So I go out thids morning, turn the key and .......nothing but a click, then suddenly the motor just barely started. ou: It really irks me that I paid nearly $150 with the shipping for my Delco repro battery and all it lasted was 3 years! :rant: I use a automatic maintainer on it all winter long and keep an eye on the fluid level, it's never been low. You'd think that at premium prices you'd get a premium battery. Heck, the Walmart special I paid $39 for has been in my driver for over 4 years now! :rant: I just did a cell test, and I'm certain it's a shorted cell and not my electrical system. My charger is automatic and will no longer go down below 4 amps on this battery, and it gets warm near the bad cell. :ball: I'm NOT buying another one....... :af: I plan on putting it in the car just for display at judged shows. I'll be d*mned if Antique Battery will get another dime of my money for their crappy 1 yr. batteries! :rant: Rant over.
This is the reason why i bought the maintenance free sealed unit that looks like the original delco from `66. Thanks
got it from www.antiqueautobattery.com alittle on the expensive side for a freakin battery but o No: Thanks
Are you sure that's sealed? Mine is the one pictured on their website, but it's the '67 style.....and the caps are removeable. I had to fill mine, it was shipped dry. I don't think they can ship anything with acid in it. :bglasses:
1000000000000% sealed and maintenance free thats why you`re paying $230 for it,the caps on mine are not removeable they are just for show. Thanks
$230 :jd: .....and a few extra points at a car show.....hmmmm....for that price, switching my walmart special with my dead (but correct one ) after I'm parked somehow seems like the wiser choice. :laugh:
They now make battery covers that appear to be original. Under the cover is a REAL BATTERY!!!!!! Tom T.
Joe, Find a way to cut the top off of your current battery and make your own battery topper with a modern battery. I have one of the "battery toppers" for my car and it looks fine, but it does not look like the battery in this post.
Just an idea. I wonder if you could gut that sucker from the bottom. Then hook cables up to the post on the inside of the case. Then run some hidden cables to the real battery. If done right. No one will know unless you tell hem. Could also go as far as to take like small pill bottles painted black and glue to under each fill hole. So even if the battery cap is removed it looks to have acid/water in it. Figure out how to do it right and nice then sell them for profit. Whats the going rate for a dead old delco battery? A cover or seal repo sounds nice but I think you could fool even the smartest jude that way.
I've had 2 or 3 Diehards short on me (though they didn't cost what the repro did). Strange as it is, the Walmart battery I have now is fine. Go figure.
Reminds me that it seems the more modern batteries fail without much warning compared to years ago-one minute fine and then you're done. These days when I make a boneyard run, I generally check to see what they have and will try and find a recent date Interstate-$15-20 and they seem to do pretty well. I generally go for the big 27 size for the big Buicks-
Wait a minute. Don't you have to start the car during judging? Show that all the lights, wipers, all electrical systems are in working order? That has been my experience with judged events. Not BCA events, but CCCA events. (Classic Car Club of America) o No:
Battery topper The battery toppers are great - if you are careful and get an all black battery (actually I got mine at Walmart) and are careful to get a battery that are really close size to the topper, the end result is excellent. I know of at least 2 cars that went to AACA Grand Nationals with them and made it thru unnoticed. If you really want to play safe, get an AC Delco Battery, put the topper on it, then you are correct regardless. Not the best picture of it, but you may be able to see it some.
I've never come across an event like that. I'm hoping I can get through the rest of the season with what I have....it seems to start the car OK unless it's been sitting for a few days. I think if I keep it fully charged and keep a pair of jumper cables in the trunk, I will be OK. I like the idea of using a "skin" on top of a newer battery. I did that with my radiator cap.....I used new guts on the repo cap that cost me $35 and only lasted 2 years. :af: Nobody has noticed the "incorrect" rivet yet. :laugh:
The problem is doing it that way will overwork the alternator trying to keep the battery charged & then you will be replacing the alternator too.
Very good point.....although I don't think the cell is completely shorted. I have 12.5 volts across the battery. If one was completely shorted, I might have only 10. It's when I test the specific gravity of each cell that one cell is weaker than the rest. I plan on replacing it with something very soon, I just haven't decided what yet. If I'm going to spend a huge wad of dough on an "authentic" replacement, it had better be top quality and come with more than a one year warranty. I think I know what hurt it.....when I first got it, two or three times I accidently drained it completely dead b/c my glovebox light had a habit of staying on. They say that will shorten the life of any battery. ou:
Those old batteries suck. Dad paid a small fortune for a correct one for his 64 Riv only to have it leak and mess up the freshly painted hood, inner fenders, core support and battery box. The trickle charger it came with didn't work well either. Joe, you probably need a very good modern battery to power the plow this winter.LOL
I agree with John...the cost of a poor battery is much more than a good modern one...I had a new battery leak all over my 1970 (NOS) core support. When I brought it back, they told me it was my fault it overcharged...yeah, right :af: After that I have been buying sealed, leak free audio equipment type batteries, appearance be d@mned
