Battery Installation - Defender 90

Hi All,

New member here. I've just bought a 1986 Defender 90. Lots of stuff that needs sorting, some unexpected, but the process has begun!

Looking in the battery box, there is a battery sat on the floor ant not fixed in place. I can't seem to find any information as to how it should be secured. Searching for parts online, I've found J bolts and a battery clamp (piece of angle iron). Is it a simple case of feeding j bolts up from underneath the battery box (i.e from under the car) either end of the battery, then clamping the battery onto them with the angle iron? Seems like it wouldn't be that simple as you'd drop the J bolts every time you unbolted the battery !!

Any advice (or pictures) of how this should be fitted would be appreciated,

Many thanks,

Marcus

Have you got little slots in the base of the battery tray?

Technically it isn't a Defender. They didn't come out until 1990/1 with the 200Tdi engine.

Battery clamp is indeed just a simple clamp, there should be a couple of holes to feed the J bolts through.

Hicap phill said:

Have you got little slots in the base of the battery tray?

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I'll take some tomorrow and post here. The battery box is currently completely empty with the exception of a battery ans obviously the cables/connections. Very bare looking!

300bhp/ton said:

Technically it isn't a Defender. They didn't come out until 1990/1 with the 200Tdi engine.

Battery clamp is indeed just a simple clamp, there should be a couple of holes to feed the J bolts through.

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Ah. OK. Wasn't aware of that! Mine now has a 300tdi engine in it, so is pretending to be a Defender !

There are some holes in the base of the battery box. What stops the J-bolts from falling through when you undo the clamp....or do they? !! I'll order up some J bolts and a clamp in that case. Thanks

Well if you lean them over to one side when you take the nuts off, they generally don't slide all the way through.

Brown said:

Well if you lean them over to one side when you take the nuts off, they generally don't slide all the way through.

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OK. Good to know! Thanks

It is that basic ... 2 holes and J bolts.
Welcome to the group.

Give the box a good clean and then paint it with an etch primer.
Clean it up outside to and seal the edges with sikaflex (or similar) prior to painting with the same etch primer and then give it a good coat or 3 of topcoat and unserseal.

I put a battery isolator in mine with the key down below the passenger seat along with a small Anderson connector so I could easily connect a jump lead or battery charger.

The retaining rods shouldn't just drop out, they should be hooked at the end, connect to the slots at the bottom of the battery-box and be enclosed on the underside.
Have attached some photos of when I had my battery-box galvanised, shows it very clearly.
If the tags aren't there then I presume they have just rotted away.

Litch said:

The retaining rods shouldn't just drop out, they should be hooked at the end, connect to the slots at the bottom of the battery-box and be enclosed on the underside.
Have attached some photos of when I had my battery-box galvanised, shows it very clearly.
If the tags aren't there then I presume they have just rotted away.

View attachment 293179View attachment 293180View attachment 293181View attachment 293182View attachment 293183

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Sorry for the delay responding! Thanks a lot for the pictures. I do have those slots (full of muck and need cleaning out!) Mine doesn't look quite as pretty though (picture attached). I'm sure I'm being dumb, but I can't visualise the installation. Using those slots, the angle iron would go diagonally accross the top of the battery wouldn't it? Have you got any pictures of a battery in place.....I must be missing something!

The angle clamps along the side of the battery away from the terminals, only the rod at the rear [ choose which slot suits your battery length] goes diagonally across the back of the battery.