1969 battery install help
 

So, it appears (based on the diagram from CA below that I needed to purchase some pieces for the hold-down as my batter was just sitting in its well...not held-down. I bought the kit from CA, and understand how to install the retainer with the bolt (sits behind the battery) but I am not clear on how these other pieces go...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...dc3f94622.jpeg

Trying to understand where / how the front and rear reinforcement and clamp pieces go...Can someone help me here? The assembly manual is equally vague!

thanks!!

The front and rear reinforcement pieces are under the car and riveted to the fiberglass. They reinforce and provide strength to the glass from below. The battery is dropped in and slid up against the front clamp which is riveted to the front reinforcement below. The clamp is then installed against the rear of the battery and is held down to the underside rear reinforcement piece with the bolt.

ok...thanks. Looks like I may have bought some stuff I don’t need. Not the last time I'm sure!

So I need to get under the car and see what’s actually there. As it stands now, the rear clamp is installed and does seem to keep the battery from jostling around but I can lift it out if I really try.

There is a recess at the bottom edge of the battery where the lips on the front clamp and the rear retainer fit so they can lock the battery in place. If the front clamp is not riveted in place or is backward or upside down, that lip will not engage with the battery case. Same with the rear retainer. And if the battery you bought does not have the recess along the bottom edges (front and back), there will be not place for the retainer and clamp to grab onto it.

Are you sure that your battery is the correct size? There should be a number on top on a sticker.

For my small block 73, Group Size 75 is standard. I think Group 78 fits as well.

There is a recess on the battery and that's what the rear clamp is engaged into. I am not clear what the proper installation of the front clamp should be (again I can't really tell from the diagram) but I think it appears to be upside down...it definitely is riveted in.

Does anyone have any images that might help here?

Thanks very much for the input!!

There should be a recess (notch) on the front and rear of the battery.
#6 is riveted to the car.
Install the battery and slide it forward so the recess in the battery goes into #6.
Install #1 and tighten the bolt #2.

Here's a picture.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9e1ccdaf34.jpg

Wow, that's truly helpful. Based on this and what I can see in the battery well, I think 6 is not riveted in properly. Next I guess I have to figure out how to remove the rivets without damaging anything. Can't thank you enough!

I doubt that if its original.
Try flipping the clamp over. They dont work well upside down.

That's my plan...of course, my plans don't seem to be going the way I originally envisioned, but I'm learning!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...4e6257c362.jpg
Here is a picture of the bottom of a 69 battery compartment. Does your front clamp look like this one ?

I was elbow deep in the alarm system and removing carpet so didn’t get to this today, but a thought hit me...the previous owner had put a Corvette America pad (yellow, kind of thick) beneath the battery. Wondering if that added padding is making the battery groove too high to engage the front clamp? I still need to see if the clamp is upside down, but maybe this is the issue?

Not the stationary clamp, the one with the bolt.;)

The pad, if too thick, could be an issue. If you have the loose parts, sit the battery on the bench, and hold the clamps to it by hand and see how they work.

So, the one with the bolt does seem to be engaging the battery’s groove. I was talking about the one that’s riveted in. I need to pull the battery (what a PITA) and see what’s what.

Not the stationary clamp, the one with the bolt.;)

The pad, if too thick, could be an issue. If you have the loose parts, sit the battery on the bench, and hold the clamps to it by hand and see how they work.

The stationary pad appears to be installed upside-down to me.There is no 'lip' to engage with the groove in the front [bottom] edge of the battery. It would not surprise me that it had been installed that way at the factory (or at the vendor and then installed at the factory). Mistakes were made; many made their way into a production vehicle.

When the battery would have been installed at the end of the production line, and it could not engage with that front clamp, it would have just been completed as it was and sent out the door with the thought that it would be covered as a 'warranty' repair when the customer discovered it.