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Very early in the research process of my 47 Deluxe Clipper restoration. Take the hood off and notice the battery tray is very long, but narrow. Very similar to the size of 6v battery used in some WWII vehicles. My research into that endeavor could not find a battery of that size.
So, what do we do to put a modern battery in this size tray? Remake the tray? Strap a modern 6v vintage looking battery in place?
I've had good luck with CAT batteries. 6v correct group size and 8 year warranty. Not interested in the Optima battery in a vintage battery case at this time.
What do you do with your?

It is a group 2E battery and Napa carries them as does a few other parts stores. The Napa number is BAT 7205 and several have used them. The Napa battery may be slightly wider than the original and in some cars the top hold down is a tiny bit too narrow. I had this issue on my 47 and needed to widen the holder but others with the same model do not report any problems. Possibly the hold down was widened slightly for the 22nd and 23rd series and the wider hold down was retrofitted. Tractor Supply also carried the Exide 2E battery which is a bit narrower and fits the hold down but I don't see that brand listed on the local stores website today so there may be different suppliers for different areas.

If you cannot find the 2E at a local store many have used the Optima 6v battery. That will fit the width of the tray but is obviously too short and the top holder is useless with that battery. To use and hold the battery in the tray you will need to drill a couple of holes in the tray bottom and fabricate a clamp of some type for the Optima hold down tabs located at the bottom edge of the battery. One nice thing about the Optima is it has a higher CCA rating than the Napa battery although that may not be as important with the smaller Deluxe engine as it is with the Custom's 356 engine.

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I should have taken some measurements or put my CAT 6v battery in there as it is a Group 2 battery. A group 2 is what is used in my 1942 GPW WWII jeep and I know they are not a currently popular group size.

I am sure the Packard crowd is familiar with the Optima battery inside the vintage Willard case for the purists. I take the CAT battery, remove all the stickers, paint the three battery fill tops red and it is a top post battery and it passes the 10 ft test.
For my jeep, I cut out the Willard logo on balsa wood and epoxy glued it in place along with some home made terminal straps on top. Again, passes the 10 ft test.

Hmmmm....
I guess I failed to mention the year of my Clipper. It's a 47 and the battery tray and hold down are about 7" wide and almost 24" long. So a group 2 would take some cobbling and if I were going to do that and make any old battery fit, I'd make something more easily obtainable to do that.

autoparts2020.com/deka/commercial-battery-dek-93eh

This is a group 3 battery

If your tray is 7" wide it is not the regular stock tray and someone has changed it. If it is a former military car perhaps a different high capacity battery was used in those vehicles and tray was changed by the military or was part of a military package sold by Packard. The stock tray used in ordinary 42-50 Clipper based bodies is about 4 3/16 wide and between the perforations in the tray bottom or holes in the hold down bracket where the bolts insert, approx 21" bolt to bolt. The 2E battery fits in the tray with very little side to side clearance. There are some raised tabs in the tray bottom to provide front to back stops for the battery so it does not slide the extra distance between the bolts.

I'll take and post some images tomorrow. Should have done it first. Interesting about the military battery...could be what we are finding. A black out light cover that fits the OE headlight bucket, but not a curvered sealed beam. A small kerosene fuel tank with some tube connections, shut off and filter, and a prime pump handle and flue opening instruction, like some sort of engine heater or accessory rear compartment heater, etc. And the OD green canvas winter grill covers...this is looking more and more like a military buy back car.
Need to find data plate or military property tag to confirm. No USA numbers under hood that we have found yet.

Sounds like I've got the OE battery tray and hold down. Here is photo of hold down and the measurements are similar to what you have posted. approx. 4 1/2" by 20" I have several group 2 batterys around the shop and will put one in to be sure. Just not used to all the extra room on the top hold down tray. I guess this would allow for different length batteries to be used without modifying the hold down tray.
Relieved that I can used the group 2 as that is what my WWII jeeps use and I can now jump one from the other if I have to. I am sure I will install a hidden disconnect and use trickle chargers when stored.

Thanks to all who responded.

Robert Brough
Winston, GA
Vehicles of Victory

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One nice thing about having the stock tray is it is strong and Packard left plenty of room to mount a cutoff switch under the tray where it is mostly out of sight. I chose to interrupt the ground side. The regular toggle lever is easily accessible when reaching over the fender but being lazy I went one better and modified it so it would work with a push/pull cable from the interior. That way I could operate the switch without having to get out and rise the hood. The lever is still workable from the engine compt even with the push pull cable attached.

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Also checkout this link:

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

Wes