MTFCA Forum

Working on 1920 roadster that came to me in pieces, so no vehicle history. Engine has starter motor and foot starter switch, no floor boards, so I don't know if body had hole for starter switch. No brame mounted battery holder and deck for turtle deck is metal skinned with no access foor bor battery. After reading some posts, felt around the seat frame and gas tank and I'm not seeing that as an option for mounting a battery. My Depot Hack has a wooden battery box on the drivers running board and that might be an option.

So what battery would you put in this car bor running starter and lights and where would you install it?

I'd be inclined to get a frame mount battery carrier and use that. I'm not sure what you'd need to do for battery access through the rear deck or underseat area. It wouldn't be terribly difficult just to unbolt the battery carrier for battery access. I'm pretty sure the frame already has holes and I think it only uses 3 mounting bolts. If your engine will accept a generator, wiring harness can be purchased. If the engine has no provision for a generator, a device is available to charge a regular 6 volt battery off the magneto.

Isn’t there a tool storage area under the seat behind the gas tank compartment ? I installed a motorcycle 12 V battery there for my ‘14 runabout. Similar to yours. If you have a starter motor you probably have a generator, huh ?

The starter switch would have come through a hole in the metal lip the rear of the floor board would have sat on, just behind your left heel (US cars). Group 1 6 volt battery, negative ground. If you only want to hand crank the car, a small battery under the seat might be ok, but if using the starter you may need more cranking amps than a small battery can supply and don't think there would be room for a 6 volt Optima either.
If there is no cutout in the floor of the trunk, running board mount might be your best option.

Here is a pic of my 1919 Roadster with starter. The metal panel is directly in front of the front seat and is separate from the body as I remember. My car is essentially the same as your 20. The panel is called the heel kick panel I think. You can see the starter button.
You may have parts and pieces from different cars to have enough for a car. There were starter and non-starter cars that were alike but with differences because of Ford transitioning from non starter cars to starter cars. If you have the majority of stater car parts you could drill the 3 holes in the frame and cut the access area for the battery access through the turtle deck.
Some would do this and others wouldn’t. That’s your decision of course. You couldn’t see what you did other than seeing the access hole in the turtle deck that’s where the battery access is.

If you want you could make your Roadster into a T pickup. Leave off the turtle deck and get the period correct wooden pickup box kit from Lang’s. T pickups are pretty popular and more than a few T owners have them. The kit that Lang’s sell is a copy of a box that was sold in that era. The later T’s had a metal box for their era.
Build a floor as you would for a Roadster and cut the hole for battery access. You would need to drill the 3 holes in the frame for the battery holder and your good to go.

If you car has kerosene cowl lights it was a non battery car.

A 6 volt OPTIMA should fit nicely by the end of the gas tank. I have used a 12 volt motorcycle type battery mounted in that location for 20 years and many thousands of miles with no problem (I have a Trufire on my 13 and charging from the magneto).

Hmmm...when I did a 1915 War Wagon that I made the light express wooden body for, I built a trap door to access the battery down in the frame mounted carrier, so I'm familiar with that set up. I really don't see much room under the seat from and the gas tank, and jumping, charging or just plain sparking around the bas tank gives me pause.
My frame is drilled for the three carrier bolts, two on the drivers sie and one on the passenger side next to a muffler hanger rivet. But, yes, I'd not only need to cut access through the metal skinnned deck, but also through the wooden floor of the actual turtle deck.
Carriage lights are not electric, but they soon will be as we will modify a set to accept bulbs and sockets.

I'm leaning towards some sort of metal battery storage box on the drivers running board. That way, down the road, if someone wants to not use a battery, it's not a major modification to undo.
Or, I may do some research on how short a six volt battery I can get and make a wooden frame to go in the battery carrier so that there is room to get cables onto terminals from under the car without an access door. If I do a trickle charger on the battery, I will leave it hard wired and make the plug connection out of sight so that I do not have to access the battery other than to replace it and I can unbolt the carrier for that.

Still thinking and designing in my head.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I believe that older Volkswagens (early 1960s) had a low profile 6 volt battery. The Ford 9N and 8N tractor battery might be another one to consider.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 7:32 pm

I believe that older Volkswagens (early 1960s) had a low profile 6 volt battery.

A Group 19L battery, 8.250" x 6.750" x 7.500" (L x W x H). The same battery that fits inside the battery box of a 6 volt Farmall Cub.

Group 1 6 volt is the battery group that’s fits T battery boxes, old cars,trucks, tractors and lots of old vehicles.
You can get them at TSC, Atwood’s, Orschizers and other farm and ranch stores. I have a 54 NAA Ford tractor that uses that size along with my 3 T,s. Lots of other older Farm tractors use this battery also.

Some brands that make them use their on I D size for some reason instead the standard Group 1 I.D. Don’t know why.

The other thing I have thought about is making my own battery carrier that bolts to the frame correct holes, but I would mock this up so that the battery would slide in from the front of the car and not from the top. I could service the battery and make al my connections and slide the battery in and then lock it in place without havng to go through the top of the deck and turtle deck bottom.

Robert Brough, you just brought me to a decision regarding my 1914 Runabout. I had no provisions for the battery rack, such as holes in the frame, etc, and after reading the comments in this section, I am NOT going to drill the frame so I can install a Ford cross-frame battery rack. I will put a battery box on the driver's side running-board, since the driver's door doesn't open anyway, and find one that looks like a tool box.
So I will have the acetylene generator and the tool/battery box on the driver's side, and no mods at all to the original 1914 chassis frame, so any future owner can put it back to original. I have no starter on the car, as I am using the original hogshead. I have put on a distributor, but that can be removed and replaced with a timer in a trice, a nonce, or even two shakes of a lamb's tail.
And some future owner won't be cursing me out for drilling holes that I shouldn't have drilled in the frame.

You can get them at TSC, Atwood’s, Orschizers and other farm and ranch stores.

The farm supply here is Orscheln. When I was shopping for a new 6 volt battery a kid there told me you can't use them in cars. They're only for tractors.

Robert, you are overthinking it. Electric start with batteries as you know were an option for open cars starting in 1919, you have the holes in the frame for the battery bracket, and everything but the opening in the turtle deck floor for battery access. Your question should not be where should I put the battery, your question should be regarding the battery access hole in the deck. I do not know if non-starter cars had a battery hole in the deck in 1920, but I do know the deck should not have a metal skin on it, and that makes me think the wood decking may not be original too. Should there be a hole in the deck for both starters and non-starter bodies? Was the wood decking modified or replaced when they added the metal skin on it? If your car is built up from parts what difference than if you put the battery access hole in it, or back in it? When it is all said and done, putting the battery in the frame bracket is the most correct, as built configuration solution to your battery question.

If you put a tractor battery in a car, you will only be able to drive in straight lines. If you drive a Volkwagen, don't try to pull a 3 bottom plow. If you live in Vermont, you'd better just be sure to get a car battery.

There is no need for a special plug for a remote battery charger. The battery under the seat, next to the fuel tank just sits there. I charge it when I get home again by hooking one lead on the charger to the battery terminal on the coilbox, and the other to earth on a manifold clamp.
On my depot hack, I do the same. Its battery is under the seat in the back, out of sight and reach.

Allan from down under.