This Vette is my first, and I don't have an owner's manual or assembly manual to answer some simple questions. In the battery compartment, which direction should the battery set. With the side post terminals facing/pointing towards the rear so they are on the same side as, and above the battery hold down clamp, or facing/pointing the opposite direction, forward towards the driver's seat? Right now the battery is setting with the side posts facing/pointing forward towards the drivers seat, and the cables are not long enough to turn it around, making it necessary to unclamp the battery to disconnect or even reach the terminals. Is this right?

Also, in Mid America I see a "Battery Hold Down Reinforcement" for '68-'82s:

I don't have that. Where does it go?

All I have is the battery hold down clamp:

It seemed to hold a conventional battery firmly in place, but I just bought a red top Optima battery and when the battery hold down clamp is screwed down there is some space between the bottom of the clamp and the "lip" along the bottom edge of the battery allowing it to tilt forward a bit, no longer providing a "snug" fit.

Basically, what factory pieces should I have in the battery compartment, and where do they go? Should the Optima fit snugly too, like a conventionally shaped battery does, or does it's unique design prevent that snug fit without some sort of additional shim? I just don't want to get to the track only to have the tech tell me my battery is not secure enough therefore I can't race.

 

I just put an Optima red top in my 79 and it fit reasonably well in the compartment with terminals rearward. My battery came with a couple of red plastic pieces that can be attached to the battery base to raise the battery a bit. I tried each piece and the battery would not sit flat with either piece so I discarded both and the battery sits flat in the bottom of the compartment. My hold-down clamp has been AWOL for years and I've had no problem with the battery moving around.

Hope that helps.

Phil

 

This is how it fits. I do not know what that reinforcement bracket is. Never had a need for it. You can see the hold-down clamp at the bottom. It grips the lip on a proper size AC Delco battery and is bolted into the compartment base. That complicated looking affair on the left is a guillotine disconnect.