I drove the Mustang to get lunch with my daughter on Friday, returned to finish up some work on the car, and then tried to start it on Sunday and found the battery was completely dead. The battery was so completely dead it would not light up a test light. I put it on the Battery Tender but when removed, the voltage would immediately begin dropping rather rapidly.
I spent more time that I want to admit trying to determine what battery I'd buy. I wanted an AGM battery and nothing that was attracted attention under the hood. My preference was a Duralast battery as it had a 4 year warranty. However, trying to get one at two stores and then by ordering online simply resulted in completely the wrong size battery being delivered. I should have simply gone to NAPA all along and ultimately realized that and picked up a AGM there.
The original size battery for the Mustang was a group 58. They do not make group 58 batteries in an AGM so the closest approximation is a group 34. What I didn't realize is that the mounting approach for an AGM is different than a conventional battery. The small tabs at the lower edge of each side of the battery are smaller and the original retaining clamp in the car would not secure the battery.
In order to drive the car without the battery moving around, I made a little retaining block out of a spare piece of red oak. This worked surprisingly well but wasn't the longer term plan. I just needed some time to find something else that would work.
What I ultimately found after scouring Amazon was a bracket used on later model Chevy vehicles. However, some of the listings included a really clear image with dimensions and it seemed worth the risk for $5. In the end it paid off as the part holds the battery down perfectly and looks like it is a stock replacement piece.
This took far longer to work out, purchase, and finish that I expected but the end product is what I was looking for so I'll call it a win.
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