The Ford Barn

Tom B. · 06-28-2015, 06:38 PM

I recently bought a 1936 Ford and the battery that came with it is too tall. The cover, which is part of the floor board, doesn't fit. What is the correct battery size for the car and can it be purchased at Fleet Farm or some other low priced store? Can the battery support tray be modified?
Tom B.

KiWinUS · 06-28-2015, 06:42 PM

buy an Optima from Amazon & you will never look back !!! It will laydown on an angle & you will be able to install the cover . The Optima has 800 cold cranking amps & will spin your flatty over like a 12volt but still b 6volt . It will probably outlast 3 regular batteries .
Cheers
Tony

mrtexas · 06-28-2015, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom B.

I recently bought a 1936 Ford and the battery that came with it is too tall. The cover, which is part of the floor board, doesn't fit. What is the correct battery size for the car and can it be purchased at Fleet Farm or some other low priced store? Can the battery support tray be modified?
Tom B.

I modified the tray to take a taller battery.

JSeery · 06-28-2015, 07:05 PM

There have been past threads/post on modifying the tray.

flatheadfan · 06-28-2015, 07:28 PM

Tom-

The go-to guy on finding a cover for a too tall battery is Larry Cossar. I don't have his address but I believe he is located in New England.

Tom

JM 35 Sedan · 06-28-2015, 08:13 PM

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The correct battery size for a '36 Ford passenger car is a "2LF" . Group 2, L= low, F= Ford, BUT, I believe the only companies making that special size conventional lead acid battery are Anitque Auto Battery, and Restoration Battery, both in Ohio.
My experience with these batteries has been...they are too expensive and short lived. Like Tony, I use Optima batteries now in my '35 Fords. I make special holders that clamp into the stock battery box and also lower the battery enough to use the stock cover. I posted pictures of this on another recent battery post if you care to take a look.
If your existing battery is relatively new, and has plenty of life left, I think Larry's raised cover would be the lowest cost option.

bobH · 06-28-2015, 09:31 PM

I needed a new battery holder, as my original was shot, falling apart. I made a duplicate of original, except lowered the bottom the appropriate amount to accomodate the taller battery. Simple, works fine.
Later, switch to an Optima, no need for modified holder, but still using it.

VeryTangled · 06-28-2015, 10:57 PM

Hi Everyone, I'm reposting some of JM's photos.

06-28-2015, 06:38 PM	#1
Tom B. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Wautoma Posts: 112	Battery too tall for 1936 I recently bought a 1936 Ford and the battery that came with it is too tall. The cover, which is part of the floor board, doesn't fit. What is the correct battery size for the car and can it be purchased at Fleet Farm or some other low priced store? Can the battery support tray be modified? Tom B.

06-28-2015, 06:42 PM	#2
KiWinUS Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlotte NC KiWi-L100 available here Posts: 2,960	Re: Battery too tall for 1936 buy an Optima from Amazon & you will never look back !!! It will laydown on an angle & you will be able to install the cover . The Optima has 800 cold cranking amps & will spin your flatty over like a 12volt but still b 6volt . It will probably outlast 3 regular batteries . Cheers Tony

06-28-2015, 07:05 PM	#4
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Battery too tall for 1936 There have been past threads/post on modifying the tray.

06-28-2015, 08:13 PM	#6
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: Battery too tall for 1936 Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) The correct battery size for a '36 Ford passenger car is a "2LF" . Group 2, L= low, F= Ford, BUT, I believe the only companies making that special size conventional lead acid battery are Anitque Auto Battery, and Restoration Battery, both in Ohio. My experience with these batteries has been...they are too expensive and short lived. Like Tony, I use Optima batteries now in my '35 Fords. I make special holders that clamp into the stock battery box and also lower the battery enough to use the stock cover. I posted pictures of this on another recent battery post if you care to take a look. If your existing battery is relatively new, and has plenty of life left, I think Larry's raised cover would be the lowest cost option. __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein*

06-28-2015, 09:31 PM	#7
bobH Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: so cal, placerville, vegas Posts: 1,394	Re: Battery too tall for 1936 I needed a new battery holder, as my original was shot, falling apart. I made a duplicate of original, except lowered the bottom the appropriate amount to accomodate the taller battery. Simple, works fine. Later, switch to an Optima, no need for modified holder, but still using it.