Battery tie-down on the M-series.

The battery was not tied down in my M-series, but I received a hold-down frame and one threaded rod with a hook (see picture 1) with the car. Looking at the battery frame in the car, I can see the leftover from a broken welded rod at the rear of the battery, but a welded hook (to catch the threaded rod) on the front side of the battery (picture 2).

How was it originally done? Welded rod in back, hook in front? Or welded rods both front and back? (I believe that's how it was in the L-series). Or hooks both front and back?

Also, any ideas how I could fix it without having to bring the car to a shop for welding?
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picture for you Lars... if you need better ones I can take them next time I´m with the car....
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Oh, now I get it (I think!). I assume that the front rod can move around on that welded-on loop. That would make sense.
Looks like I will have to have some welding done after all. Thank you Matthias!
Lars

 

Nope. You are thinking much too advanced. The vertical rod is welded solid to the loop. It is just a primitive but effecient way to support the threaded rod. It appears like you are missing one more rod on the opposite site...-

Best Peter
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Thanks, Peter. Good to know.
Seems like a curious design. Allowing the front rod to pivot would have made the battery easier to install and allowed for self-alignment when you tighten it down. Maybe that was the original design but the loop kept braking off and the factory just decided to weld the whole thing? We will never know, I guess. But I will have it welded just like you show.

And yes, I will need to add a welded rod in the back. Was there no loop in the back? I don't see it on your picture, and there is no trace of one on my car.

Best
Lars

 

There is no loop on the backside. The rod is just sitting on the cross member and leaning up aginst the battery frame and welded solid in place. The rod itself is a ø6mm cheap iron bar with M6 thread in the end.

Best Peter

 

Thanks Peter.

Lars

 

Does anyone know if the (proper) J-hook can be acquired or does it have to be fabricated?

 

I dont think dinoparts or superformance do them, Alberto (swift53) may be able to help or a local fabrication shop. Easy to do in all honesty Ron if you can source the correct steel rod for them.

Tony

 

+1
Any fabricator worth an ounce of his/her anvil should be able whip up stuff like this easy.

 

I'm having one fabricated. But then I ran into another issue. The repro top retainer bracket I acquired a few years ago does not fit my new battery, but more disturbing is that the location for the fixed and loose vertical rods does not match the bracket. My mechanic found another top bracket (not sure, but possibly from TRutlands) and that doesn't fit either. So it looks like I have to have a new top retainer bracket fabricated especially for my battery...sigh!