Battery clamp

I had a hard time finding a battery with the ears at the bottom to replave the temp battery I've been using. Now I can't find my battery clamp or remember if I had one. Does anyone have a pic of the oem battery hold down clamp?

Thanks,
Seth

Sorry Seth, I think mine was in the rust that was the battery box.

Thanks. I found a nos one on Ebay and ordered it, hopefully it fits.

Hi Seth, I got the same problem like you had. Can you post a picture of yours and do you know if they are the same like the ones out of the 1960's Broncos or F-series trucks?
Thanks

This is the one I bought off ebay, not sure if it's right, but it looks like it could be.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/162244166184?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

If that is the right clamp I don't think they are the same as the F trucks b/c those are all repro'd and I couldn't find one that looked like that. Not sure about the Bronco's though.

Finding a battery with the lower hold down v's sticking out on either end was quite a chore. One goes into the groove at the back of the tray and the other one is held down by the clamp in the front. Looks like it would be easy to make a clamp if you had to. The old battery was an Exide brand and none of the 3 auto parts stores in town carried Exide or had a group 24 battery with those hold downs molded into the ends. I searched online and found that the local Home Depot now has car battery's and carries the Exide brand and they still have the hold downs molded in. This is the one I picked up yesterday:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Exide-Extreme-24-Auto-Battery-24X/204852593

It fit like a glove.

Thanks for the pics, Seth. I gonna try to find an original one on ebay.
It's easy to find a battery with the lower hold downs in Europe most of them have it, but I'm not sure with the capacity. Do you think it's good for my late 70's 300 engine? What engine do you got?

Your welcome. It should be fine either way 560 or 800 cca's, the later smaller gear reduction starters are what to use when you need a new one and that helps some to I think. Assuming yours is a 2 bolt starter. I'm running a 250 with an aod trans. The aod uses the 2 bolt starter. Ford only used 2 different 2 bolt starters for everything old or newer(70's-90's). Manual or auto trans is the difference, the auto starter won't fit the bore in a manual bell. I always buy the best battery I can find, @ 0F degrees, 800 cold cranking amps or more. Usually it's only an extra $20-30 for the premium battery, in a wet lead acid battery anyway. I don't think it would take much to make that clamp. Right now I've got an appropriately sized stick of walnut wedging the battery fwd into the hold down groove in the pan. You may have better luck putting an ask on the e-wanted sub forum here than searching or waiting on ebay. I think I got lucky, I bet those things are like hen's teeth on ebay most times.

I forgot, I followed your 250 swap. Good work, looks pretty nice.
Yes, I got the 2 bolt starter. My van had an automatic conversion when I bought it, but I like manuals and the C4 wasn't the Econoline version so I swaped the transmission back to the original 3.03. I used the starter which came with the automatic and it seems to fit?! But I didn't tested it in the van yet. The flywheel has 164 teeth like the former automatic one.
I got a huge batterie at the moment while I work one the van and it absolutely doesn't fit the battery box, but will buy the right size and definately good quality when the vans finished. The one I use at the moment is an 15year old high quality Varta battery. I used it in various cars and it works like on day one.
Thanks for your suggestions. I gonna make a clamp by myself with the ebay pictures you linked and buy an original when I find one.

That's where I was with my battery. I was using a group 30 something boat battery from work and anytime I 'got on it' it would go flying and tug on the wires

For me it was the 250 b/c I wanted to have the sbf bell pattern to have OD and maybe put an 4R70W in one day or other trans besides the aod. I went down the highway over the weekend a 1/2 hr away to get the battery and the aod shifted like a champ. It's nice around town having 3.7 gears in the back and to run down the highway @ 60 or more and purr with a nice passing gear upshift when you need it, automatically.  A short driveshaft is ok if the alignment is right. There's still plenty well enough play in the yoke. A 5 speed manual would be great. I don't know how we'd do the linkage, but I'm sure it could be done. With an electronically controlled transmission you can control all the shift points and it's a little easier and better than tuning a hydraulic auto trans like the aod. I like the idea of a small six to. I had an 89 Toyota Cressida with a wonderful I6. You have a 240 or 300 and must not have the old 3 bolt starter bell like the little 6's. You've got trans option as well. I know, there is a charm to the old 3 on the tree, for me it's a daily driver and my truck is a stick. When you need a new starter, get one from a 93 manual f150 with a 300, or trans options are good. My 92 f150 300 efi uses the same starter.

Seth, my starter seems to work. I tried it last sunday and it turn the engine without any strange sounds. Probably it was already a starter for the manual but bolted to the automatic which was in the van when I bought it.
I didn't drove the van with the 3 spd, yet, but I'm sure it was the right decision to go back to the original. I'm used to drive stick shifters, never had an automatic.
With my 300cui and the 3.00 rear it should be ok for the highway, or autobahn, too. I'm pretty excited how much power the engine got, with the clifford intake, holley double barrell, headers and performance cam.

It's all what you need and what you want. I totally get that, 3 on the tree is great. Yeah, 3:1 will be good. Stay out of that left lane on the autobahn tho lol The Ford 300 is one of the greatest engines Ford ever made imo. It will pull beyond it's rational means and run forever. A very stout and reliable engine. I have one in my pickup. It's over 240,000 miles, doesn't burn oil and has given me very little grief. I paid $1000 for it 7 years ago and have driven it the 2500 miles from here to Indiana and back again, fully loaded both ways. Over loaded I'd say. And that was with well over 200K on it then.

I got the battery hold down and it worked, but it would be a super simple thing to make out of a piece of 1/8" or 4-5 mm steel with a hole or slot and a 90 deg fold along it's length with 5-6 mm past the fold.