It didn't take much to pull (mostly by hand) the sloppily-welded aftermarket battery tray out of the rusted-out & trashed body.

My best guess is that a tire blew out (or maybe it just flung some road debris up), ripping out part of the wheelwell & damaging this body mount washer.

The main brace between the wheelwell & core support is so badly corroded that it has been curling down, under the weight of the oversize battery in the cheap tray. Not only do I have to straighten this out - I have to mount a tray in a way that won't crush it again...

With the custom mounting plate between the fender & inner fender, this '87-96 F-series/Bronco battery tray fits surprisingly well. And most of the battery's weight will be borne by the top of the inner fender, where it's strongest. I didn't have to drill any new holes in the original metal, and nothing is welded.

I rearranged the battery cables to fit better, and also cleaned the starter relay terminals. Later, I might replace the battery cable terminals.

With the custom mounting plate between the fender & inner fender, this '87-96 F-series/Bronco battery tray fits surprisingly well. And most of the battery's weight will be borne by the top of the inner fender, where it's strongest. I didn't have to drill any new holes in the original metal, and nothing is welded.

I rearranged the battery cables to fit better, and also cleaned the starter relay terminals. Later, I might replace the battery cable terminals.

The (wrong-sized) battery that came in the truck doesn't fit now (because the tray is up where it belongs), and its terminals are reversed from where I want them.

This MotorCraft TestedToughMax Group 65 (BXT-65-850) is what the tray was designed to hold, and its terminals are where I want them. It's ~$140 (during sales) with an 8-year warranty, the first 3 of which are free-replacement. The Optima doesn't come close to that, or the CCA or reserve capacity, and usually costs MUCH more. This battery is made by Johnson Controls, just like Optima, but this is from the same line as Sears DieHard Gold, Interstate MTP, and a few other high-quality batteries. DuraLast & EverStart are bottom-end JC batteries.

Before buying a craptasmic battery or other common part, check for coupons & service offers from Ford.

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Soldered-on battery terminals are a big improvement, and can be re-soldered as many times as needed to add & remove cables (like body grounds, winch, power inverter, aux. fuse blocks...).