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1969 442, replacing the bungee cord with the battery hold down clamp I bought from Inline Tube. Problem is, I can't tell which way is up. Stop laughing, please. Can anyone take a picture of how this is supposed to be? I have the factory assembly manual, and the engineering drawing is like an optical illusion to me. It doesn't seem to fit, up or down.
It will be obvious when the correct battery is installed. It really only fits one way engaging the lip on the battery.
The bolt will be recessed down into the clamp as shown.
That's a piece of split fuel line you see in this pic but you can see what Im talking about
A few thoughts on this. Sometimes you can flip them and they will work. Some repros are really flimsy, and/or not made right. The clamp needs to have a oval hole like the one in the pic. When you tighten it, it should move towards the battery if everything is right. You have to have the right size/group battery for it to work. If you go to Auto Zone, and the kid says..."this one will fit" it might not be the right width for the clamp to grab. Some batteries have a spacer on the bottom you need to take off. ETC.........
A few thoughts on this. Sometimes you can flip them and they will work. Some repros are really flimsy, and/or not made right. The clamp needs to have a oval hole like the one in the pic. When you tighten it, it should move towards the battery if everything is right. You have to have the right size/group battery for it to work. If you go to Auto Zone, and the kid says..."this one will fit" it might not be the right width for the clamp to grab. Some batteries have a spacer on the bottom you need to take off. ETC.........
My 68 Cutlass was missing the clamp when I bought it, and the tray was rusting badly. I bought a reproduction tray and clamp from OPGI, and it is just as you say. They don't even seem to be made for each other.
The battery may be an issue, too. The clamp is not actually holding the battery, but it is preventing it from falling over. I can lift the battery about an inch on the clamp side before the clamp prevents it from coming out, so I guess it is working, but I don't think that it is working as it should.
Can someone post a couple more photos of how it should work?
First, is your battery even the same size as the OEM battery? Most catalogs today show either a Group 24 or Group 34 battery for that application. Second, does your current battery even have the correct lip for that clamp to bear down on? I've found that many new batteries do not.
First, is your battery even the same size as the OEM battery? Most catalogs today show either a Group 24 or Group 34 battery for that application. Second, does your current battery even have the correct lip for that clamp to bear down on? I've found that many new batteries do not.
Joe, that is probably the problem, but it just seems like the two parts I posted are not meant to go together. The portion of the clamp that has the hole does not seem to seat in the groove of the tray, and the photo that droldsmorland posted doesn't seem to have the "ear" that the battery tray from the link I posted has. But perhaps that is just the design.
I am happy to chalk this up to the battery being wrong, but that photo posted by droldsmorland had me thinking otherwise.
Here's another picture. Mine appears to be the same as in droldsmorland picture. It's all metal. I also installed it the opposite side up as well. My mostly original 69Cutlass S seems to like it that way. Assuming I have the correct battery,.this way pushes down on the lip on the edge of the battery. This is what I see as the top. Note the bulge.
This is the bottom side. Note the indentation.
This the battery tray. You can see the small lip on the battery the it clamps down onto.
This is how I have it installed.
if I install it with the indentation down to match the tray hole, the bracket ends up about an inch up the side of the battery.
like I said, battery could be the wrong type, blame Sears I guess. It works great for me though.
Last edited by armbrbr; September 8th, 2021 at 05:38 PM.
Here's another picture. Mine appears to be the same as in droldsmorland picture. It's all metal. I also installed it the opposite side up as well. My mostly original 69Cutlass S seems to like it that way. Assuming I have the correct battery,.this way pushes down on the lip on the edge of the battery. This is what I see as the top. Note the bulge.
This is the bottom side. Note the indentation.
This the battery tray. You can see the small lip on the battery the it clamps down onto.
This is how I have it installed.
if I install it with the indentation down to match the tray hole, the bracket ends up about an inch up the side of the battery.
like I said, battery could be the wrong type, blame Sears I guess. It works great for me though.
Thanks for the photos! This is perfect and really shows how the tray and bracket should work.
It also confirms that the issue is my battery and not the tray and clamp. Thanks, again!
Mine is installed with the indent up also (like that last pic), which looks like it's wrong, but holds battery fine. If I install it with the indent down the bolt bottoms before engaging the lip on the battery. I think my tray and hold down are OEM.
First, is your battery even the same size as the OEM battery? Most catalogs today show either a Group 24 or Group 34 battery for that application. Second, does your current battery even have the correct lip for that clamp to bear down on? I've found that many new batteries do not.
I'm pretty sure this is group 24--should it be 34? 1969 442, 400CI. The hold down doesn't seem to grab the slot on the edge when it's installed in either direction. Hell, maybe someone put the incorrect battery tray. It appears to be longer than necessary, if my battery is correct. Then again, the original battery could have differing dimensions. Too many factors! lol
This is interesting as I recently went through the same exercise--which way is up for the dumb little battery clamp. The first photo is what seems to work in my 1969 H/O. This is the original clamp, it has the two dimples on the clamping edge and painted black characteristic of '69 and earlier clamps. The tray is also the original. The battery is generic but seems to be the correct width (I do have a Delco R71, if I was ambitious I would swap it in to see if that makes a difference). To work here the clamp must have its clamping and rear edges directed downwards.
