After skinning my knuckles and bruising the back of my hand in a struggle to remove the two batteries in my pre-'75 MGB, I needed some help! Being reluctant to use a terminal gripping strap, as this can seriously damage the battery, I thought there had to be a better way. Indeed there is!

I took a piece of nylon strapping (about 1 inch wide, less than 1/16 of an inch thick and 33 inches long), wrapped it around the battery so that the ends of the strap are to the top of the battery and the strap sits in the car parallel to the car's length, and lowered the battery into its compartment. The ends of the strap can be tied together with string or sewn together, and the loop slipped over the battery. This strap, of course, stays in the car and serves as an excellent handle to make removing the battery infinitely easier without risk of damage.

Back to General Tech Tips