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Midget Battery Holddown

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Dr_EluSivE

Senior Member
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Hello, I have a 73 and i am getting tired of hearing the battery slide back and forth when i corner. What kind of hold down did these cars have originally. Mine is missing and I don't see anywhere to really attach one.

Pics are a plus..

Thanks!

Dr.
 
There are two flaps, either side of the battery, with a hole in em.
Get a 90* piece of metal from the hardware store, the kind that has holes in it, and a couple of long J bolts with wingnuts.
Thread the ends of the J bolts, at the curve, into the holes on the flaps. Push the threaded end of the J bolt through holes in the metal and clamp em down with a rubber washer and a wingnut.
Job done, $5.
Or you could go to the VB or Moss catalogs and pay 10 times that.

Go Salukis.
 
I did the same but added a piece of 1/2" angle iron bar across the back of the battery, drilled on each end to take the 9" and padded it with a piece of rubber from a bike inner tube. You might think about picking up one of those plastic marine battery boxes. All battery acid splls are contained in the battery box and not on metal hat will rust away.
 
Mine has a piece of wood for a cross bar. Pretty stupid looking but works.
batteryholder.jpg
 
On this subject,do the two little bumps behind the battery on the firewall serve any other purpose besides shorting out the battery.
 
Ha, turn the battery around then the terminals will be toward the front.
 
Mine pictured above is still positive ground, terminals are toward the front, they will be in the back when I flip it for the move to negative earth, eventually. No the heater valve was PO added I'm sure. Is it better to have two?
 
Only the valve on the cyl head is necessary, the other can be removed unless you need to water the lawn.
 
I wondered why the PO put in on, I suppose you close off the heater core loop entirely with two. Why you'd care to I don't know. Maybe with only the one ambient heat can still sneak into the core and heat the cabin? No idea.
 
Unless the core had a leak, then it could be isolated.
 
There's a good reason for it right there.
One of the first things I had to do to my Opel GT involved the heater core. In that car, that meant: drop steering column, pull windshield, pull entire dash assembly. Several days work.....
I like my Midget.
 
I used the battery hold-down from my old VW Scirocco! Basically a very stout rubber band with wire hooks that grab the hold-down loops...works great!!
 
Thanks for the advice, i wasn't sure what it had originally and i didnt want to ghetto it up unless i had to. Ill find me a piece of angle iron and just make a bracket. I am just afraid i am gonna damage my battery if i just let it float in there.

Baz.. I was in Carbondale, but i graduated and live in Springfield now. If you see a little Blue midget with mini lights running around town.. Its probably me.. I drive it several times a week..
 
Do you live/work on the west side of town?
Are you in the local Brit car club?
barry dot lacy (c) at comcast (aunt) dot (fish) net
Remove the () and the stuff in em.....
 
I am on the west side, but i work on the East side. I am not in any car club at the moment, but my mom is trying to get me to join the cool cruisers

Dr.
 
Sunday, 5th of Oct, there's a show at the Rock and Roll Hardees on Stevenson Drive at 1pm.
Cool Cruisers doesn't have anything for the rest of the year, but the Brit Club is planning on invading that (Oct 5) show en force. Stop by!
 
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