The second photo is my 1970 Chevelle. The clamp is NOS (no dimples, phosphated), as well as is the tray. The battery is a later Delco sealed type, but the correct group number. To work here the clamp must have its clamping and rear edges directed upwards. The difference does not lie with the tray or battery as I tried the '69 clamp in the '70 Chevelle and it needs to have its edges pointed downward to work. The clamps appear identical except for the dimples, but perhaps there's something subtly different with the angle where the bolt washer rests.
Page 12-130 from the 1969 Cutlass PIM shows (if you blow it up) the clamp edges pointing upwards, which didn't work for me in my '69. (I guess I couldn't attach a pdf of it here).
.
Last edited by briane; September 10th, 2021 at 11:47 AM.
Ok, here's the deal. Most people here are way to young to know this.The Assembly manual shows the correct orientation of the clamp. There was never a lip on the battery in 1969, there was like a cutout in the battery. Later, different make batteries had a lip. FYI, the clamp with the 2 dimples was a later, stronger, clamp that GM sold and used because the original styles were bending. You guys know I was selling like every year Olds Guilds with recall bulletins, and that was in one of them. You have to work with what you have. Look at the pics in the link, especially the R69S Energizer (HD R59).
. http://www.corvairkid.com/batteries.htm
I concur the original batteries of the subject era, at least the few I've seen, have cut-outs on each side.
Regarding the dimpled clamps, they are original to Chevrolets for 1966 through 69, part number 3887588. The identical clamp I've seen on at least 1969 Oldsmobiles, see my clamp photo and that from armbrbr. At some point in the 1970 model year Chevrolet went to the undimpled clamp, part number 1383273 which in January 1973 became 6270159. This latter number may still be available from a dealer, at least it was not too long ago. Lots of them on ebay. I found the 6270159 to be a little heavier gauge than the 3887588 which I assume permitted dispensing with the dimples.
What I stated here is in agreement with what I said earlier. It may be an error to conjecture Oldsmobile followed the same date usage with clamps as Chevrolet. Although in the two Olds parts books I have I find 3887588 is called out for 1968 through 71, and 1383273 starting in 1972. It would be interesting to learn what people are seeing on original cars and what different printings of the Oldsmobile parts books call out. Also interesting what you found in the Olds Guild bulletins. I'll have to look through the few I have to see if I can find it. I vaguely remember seeing it.
Honestly, it's possible I have that info on the clamp reversed, and the dimples were first and then they came out with the straighter, heavier gauge one. So, you may be right. I know I have a box here someplace with NOS clamps, I know they're the straight ones, I don't know the number off hand. But, I absolutely remember there was a bulletin or something in the Guilds regarding the type of clamp and one replacing the other because one of the styles was bending. This kind of stuff is always interesting to look at now. It's like the plating or paint on that piece, too. I know the ones I have are either bare or gray phosphate. When I restored my cars many moons ago, you just got an NOS clamp and it was all good.
Your memory is pretty good. I actually found the Olds Service Guild bulletin, I don't have a very complete library of them. As you said the dimpled clamps could bend and the fix was to remove the dimples. I would think the dimples (Olds called them Darts) would make the clamp stiffer in one direction (along the lip), but apparently it made it susceptible to bending in the other direction. I bet that was the thinking of the first designer and that's why they bothered with the dimples originally.
I dug out the few NOS clamps I have, the one dimpled is painted black, and of the later ones a couple are phosphated and a couple are raw steel. When I got those, like yourself, just installed a new clamp and didn't even notice the subtleties.
Who'd a thunk a battery hold down would spark any conversation. For what it's worth, my battery is on the driver's side. It's Sept 69 Cutlass w/ 350. Reasonably think the tray and clamp are original to the car. This convertible has probably never seen a winter so it's doubtful it was replaced unless a battery leaked and ate that stuff.
However being the third owner of a car from Ohio I bought from an estate, who knows what it has been through.
Hey sorry for butting in here...I'm new around here with a recent 70 Cutlass Supreme purchase. Getting a great education on this site. Car came to me with the battery not properly in place. (Literally just sitting loose on the tray) . It's on my list of things to get to. After reading what you guys are talking about and looking at the pics it looks like this tray and "hold down clamp " which grips the battery via a small lip on the bottom of the battery (assuming you have the correct battery size and with a lip) is the only thing holding down the battery? Is that accurate? Does the lip on the opposite side of the clamp slip or tuck under anything on
Hey sorry for butting in here...I'm new around here with a recent 70 Cutlass Supreme purchase. Getting a great education on this site. Car came to me with the battery not properly in place. (Literally just sitting loose on the tray) . It's on my list of things to get to. After reading what you guys are talking about and looking at the pics it looks like this tray and "hold down clamp " which grips the battery via a small lip on the bottom of the battery (assuming you have the correct battery size and with a lip) is the only thing holding down the battery? Is that accurate? Does the lip on the opposite side of the clamp slip or tuck under anything on
Yes, the battery tray has a fixed lip on the side opposite the clamp that holds the lip on that side of the battery. The clamp grabs the one on the other side and also pushes the battery towards that fixed lip to keep it all tight.
Ok great. Ty. Lol looking at it on mine I'd say the physical size of the battery is probably too small to make this work. I've yet to pull it and check out the tray and it's condition etc etc but that's coming up soon on my to-do list. Is there a technical size spec for the battery that fits in there correctly once you have the correct tray?
September 7th, 2021, 07:10 PM
