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I am a little confused...I am looking for a replacement battery tray,
In the LMC catalog, they separate the 1953 from the 1954-55, but the tray itself on the 1953 drawing doesn't show the battery tray itself, just all the other parts.
But....looking at Midfity web page, they show 1953-1955 (I know the 1956 was a design change)
So, would the LMC part for 1954-55 work on my 1953?
Yeah, it looks like they're only selling the top part of the hold down for the 53, the bottom does look just like the 54-55 in that picture. They changed batteries from year to year sometimes, and since the hold down is sized exactly for the perimeter of the battery, that is probably the difference. It has to be exact, or the thing could contact the posts and cause a short. I have a 54, not a 53, so I'll let someone with a 53 chime in if they bought one for their truck. I think the base is the same, though. I bought one for my 54 and it fit well, though I saw later that Rock Auto had what appeared to be the same unit for a lot less money. I didn't buy the hold down, It's in my opinion way too much money for a simple square bracket (you'd be in it for about 30 bucks for the 54 after getting the j bolts and nuts, washers, etc). Plus if you change to a different sized battery (there's a lot of room on that tray for a bigger one), the hold down won't work anymore. I might either weld one up myself, or more likely use an aftermarket hold down or even a strap.
Are you building a concours restoration, or just need a battery tray? Older Ford catalog shows a different tray for 53, but also shows the later 54-5 unit as a replacement, except panel, which had a different tray. Later, according to Bill's book above, all trays were replaced by the B4C-D unit described. Long story short, the LMC tray should work fine if you just need a tray.
I agree with Matt skipping the hold down would not be a bad idea. It would be sized for the original battery, and it's unlikely you'll be running that. Modern batteries come in too many sizes and shapes to worry about that, unless, again, you're building a concours resto.
Thx for the replies, I am just looking for a battery tray that will bolt in with little modifications. I am starting my wiring and just want to know how the battery will sit. The tray was rusted and gone when I got my truck.
I will follow the advice of not buying the top clamp until I get the battery itself.
Thx for the replies and I will definitely check rock auto as well!!
If your tray is missing like mine was, then be aware that those two holes on the bottom are for bolts that hold the front down to the support it's sitting on. I wasn't aware when I put it in, and it worked fine without them, but definitely much better when I figured that little detail out!
08-22-2019, 08:26 AM
LMC does 
