalessi1]

Not to steal the thread but my 462 FE with 11.2 compression turns over like crazy with a Motorcraft original size battery (400 or so CCA) AND cables. Jim, what are you using for a starter motor?

Oh yea, the J bolts are different length.

[rmk57]

If you have headers could be the starter is getting heat soaked. I had the that problem with my 514 big block with the battery in the trunk. I replaced the stock starter with one those ebay chinese PMGR starters. Best thing I ever did, cranks over the same whether hot or cold. My battery is a wimpy 450 cca also.

[JimNolan]

Not to steal the thread but my 462 FE with 11.2 compression turns over like crazy with a Motorcraft original size battery (400 or so CCA) AND cables. Jim, what are you using for a starter motor?

Oh yea, the J bolts are different length.

I'm running a Powermaster 3131 High torque starter. I get my batteries at NAPA, usually about 625 CCA as I remember. Yes, I run headers also. I watched the NAPA guy put his meter on the Power Punch I'd bought and it read around 400CCA (advertised for 525CCA) then he went straight to the Napa battery and it read exactly what was advertised. When you drive to a show, they say park here, you turn off the engine and they tell you to move to another spot and the engine won't crank until everything cools down you get aggravated. I've run Napa batteries for 8 years at a time and didn't have any problems.

[JimNolan]

Here is the original post way back when, My memory isn't that good. Sorry for the mis-information. I gave Battery Exchange too much credit for the CCA of their battery.

Guys,
   I gotta tell you about this one. I bought a Wet Cell classic car battery once and it wouldn't turn my car over after the car got hot. They advertised 650 cranking amps and Napa found out it only had about 250. The people from Battery Exchange sent me another one and it didn't do any better. Out $350.00.
Last year I bought a Classic Car Battery from another place that was really an Odyssey Gell Cell inside. It worked good this summer and the cars been sitting out in the hanger for about a month now and it won't even turn the engine over now. That one cost me another $350.00. My car will never have another Power Punch restoration battery in it. If you remember correctly we had better batteries 55 years ago than these sleezey company's can reproduce today. I wish I lived close enough to that place that makes these pieces of _ _ _ _. I'd return it through the store front window at about 1:30 am in the morning. Jim PS  Moral of story is don't buy from Auto Battery Exchange or a company that sells thier batteries. I thought I was buying from another company this last time but it was a middle man that just got a piece of the action by advertising their junk.  EDIT:  It's a heated hanger for God's sake. It doesn't go below 45 degrees. I'm pissed

[lalessi1]

Jim, so your starter is working with the NAPA battery now? I bought a Motorcraft BH-29NF (original size battery) from the Ford dealer for about $100. I have an MSD DynaForce 5093 starter that has a 3.4 hp motor and 4.4 to 1 gear reduction, they say it will start FE engines with up to 18 to1 compression ratio. I am very happy with the combination.

[cokefirst]

the front battery hold down bolt is much shorter than the rear.  The battery is a group size 29NF.  There was an optional group size 32, but you are not going to find that except at a specialty restoration parts store.  It takes a different hold down and tray.  It was used in the Thunderbird and may have been used in cars with factory air. 

You can get the 29NF battery at several places, like Interstate Battery, Napa and some other auto parts stores.  The hold downs and bolts are sold by all the parts suppliers like Macs, Concourse parts and many others.  I have a 57 Skyliner with factory air and I use an interstate battery and have no problems starting my Y block.  I had a 61 Ford with a 390 and it also had the 29NF battery size and I never had any starting problems with it.

[troublemaker427]

Thanks for the help guys.  I purchased a Group 29NF battery from NAPA.  Works good so far but as of right now I still have a 223 six.  I also bought a hold down and J bolts from Dennis Carpenter.  The hold down is good but both J bolts were the same length.  What I found was that the front J bolt is longer than the rear bolt.  I purchased a universal J bolt kit and cut the front bolt to the correct length. 

[JimNolan]

Thanks for the help guys.  I purchased a Group 29NF battery from NAPA.  Works good so far but as of right now I still have a 223 six.  I also bought a hold down and J bolts from Dennis Carpenter.  The hold down is good but both J bolts were the same length.  What I found was that the front J bolt is longer than the rear bolt.  I purchased a universal J bolt kit and cut the front bolt to the correct length. 

Jody, I didn't know NAPA made a battery for our cars. I've got two different size hold downs and a bunch of J-bolts that I haven't been able to use. I'll look up the 29NF battery you speak of. NAPA has good batteries, don't know who makes them but they've always done good by me. Thanks

[JimNolan]

Opps, 390 cca. Not enough for me with FE and headers.

[gasman826]

I quit screwing around with wet cell batteries several years ago.  I have OPTIMA batteries in everything.  They can be mounted anywhere (even upside down).  They need no vent for trunk mount (NHRA).  No acid fumes rotting the hood or core support.  Won't explode.  The only batteries that would spin diesel farm equipment in the winter.  I've never gotten less than five years out of any of them.  800CCA!!!!

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/optima-redtop-starting-battery-group-size-34-78-800-cca-34-78-980/16080024-P?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000%7CL3*15597

[thomasso]

As i recall,  i cut the front bolt to proper length and cut more threads.  Kind of tricky to hold it in place when installing hold down.

[JimNolan]

I quit screwing around with wet cell batteries several years ago.  I have OPTIMA batteries in everything.  They can be mounted anywhere (even upside down).  They need no vent for trunk mount (NHRA).  No acid fumes rotting the hood or core support.  Won't explode.  The only batteries that would spin diesel farm equipment in the winter.  I've never gotten less than five years out of any of them.  800CCA!!!!

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/optima-redtop-starting-battery-group-size-34-78-800-cca-34-78-980/16080024-P?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000%7CL3*15597

Gasman, I think he's looking for something that looks original. I started out doing that and it didn't take long for me to figure out if I was going to drive the car very much things like tires, batteries, lights, wheels, motors, transmissions, rear ends, brakes etc. might need to be updated. I just won't change the body, dash, trunk or interior. That has to be stock appearing with me.

[Ecode70D]

    Here is another opinion on the battery hold down J bolts.  A fellow  forum member who is restoring a 57 business coupe came by the shop today and brought his set with him.  He said that the Ford book states that they are both the same length. This does not apply to Thunderbirds.
   
      First of all you have to have the original battery box and the core support has to be unaltered in that area.

      They are both the same length.... 5 3/4 inches long.  One fits in a slot on the core support and the other fits in a slot on the back of the battery box. (solenoid side)
   
       Look closely at the picture and you can see the different diameters and J hook edges .
 
      One is 1/4 " in diameter.

       The other is  5/16  " in diameter.

         The J bolt hooks are respectively different.  The slots on the side of the battery box and core support are different also.