mulchie

I need a battery hold down clamp. The assembley manual shows a clamp that bolts to the bottom of the battery compartment, however, I have a narrow post that runs vertically from the floor of the battery compartment to slightly above the battery. This rod takes a 90 degree turn at the top towards the rear. My bro's 70 has the same thing. Question, the post is not shown in the assembley manual-is it correct? Secondly, does the hold-down clamp in the assembley manual actually fit around the post and clamp the top of the battery? Thanks

Joe Lucia

"mulchie"-----

The battery hold-down that you describe is NOT a stock, otiginal component. If your brother has the same thing, then someone has modified his, too.

The original battery holddown for all 68-82 Corvettes is a steel bracket which attaches to another bracket the bottom of the battery box. The bracket engages the BOTTOM of the battery. There is NO bracket on the top of the battery.

Rowdy Rat

To answer your first question, no, the rod/post that you describe was not a factory installation (however, it may actually be functional).

The original method used to retain the battery uses the clamp you describe to secure the battery at its BASE. The straight edge of the clamp goes over a groove in the base of the OEM battery and is secured with a bolt that runs through the clamp and threads into a bracket that is riveted to the underside (exterior) of the battery compartment.

Many batteries available are not the same size and/or configuration as the OEM battery and as such, can't be secured using the factory parts - this may be the reason for your "custom" battery hold down. Another possibility is that the bracket on the underside of the battery compartment might be missing. The aluminum rivets used to secure this bracket tend to corrode and fall apart when exposed to the elements over a period of time.

Regards,

Stan Falenski

Paul L

Here is a pic of the clamp at the bottom.