I'm trying to find out what a battery carrier looks like for a '44 M20. I've looked at quite a few photos and they seem to vary slightly - does anyone know what should be fitted and if so, do you have a picture?

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

The left one is as I bought it NOS off e-bay, a couple months ago for about $46 US, the right one is off my bike , slightly mangly but has the back mounting plate still atttached.
Vincent

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Thanks Vincent. It proves that my battery carrier is indeed from another bike/era. Do you know if the acorn nuts and threaded bar are brass or cad plated?

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

The nuts were originally plated but that seems to have been discontinued later on. The bar is steel so was always plated.

Very early front covers did not have the cross strap as they were also intended for the Ni-Fe batteries. The cross piece was used later but not attached - simply clamped to provide lateral location of the smaller Lead-Acid batteries. Ultimately, it became a welded part of the construction.

The fronts are Lucas components and are dated. Have a look on the inside, usually higher up on one of the vertical straps (left hand as you look at it ? ) It will be a month and year.

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

The date stamps are tiny, Vincent, you'll need to look hard.

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

OK, try as I might I can't find any date number stamped- the fine layer of light rust seems to have obscured any dates stamped. Where excatly would it have been stamped anyway?
Vince

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Vincent, this is where the date is stamped on one of the carriers I have - the '1044' is reasonably visible but as you can see there is a bit of pitting making the second '4' pretty vague. I would be looking very closely at the rear of both vertical arms - I can't say whether or not the location is really very specific.
The stamping is very small as already noted and would fill with paint very easily I imagine.

email (option): rays54@hotmail.com

Sure enough Ray, I took a Scotchbrite pad and went at it in that area, as you can see the 744 was revealed at an angle in the upper right of the rubbed area. The carrier had some surface rust anyway so would need some fresh paint, but it is a genuine 1944 battery carrier. Thanks Ray for that bit of info.
Vincent

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Hey guys, doing some WM20 wrenching on a Summer Sunday here in So Cal...

One thing that's baffling me right now is how the oil tank support plate mounts to the battery carrier. Does anyone have a photo that compliments the great photos in this thread? Which way does the battery carrier mate up to the square plate with the 6 holes drilled in it?

Thanks Folks!

Kevin

Hi Kevin,
The triangular type plate will rotate around the circular plate. If you look at the picture of the 2 carriers initially, you'll see the 4 studs in the circular plate. These studs have an "oval" section that mounts into an oval hole on the plate, but the sit loose in there. Henk suggested brazing the studs in place, as they sometimes spin when you try to tighten them up.
The backplate mounts via 3 holes to the square plate- the single one to the rear, the front two mount to the frame studs. As to the mounting to the oil tank, there's a bunch of spacers and washers in there that I have to figure out how it all goes together...

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Hey Vincent,

I've got the battery carrier together just fine. I'm now figuring out the oil support to battery carrier set up now. Just like you, I'm baffled at the moment. This is one of those times when I'm looking through my disassembly photos saying "Why the f#(%% did I take photos of the easy stuff but didn't think to take photos of this one!?



Ah well... so it goes! Part of the fun, really!!

Kevin

Disassembly photos? Wha are those?
Yeah, it looks so simple together, then I took out the bolts and a bunch of washers and spacers fell to the floor. Uh-oh moment there. How hard can that be to reassemble I thought? No doubt I'll discover one of those spacers had rolled under the car or into the drain in the garage, causing endless grief.

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Kevin,

This is a photo I took looking down and forward on the L/H side. The order that seems to be the best fit for this one looking right to left is oil tank, spacer, mudguard bracket, oil tank bracket, spring washer, bolt (15-480).



The battery bracket sits on the oil tank bracket this way:

email (option): rays54@hotmail.com

Ray, thank you!!! You made my day. Much appreciated.


Kevin

Hey la kevin

where are you located? I also have a 1944 bsa m20 in southern california that i just refinished. I live in Valencia, CA go ahead and PM me if you have questions

email (option): jeff@infinitymedspa.com

Well, it's 13+months since I took it apart and now reassembling the oil tank, battery carrier and I have but one question- are the 3 cylindrical spacers between the oil tank and carrier plate all the same size/length? Because as I suspected one of them has gone AWOL.
It does appear somewhat self-evident for assembly, once I figured out the order of operations. I may even video the procedure for the sanity of future generations!

Hey Vincent, yes they are all the same size. Time to get the tubing, hacksaw and files, eh? Bueno suerte, mi amigo!