Tie down your batteries.

[carleckenrode]

I Have Group 34 Batteries in my M1008 just setting on the trays.
My son ask to use it to pick up his girl friend about a mile away. So I let him use it, What could go wrong ? Two hours later he came walking home. Dad there is a problem with your truck. He had decided to to go off roading, why waste an opportunity like this, dads truck and the girlfriend.

The front battery had tipped over shorted out on the radiator and burned a hole in the radiator. The radiator is mounter on rubber pads so the current went down the transmission cooler lines and burned a hole in the line where it mounts on the bracket at the pan.

Lost all the coolant and transmission oil. we towed it home.

So far it has cost me $200. I have now secured the batteries to the trays and had the radiator repaired, and bought 25 ft of 5/15 steel brake to make new cooler lines. The old cooler lines were difficult to remove, I ended up cutting them. They must of installed then before installing the engine. I am wondering how I am going to install the new lines ?
A Bad day.
Carl99

 

[gimpyrobb]

Well, yeah, keep them tied, but shouldn't Junior be doing this?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mkcoen]

Well, yeah, keep them tied, but shouldn't Junior be doing this?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He sure as heck should be footing the bill at a minimum.

 

[Drock]

You're right the steel lines are installed before the cab is set down on the chassis. It's near impossible to redo with most cars and trucks all together. I would simply run rubber lines to brass fittings and call it ah day. Oh and yeah, strap down those batteries LOL..

 

[porkysplace]

Why weren't they secured in the first place ? Heck here in michigan you don't need to go off-road the pot-holes in the public roads will bounce the batteries out .


The problem here is short-cuts .
Dad took at short-cut installing the batteries .
The kid took a short-cut picking up the girlfriend .

 

[cucvrus]

You can bend them metal lines and put them in place. It will take some time but it can be done. DO NOT run rubber hose as suggested. That is the same as not putting your battery hold downs in place. And I see that a lot. They need to be tied in as designed. But do you remember what Arnold said? " If it bleeds we can kill it" That is your transmission with rubber cooler lines. Bleeding while you are driving down the road at 60 MPH and you don't know they are leaking. They also make excellent fire feeders in the event that you encounter an engine fire. Take the extra time and do the job right. It will pay dividends in the end. I have some cooler lines that I took off of a truck while the engine was in. I was paid to put an SM465 in a truck. And I saved them. The truck came to me with no transmission and the parts in the bed. Wow what a mess. You can bent them and straighten them out as long as you are patient. They have some type of line that bends easily without kinks. It is costly but better then rubber hose. This is my helpful advise. take it or leave it. Good Luck. I have sons to. I know how that works.

 

[carleckenrode]

Thanks CUCVRUS
Glad to hear it can be done. I bought 25 ft or steel break line, I hope it is the good stuff, have not tried it yet.
I was thinking about taking out the grill and radiator (Again) and going in from the front and bending it in place. I have a tube bender. Will let you know how this works.
Thanks again.
Carl

 

[cucvrus]

You can do it! Just take your time. If you can find a spring type bender that won't allow the tubing to bend into a kink you will be good. If not take your time. It will all work out for you. Or just cut the broken piece out and use a double flaring tool and put a section of the metal line in place. That would be easier. I have done it and have had rave results. But NO RUBBER HOSE PLEASE. I think I would just splice the piece in if it were my truck. And secure the lines in place to the engine and transmission we here ever you can.

 

[rsh4364]

NPT to a/n fittings would be the way to go,stainless braided hose very flexable and easy to work with. It comes in any color you want,preferably black.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Ratchet straps, paracord, bungee cords, wood shims, garden hoses are but a few of the items I've employed to keep the batteries in the general area where they reside.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

I bought 25 ft or steel break line, I hope it is the good stuff, have not tried it yet.l

First of all, don't break your line. Steel brake or fuel line is okay, but even better is the cupro-nickel stuff. It will outlast stainless steel and it's easier to work with than steel.

 

[Drock]

Respectfully disagree. I've used rubber line for several street rod, muscle car, and drag car projects. It's perfectly acceptable to use, in fact necessary, over hard lines in tight spaces or where vibration will be an issue. Keep in mind our oil cooler lines are also rubber and aluminum . And as we all know CUCV's never vibrate or frame twist right?. Summit sales kits just for this. Also had his lines bin rubber they wouldn't have melted when the battery arched on them. This being said, I will agree sense he's already spent the money on hard line he mite as well go for it. I'd suggest making a template out of some bailing wire first. And perhaps not worry about following the route the factory took with them. Take the path of least resistance. For instance I would see if you can go vertical from the trans then strait over to the inside of the drivers side frame rail and go forward from there like the brake lines already do.

 

[98G]

Ratchet straps, paracord, bungee cords, wood shims, garden hoses are but a few of the items I've employed to keep the batteries in the general area where they reside.

I'll add empty water bottles to that list - on top of batteries under the seat of 939 trucks, the bottles crush when you close the lid, providing a semi-formfitting enclosure. Keeps the battery posts from touching anything they shouldn't. Field expedient until you get home and fab something better.

 

[steelandcanvas]

So far it has cost me $200.
A Bad day.
Carl99

So far it would have cost my kid $200.

 

[RAYZER]

So far it would have cost my kid $200.

Maybe this will teach him a lesson: sometimes nothing good comes from trying to impress a woman!

 

[gimpyrobb]

Maybe this will teach him a lesson: nothing good comes from trying to impress a woman!

Fixed!

 

[Coffey1]

It's both of their fault. They should share in this experience together equally.
Dad for making sure battery's were secure
Son for taking truck off road without prior permission.
This was going to happen one day no matter what because of the unsecured battery's
This could have been way worst if truck had been in accident and shorted and caught fire and burned you or child up.
I would count it as a blessing and be done with it.

 

[Drock]

it's both of their fault. They should share in this experience together equally.
Dad for making sure battery's were secure
son for taking truck off road without prior permission.
This was going to happen one day no matter what because of the unsecured battery's
this could have been way worst if truck had been in accident and shorted and caught fire and burned you or child up.
I would count it as a blessing and be done with it.

agree.....

 

[papabear]

Hey, we all overlook things we should have checked/fixed and we just gotta hope our lack of attention to detail doesn't cause us or anyone else a lot of grief.

I had a similar issue with a deuce I bought once. All the batteries were dead so we just dropped in a couple of small car batteries and fired her up. We had just intended to start the vehicle in the compound and play around a little but of course I ended up driving it out the gate and into the Industrial complex we are sorta in. No battery securement at all.

Well wouldn't ya just know...there's an old road down the side of the RR tracks that I just had to try out...yep...a battery tipped over while traversing a fairly hefty mud bank and evidently there was a nice shower of sparks in the battery box. No damage really...just my ego!

 

[carleckenrode]

Yes I do think it taught him a lesson. Not listening to dad and it all turned out badly, trying to impress a girlfriend.. They ended up walking home. He is unusually cooperative since this happened, like making me breakfast this morning.
They were trying to go down a steep bank into a creek when the battery tipped over.
Carl