Battery Box Info?

[Brian D]

Found this at the Luray swap meet.
Is this an original box?
Looking at it I have a few questions.
The bottom has Made in USA with a number, what was the number, part#?
Does the S indicate anyting?
Does anyone have a box apart showing the metal parts?
The rivets on the side, how do they "pin" the handle.
Seeing the metal parts would explain the assembly.

Brian

[CudaMan]

It sure looks original to me. Sorry I can't help you with your other questions.

Here is mine bare, then all dolled up into a (non-functional) display battery. I got a complete battery top assembly from New Castle Battery company, then made a small plywood frame to space it up to the correct height in the box. Then I poured liquid truck bedliner into the spaces between the cell tops to simulate the original tar. Turned out very convincing, IMO.

[ModelTWoods]

Mark seems to have answered your questions. There is a difference between a Battery "Box" and a Battery "Case". If I'm mistaken, the earliest Ford produced batteries had a wooden outer case with metal handles that held the three lead cells and the acid. At a later date (maybe its in the MTFCA Encyclopedia) Ford discontinued the wooden outer case and replaced it with a molded hard rubber case with molded in handles.

A battery "Box" is the metal container that either battery fits in, to protect the battery from the elements, especially the early wooden cased batteries. It appears you picked up a early Ford wooden case at Luray.

Currently, there is an empty later Ford hard rubber case on EBAY. It is advertised as NOS. Current bid is considerably over $100.00.

[Allan]

To quote from the Ford battery manual, "The case or container used for holding the complete cells, is substantially built of hard wood thoroughly coated with acid-resisting paint. Due to each cell being sealed separately, no layer of compound is required over the entire battery. This adds greatly to the ease with which the battery can be taken apart. The case is provided with strong loop handles, which are securely anchored without screws or bolts."
Each two volt cell was a separate sealed unit containing the plate assembly and having contacts/poles built into each each unit. That would account for the survival of some cases in reasonable condition.

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

Your battery box is original. Here’s a Ford advertisement for your battery as it was sold back in the day:

9600B503-FE93-46AE-8AE2-F857D4ADEFDA.jpeg (64.87 KiB) Viewed 3478 times

[Kerry]

Allan, it seems that parts books differ some from the Ford battery manual, parts book break down to the battery positive and negative plates and cell jar.
Excuse the photo quality as my scanner has died.
Part No for the wood case is 5176 and rubber one 5176B

[Allan]

Jim, the Battery manual goes into detail on the assembly of the battery. The individual negative and positive plates are assembled into groups, with separators. These groups are assembled into hard rubber 'jars', which are individual containers for a group of plates. These are essentially a 2 volt battery. Three of these go into wooden case, and are linked together. The important thing is the individual jars are sealed, and linked together in the case. They are not sealed in the case, making their removal for maintenance/repair easy, and incidentally has led to the survival of some of the wooden cases. The batteries could be broken down into individual components, as you parts book shows.

The battery manual goes into great detail on how to assemble the components into a working 6 volt unit.

Allan from down under.

[Don D]

Mark,

You put together a nice display battery. Do you have the name of a point of contact person at New Castle Battery? I'd like to follow in your footsteps and make one also. If you remember, how long ago did you do this and what was the ballpark cost from NCB.

Thanks and have a great day,
Dom

[Dan Hatch]

I would like the contact info also. Have an NOS rubber case, tops and caps. Need the cell connectors. Thanks Dan

[sweet23]

Dan, between us we could put together one battery. I have the connectors, two caps, two posts, and a wood box. no cells or cell tops.

[CudaMan]

It was at least a couple of years ago. As I recall, the cost for the battery top assembly was just under $100.00 including shipping. I can't find the receipt and I don't remember the name of the point of contact (might have been Tom?). I also recall that I had to do some trimming on the edges to get the top to slide down into the wood battery case. I sealed around the top of the plywood support with RTV and let it cure before I inserted the top and poured the liquid truck bedliner into the gaps.

New Castle got bought out by Axion Power Battery Manufacturing. I don't know if the new owners offer the same service, but there's no harm in calling them and asking:

https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/ ... 41b45.html

[Allan]

There is no mention of any packing between the cells in the case, so presumably they were a snug fit. The cell posts are threaded on the lower portion. A soft rubber gasket goes over the post and then the cover. The lower part of the post is threaded and a sealing nut clamps the cover down to seal around the post. Then the cover is sealed on each jar. Special mention is made of 'hold downs' to secure the complete battery assembly in place.

The scary bit is 'lead burning' the contacts between each cell.

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

For original looking 6V Model T batteries, check out: www.batterycentralmall.com/Batteries/Tu ... /Ford.html. Perhaps they sell parts if you don’t need the entire battery. Jim Patrick

[TRDxB2]

Some references and photos
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1266976054

[Original Smith]

First, lets get the terminology correct. The wood box above is the battery case, not the battery box. The battery box is the metal box that the battery case goes into. I have several original battery cases, and they are what supports the cover of the battery box. Without an original Ford battery case, it will not support the lid very well. I eliminated that problem by making two supports out of thin angle iron. To the angle iron, I made two handles, that are exactly the same as those on the Ford wood battery case. These are placed on the ends of a modern 6 volt battery. With the factory battery clamps, the lid is held on securely just like the original. Don't forget to place the sleeve on the positive cable where it enters the lid. There is no grommet. I had to place a piece of 1/4" plywood on the bottom of the battery box to bring the modern battery up to the top of the battery box. I also put a piece of 1/4" plywood on each side of the modern battery to keep the battery snug in the battery box.

[Allan]

Batteries of any kind need to be clamped down, as vibration/looseness will drastically shorten their life. When I use a modern battery in the tin box, I make up two wooden spacers to sit on top of the battery, and the battery box lid sits on them. When the battery box clamps are firmed up, the lid is firm on the wooden spacers, the spacers are firm on the battery, and the battery is firm in the tin box. This is a very simple way to get everything as it should be. Any change in battery size just needs a change in the wooden spacer blocks. Added advantages are, wood is somewhat forgiving under pressure, it does not corrode like metals do, and it is non -conductive if things do get to move around. By rebating the lower edge, the spacers can also be used to centralise the battery in the box.

Since my incident with an electrical fault, and the resultant panic to get to the battery terminals to drop the leads, I run without the battery box lid. The same spacers are used, with the factory battery hold down clamps impinging directly on them.

Allan from down under.