32 - 34 KA/KB battery accessibility

[a griffin]

Correct me if I'm wrong. The only way to change a battery in the above mentioned cars is to remove the floor board and pan completely, which will be a daunting task once upholstery is in place.

 

Any of you that own or have owned one of these cars modify the floor for ease of maintenance? 

 

[Matt Harwood]

The floor in my '35 and that in the '33 KA convertible we currently have in inventory aren't TOO difficult to remove for access--we replaced the battery in the KA convertible coupe when it arrived and I don't recall Roman, our mechanic, mentioning that it was a challenging job. The carpet typically just lays on top of the floor boards so it can either be removed or rolled out of the way to slide the floor boards out. You can move the seats back for a little more clearance, too. I suppose you could modify the floor boards with some kind of hinged hatch, but you might lose some structural strength in the floors. I think there's just one floor board to remove for access to the battery, plus another toe board--I don't remember whether I had to fight it over the shifter and brake lever when I did the Optimas in my '35. How often do you plan on removing the battery? A pair of Optimas should last years (should, but you never know, I guess).

 

For me, the harder job is lifting a giant lead acid battery out of that hole without breaking myself!

[a griffin]

I hope that I'm not having to access a battery very often. I like to look forward for ease of maintenance, if I can keep from pulling an entire floorboard to access a battery compartment, it makes it better for me and the next person. 

[Grimy]

I'm a Pierce guy, not a Lincoln owner, but I use a pair of Optima 6V wired in parallel that fit nicely in a battery box built to accommodate a single Group 3 or Group 4 battery.  Run a thin wire charging line (from a tender kit) to an accessible point under the hood or runningboard.  The Optimas are sealed, so terminal corrosion isn't an issue, no outgassing to worry about (unless you seriously overcharge and pop the port), hold a charge for up to 6 months without charging, and last a long time (>7 years) so long as they are not discharged below 6.0V.  And you are not subjecting your carpet or seat upholstery to being disturbed to check on batteries.  Install and remove without a lift strap, one hand will do it.

[Matt Harwood]

Grimy, that's exactly what I did with my '35 Lincoln. Two Optimas. One, they're easy to install and remove. And two, with 1600 cold cranking amps, there's just no way that engine isn't going to start, hot or cold. Mine have been patiently waiting for my engine to be healthy enough to be used, but they've been on a tender and I expect they'll be good to go this spring once the car's back together.