My 1955 TBird was converted to a 12 volt electrical system before I bought it.  I have the engine out of the car.  I removed the battery tray to clean the frame and clutch linkage.  The battery tray has been modified (crudely) so a wider 12 volt battery will the 6 volt tray.  Can I swap in a battery tray from a 56 or 57 Bird to fix this problem or do I need a special 12 volt battery?

If you go with a '56 or '57 battery tray, you will be locked in to a 29F size battery.  They are available from the repro vendors, or at the local battery shop.  However the local shop has them because of lift truck applications, and only have a 2 year warranty.  I think the metal battery shield is different between '55 and '56.  I think you could find a modern 12V battery narrow enough to fit in the '55 tray.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

I believe Interstate sells them (29NF) with  5 Year Warranty. I purchased 1 last Year to replace One that expired after 6 Years and it came with 5 Year pro-rated Warranty. Check with your local Interstate Dealer.

  

Mark, thanks for that info.  Now I won't have to use poorly fitting group 24s in my Birds.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Florida_Phil;   To answer your question about battery  box.  I also have a 1955 T-bird  I changed it over to 12V 
I used my 1955 battery box tray, I went to my Ford  Dealer and ordered a Motorcraft  battery that was the same size
as my 6V battery.  That number is motorcraft, BTX-56  Amp 550  serial number 040914
I did not have to change anything. Works very well.  Bob  Harvey

Just FYI- If this can help anyone;

INFO URL- https://www.ctci.org/gilsgarage/BatteriesRevisit.php

The 56/57 BIRD BAT TRAY setup is the same and uses a different tray and heat shield than the 55.

A

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I straightened and painted my original 55 tray so it fits the correct battery.   I converted my TBird over to a dual master cylinder using one from a 1967 Mustang.  The brake lines come out the driver's side.  I snaked the new lines around the clutch linkage and it looks good.  It seems I will have to slot the battery heat shield to clear the lines. Do I need this shield?   Has anyone run into this problem?

Keep the heat shield.  It will keep the battery cooler, even if you have to cut some slots in it.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

I noticed this post come up earlier and was just planning to make a new tray for my TBird at the time that would suit a conventional shape battery. Years ago I went through the process of trying to buy a battery over here to fit but never found the correct size and ended up putting some MDF in the tray and having a conventional shape battery sit on top. I started making a battery tray earlier this year but didn't say anything until I had made some progress.
Here are some pics of what I have done so far.



Version 1 and 2 trays.


 






It has been lots of trial and error but I am now happy with the results. I was originally going to use mild steel but decided to use 316 stainless instead. The stainless has been much harder to work with but I think it was worth it. I probably over engineered it a bit as it has come out heavier than the original. The tray is 1.5mm, mounting brackets are 2mm and the heatshield bracket is 3mm so that it had a few turns of thread in it rather than welding nuts on the back like the original. What I didn't take into account are the mounting brackets which are much wider than the original so I could have gone to a thinner gauge steel to save some weight. Version 1 of the tray was 1.2mm thick more like the original but the 1.6mm on version 2 was much easier to TIG the corners. Still haven't worked out the heatshield yet.

Very nice.


Lawrenceville, GA