datsun 510 battery hold down

[carterb]

Is there a kit that works well to secure a common size battery to the PL510 battery shelf?  I find that batteries are generally wider than the shelf so the J-bolt type work on the fender well side, but not on the engine side.  I have cobbled together a few different solutions in the past but have never been happy with them.

 

If you have a kit you like or a solution you are particularly proud of, please post below.

 

I'm not converting to a Braille or Optima or anything like that.  Solutions for "standard" automotive batteries please.  Thanks!

--carter

[Lockleaf]

Maybe put in an eyelet that sticks out farther from under the battery and still use a normal j hook?

 

 

Use nuts to set it to whatever length you need?

[Lockleaf]

Maybe put in an eyelet that sticks out farther from under the battery and still use a normal j hook? [This is an absurd huge example of the idea]

 

 

Use nuts to set it to whatever length you need?

[carterb]

I've done something similar with a stud that the J'bolt hangs on to.

 

What did the factory use?  Did the cars just have smaller batteries back then?  40 years of replacement batteries in "whatever size is closest" must have got us into this pickle.

 

--carter

[Ranman72]

I have just bent the J bolt slightly to make it go wider 

[Draker]

I have just bent the J bolt slightly to make it go wider 

 

Me too. A few angled bends to clear the battery and it works out pretty nice!

[Lockleaf]

Otherwise, you can look into miata battery, civic 51 series battery, or a Harley style battery.

 

At oreillys they sell a Harley battery called ext30. Its sealed, agm, small, and over 200 cca.

[qwik510]

Carter,

 

I have the same issue. In the past, I just bent the J bolt but that was not a great solution. Short of adding some sort of aftermarket hold down, I don't think there are many good options.

 

So I just did a search on eBay and found this J bolt that with minimal straightening looks like it would work well. Because it has such a wide hook, just taking out the first bend on the straight section might have it stick out enough to work with the wider battery.

 

 

 

Look at this on eBay:

 

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=262272127186&globalID=EBAY-US

 

New 9 1/2" x 5/16" Battery Hold Down #18078

[carterb]

I ended up using a bolt sticking out the side of the battery tray pointing toward the engine again.  There are already holes in the battery tray that make this easy to do.  The J bolt grabs the bolt shank and the bolt head prevents the j-bolt from sliding off.

 

Still begs the question of what they did from the factory.  They *must* have just come with smaller batteries than what many of us run today.

--carter

[Draker]

They were skinnier I believe.

[H5WAGON]

Size 51R sits on the battery shelf with room to spare.

 

 

Get a battery with a flat top....easier to make a hold down

 

Sorry about the links....I tried to use my Photobucket account, I think its frozen or something.

 

Laptop issues...

[H5WAGON]

Standard hold down set at any parts store....Ends trimmed to fit with grinder.

 

Hold down is just a piece of Aluminum cut and rounded with a grinder. 5 minutes....Piece of bike tube under the Aluminum for a little cushion.