Howdy there arm chair HAMB rocket scientists and opinion slingers, need some advice here. Dumped a 283 into a 1948 Mercury via an Offenhauser a-dap-tor kit. The factory battery box wants to occupy the same bit of space currently inhabited by the aforementioned Chevy. The box had been repaired by a previous owner and I have no qualms about further hacking, but the question remains: How close is too close? I do not want to build obsolescence into this hoopty if I can avoid it, nor do I want want to build a time bomb. Yours truly in electric lunch lady land...
Not the best photo to gauge how close it would be . It looks like the tray is level with the exhaust manifold, but I doubt that's the case. JW
The ramshorn is touching the battery box. I can cut chop weld and get maaaybe 1/4" or so clearance but not sure if it's worth the time. What are you cowboys doing with your SBC into 41-48 Ford swaps? I'm a "keep it simple stupid" kinda dude. Trying to avoid moving it to the trunk if possible.
I would put it under the floor, passenger side, where the passenger feet would go. That way there, it would be out of the way, but close to the starter. The only issue I would be concern with is with the exhaust pipe.
Mine is mounted inside the trunk on the passenger side on 3 of my hot rods, all Fords. A '28, a '32 and a 1947. I hate the look of a battery crowded into an already filled up engine compartment.
The battery could also be mounted to the outside of the frame rail, just behind the right front wheel. There is plenty of room there, still close to the starter, no interference with the exhaust system, etc. a friend has his mounted there on a '37 Chevy and it has worked out well. A simple sheet metal baffle between the tire and battery, or a marine battery case, would protect the battery from road debris. Ray
Batteries do not like heat- that is way too close [emoji33] ! On my 47 Ford I mounted it high on the firewall ,like 2racers picture. Better, but not great..... Better is somewhere in the front of the engine compt or out of the engine compt. Cool batteries last a lot longer....[emoji2]
My buddy's '48 Merc has the battery mounted behind the rear seat. Access is through the trunk. It's been there for 12 years with no problems.
I like to mount the battery in the truck inside a boat battery box,it just helps keep under the hood looking cleaner. HRP
I hate the look of the battery cluttering up the engine bay. Mother Mopar (with those real engineers) trunk mounted batteries and I followed with great results. A clean engine compartment with weight on the rear of the car. I got away with that in stock class. What tech looks at the battery? I used #4 welder cable for the lines.
YES on the welder cable for power AND ground. Run them both forward, ground to engine block, bell housing bolt preferable. Run a ground 'strap' (braided copper from a big truck shop) from the bell housing to the frame, sounds redundant, but the frame is NOT a good conductor of low voltage electricity. Dedicated ground cable is best for a battery residing 5+ feet away from the starter. Unlike the Maritime, in automobiles it's GOOD to 'run a ground'.
I was going to say the same thing.^^^^ In those old cars the battery was an after thought, then you put a different mill in there that is shaped different and it ends up being a real pain. if you opt to leave the battery where it is insulate it at the very least.
my battery is in the firewall, a modification done to 35-36 Fords often in the 50's 60's I kept it but it is high enough so that heat is not a problem, those manifolds generate a lot of heat, burned myself more than once on them move it up or out in back like others said.
You are correct!---Mine is in the trunk, inside a marine battery box, no fuss, no mess. Also using welding cables,---No problems!
what i have done a few `40 Fords is modify the stock battery tray to move the battery over a couple inches. that requires modifying the inner fender too , i made a sheetmetal box and welded it in. the battery ends up half under the fender
Both my 46 Ford & my 48 Merc have trunk mounted batteries, along with my Girlfriends 57 Pontiac, been that way for years with no issues, all are sbc powered.
A lot of the cars of this era had the battery under the front seat and were 6 volt, that's a long way from the starter for that voltage. So to put a 12 volt battery in the trunk with heavy cables will work fine. Its the ground/earth that is usually the weak link. JW
Raise the battery box up, the '42 Ford PU I had, box was in a similar location, but (factory) it was about a foot above the frame rail, IIRC had a "stand" off the frame rail, then tied over to the fender well?
I don't know if you have room underneath your fender but I put mine there. Actually I did it on three street rods I built. Nothing affected it and worked great.. Both battery cables will be short.
My battery is in the original position with a SBF. Been like that for 19 yrs or so with no battery issues. Put in a ford engine and won't have these problems, just saying.....
As far as I know this is a stock battery tray mount and I have the same engine mounting system you show. Having said that, I agree that it should be a simple matter to raise the tray and still have good fender/hood clearance. I've had no problem with the battery overheating thus far (touch wood). p.s. Temporary rocker covers and wires! Dave
Dave!! Now that's what I'm talking about!! Nearly exact same setup! The previous owners of this car have done some weird stuff, I can tell my tray has been repaired/modified, maybe a stocker would fit like yours. Your engine might be a bit lower, but I'm not sure. I think I'll cut the box down to a 22F battery size and raise it up a bit, should give me a bit more clearance.
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