PPD Battery Clamp ( MOD )

[Arctic]

I am sure most of us at one time or another have had to remove our battery from the car, either the battery as passed it's best or as gone flat due to lack of use.

What ever the reason if your car is not a PPD, then you will most certainly have the little 13mm bolt adjoined to the battery securing strap, I have found and most likely have other owners that you need a long bar with 13mm socket to remove the said strap and bolt.

Removing the bolt is not to bad, but when you have to refit the bolt/strap it can be a bit awkward to get it into position as you can not see the receiving thread due to the clamp.

Every now and again the PPD long bolts may crop up on ebay or someone selling one on here £10.00 plus P&P or more sometimes.

Therefore hopefully this little mod below will help those whom wish to have a long bolt rather than the small battery securing bolt.

Here you go, some members may have a long bolts already if like me you throw nothing away especially nuts and bolts.

First get your self an 8mm bolt part threaded and nut minimum length 100mm/ 10cm link here below, up to 140mm.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M8-A2-STAI...19.m1438.l2649

Remove the bolt strap from the car Fig 1
1

Remove the retaining washer with out breaking if possible as it could be reused but do not worry if it breaks as mine did, as we will use a plastic retainer to hold the clamp later.
2

Have your bolt ready and cut your self a small plastic disc from a butter lid or a top off a packet of Pringles after you have eaten them (Sour Cream) ones for me.
3

Pierce an hole in the plastic disc about 6mm then pass the 8mm bolt through the hole Fig 4
4

Next add you nut to the bolt in reverse as here in Fig 5
5

You now pass the new long bolt through the strap and battery clamp and add the plastic disc to retain them together Fig 6

6

With this battery long bolt mod you are new ready to lower the bolt/strap back into the battery container and fix it tight Fig 7
7

Hopefully this will be useful to some members.
8

9

10

As stated above I already had the bolts in one of my many tins of nut and bolts, but you can purchase from ebay /screw fix etc, you can use up to 160mm in length but mine were 100mm, but 140mm seems a good length have just checked on my car.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M8-A2-STAI...19.m1438.l2649

Cheers Arctic.

[J-t-s]

Now that is useful, having recently cursed and wished I had a child's fingers putting newly charged batteries back in my Rover and TF. Very helpful tip. Thank you.

[jonno12]

simple but effective, well done steve

[Dallas]

Great idea Steve, that's something else to put on my list.

[Arctic]

keeps us all occupied in the winter months these easy to do MODS any other members got ant quick mods that could be added to the thread please do so all the best Arctic.

[oswestryalex]

You know, I wonder why they didn't just fit that long bolt to all the cars? I had one in my R75 1.8 but not in my MG ZT 190+ with all the bells and whistles (but NOT the long bolt) - so I did get one off eBay, and when I scrapped the old R75 and got another to replace it, I removed that long bolt before the car was taken away - just in case I need it in the future. But it seems odd that some cars get it and others don't.

[Arctic]

I thought i would bounce this how to up because of the recent interest in another thread, which i was asked do or am i going to sell these bolts, the answer was a no as i only make them for the Nano if i come across the bolts and nuts i have in the 6 tins of nuts and bolts i have.

I suppose you could put a few together if you/i was that way inclined, but there is a link for buying what you need in this thread.

1