the '88 - '89 battery hold-down?

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This sub-forum is for discussion of very general discussion of 1980-89 Town Cars that is not suitable to the other specific sub-forums asking for advice.
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Gerald F. Chase
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the '88 - '89 battery hold-down?

Post by Gerald F. Chase »

I'm perplexed as to why my '88 TC has only ONE anchor point for a vertical threaded rod, as part of a hold-down assembly. Where does the expected front anchor point for the 'other' vertical rod "fit" or "go"??

My car had no hold-down when I bought it. I don't know what the '88 - '89 hold-down looks like. It must be wider than the pre-'88 hold-down, since such cars were specified to have a Group 56. In contrast, the '88 & '89 TCs came with a Group 65, which are 1.4" wider, 2.1" longer, and 0.8" lower in height than the Group 56.

So, I'm thinking that maybe someone on this BB could provide, or take, a photograph of the hold-down for an '88 or '89, to provide me here a guide as to what to install. Most salvage yards / junk yards don't have such 'old' cars these days. lol Maybe a later TC has the same hold-down?? idk
Last edited by Gerald F. Chase on Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gerald F. Chase
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Posts: 1119
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2002 1:01 am
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Re: the '88 - '89 battery hold-down?

Post by Gerald F. Chase »

Can anyone explain in detail the style and shape of the battery hold-down components for these cars, for a Group 65 battery, which is 1.4" wider (from front to back) than a Group 56.

My '88 didn't come with any hold-down pieces.... except there is a vertical threaded rod at the back side of the battery (near the inner right front fender). I'm guessing that I must construction something for the "near side", since there is no threaded rod on the 'near' or front side (toward the bumper). A Group 65 being wider (or 'deeper'), there is not likely to be room for a second vertical rod..... nor is there a place to hook it onto at the bottom of the 'tray'.

BTW, the 'tray' in my car seems distorted; i.e., not flat. Is this normal? How can the battery be kept from 'rocking' while on said 'tray'(even with a hold-down device)? Shouldn't a battery tray be FLAT ?
Gerald F. Chase
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Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2002 1:01 am
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progress report

Post by Gerald F. Chase »

After a fairly-lengthy and varied search, I finally found a couple of items of generic hold-down equipment at my local Advance Auto Parts.

To get a crossover bracket wide enough for a Group 65 battery was probably the single hardest thing to find. Said retailer had an adjustable-width crossover bracket. A separate item had the traditional metal bracket of insufficient width for me, but some necessary items.... like an right angle piece, a triangular-shaped small piece with holes, and at least one set of bolts & nuts.... all of which to anchor the front to the header panel (at the right of the radiator).

When I get a warmer day here, I'll try to install them. I think that I can make a good hold-down device for this '88 TC..... but I'm still semi-baffled as to why the battery tray is not flat. I really would like to examine another late '80s TC, to study its tray.

The battery tray for pre-'87 TCs has an angle iron at the front edge of the tray, with the requisite hole for a "J-hook" threaded rod. It appears that what L-M Div. did was to remove this angle iron from the front edge of the tray to accommodate the deeper width of a Group 65 (compared to a Group 56)...... but the rest of the tray seems just the same. The big question remains: why is my '88 battery tray warped..... which might tend to cause my Group 65 to "rock" in the tray, despite an-otherwise fine hold-down set-up. Mysteries abound.
Gerald F. Chase
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embarrassing conclusion:

Post by Gerald F. Chase »

I can only PARTIALLY blame my pre-cataract-removal eyes for my wrong conclusion about my battery tray. It is NOT warped. What I discovered was...... a previous owner (or their agent) had only PARTIALLY cut off the slightly-raised plastic "curb" on the forward edge of said battery tray. It was because part was removed and part was not, a sloppy, uneven removal.... that caused the battery to not lay flat within the tray... and would thus "rock". A Group 65 must go over the top of this "berm" or "curb" on the tray... because it's wider (deeper) than a Group 56 battery.

Yesterday, with the battery out of the car, I saw the need much more accurately. I took a windshield-sticker scraper [a single-edge razor blade, held on the end of an "arm"] and held it "at an angle" to this raised plastic 'berm' or 'curb'..... cutting it off completely... and smoothly with the tray's surface. Voila!----battery now sits solidly and steadily on said tray . . that really is flat. My eyes deceived me, I think.

Also, I had feared that a bolt from below, near the front fender corner, was too close for a Group 65 to fit. It does not interfere, I discovered.... though it does come close.

I had a couple of leftover threaded vertical rods; so together with the adjustable crossover bracket and the generic hold-down 'kit' that contained several needed hardware bits... to form the front-edge 'anchor'... via a bolt on the rear edge of the "header" panel.... I finally will be able to secure the battery in place. The only really difficult thing is to find a crossover bracket WIDE ENOUGH [ 7 3/8"] to go completely across the top of a Group 65.

My theory is that when these late '80s RWD FoMoCos were made, a choice of a plastic crossover bracket that proved to be of short life..... and the owners simply threw the oft-broken bracket away.... and stuffed odd bits of stuff around the battery to try to hold it in place. They oft knew it was insufficient.... but these things happen, esp. as cars age. I'll try to post a photograph of how mine looks when it's done. Oh, I duct-taped the two-piece crossover bracket together.... just so if I ever change batteries, it won't fold up like a cheap card table. Cheers!
Last edited by Gerald F. Chase on Mon Feb 29, 2016 7:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Gerald F. Chase
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a bit of necessary fabricating

Post by Gerald F. Chase »

I had a little time today to work on this small project.

After trying to use the black plastic-coated metal parts that came with a generic too-narrow hold-down bracket, I realized that, while the adjustable crossover bracket is great, and that I had a leftover threaded rod, I needed to secure the forward-edge of said crossover hold-down bracket via support from the rear edge of the header panel (just back of the headlights), because there is no place for a second threaded "J-hook" at the front.

After fiddling for a while, and noticing the non-alignment of the hole in the header panel versus the hole in the hold-down bracket, I concluded that the BEST method would probably be a 5/16" bolt, aiming downward at a slight angle toward the bracket hole. I used a rat-tail file to slightly modify the plastic bracket forward hole (to be able to receive said bolt).

Tomorrow, I will use several washers, nuts, and a couple of lock washers on this bolt. It must be secured at the top, at the header panel. Then I must "double-nut" on the bolt shaft ABOVE the bracket, install a washer.... and finally, install a nut and lock washer underneath the bracket. [I bought a bolt that had threads all the way from the end to the head.] Thus, there will be lots of adjustment room for the various nuts.... to be totally secure and to hold all in proper place. It's sort of what we used to call a "kluge".... but "any port in a storm". :lol:
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