Getting a new battery any sugs?
 

I am thinking hard about getting a gel battery possibly an
Optima Red Top 34. Any pros or cons? Has anyone here tried one in their c2? Fitment, longevity?
Thanks!

Apparently there was a spate of Mexican made Optimas that were cr@pola.
That was a while back; the newer ones are supposed to be OK; if you have a battery maintainer/charger make sure its spec'ed for the AGM type batteries though...

Oh wow thanks very good advice I will def check that!
Watcha got in your 63?

Mine went to NCRS judging and I couldn't see the $$$ for a 'restoration' battery so I went with an AC/Delco service replacement lead/acid type and took a few point 'hits'....

So, an Optima wouldn't cut it in my case:thumbs:

Got a Walmarrt Maxxstart for my '89 Chevy DD. $90 with three years free replacement, so far, so good. Anonymously all black, may not be a problem for some judges? Mine has side terminals. presume you'll need a top post model!

Had red top Optimas in a couple of cars years ago. big $$ back then, no problems.

Yes Red Top still a little pricy at $147 (amazon).
Not worried at all about judging. The only judge is my wife when I leave and tell her I will be back in an hour and come back 4 hrs later.:D
Yes top post underhood is 100% stock.
I have gone through 3 batteries (always went for lower cost batts autozone, costco etc) in last 10-11 years despite using a Batt tender so I was thinking maybe spend a little more get an AGM.
Alt and VR always check out fine with multimeter.
Hmmmmm maybe I take a drive to Wally World and have a look.

I have many of these. Why pay more?

http://www.ruralking.com/battery-525-cca.html

I'm not worried about originality, but I like the AGM as well. I bought the Bosch AGM from Pep Boys:
https://www.pepboys.com/product/deta...VETTE/0/V8-327

They have two promotions now. 25% off batteries, and 30% off online orders. I assume you can only use one, and the 30% off lets you order and pick it up in the store.

Hey Frank forgot to add before that new wall is def gonna keep out all those cr@pola batteries from Mexico.:D

Assuming originality isn't a concern, I've been running a Braille 21 lb. AGM battery in my restomod for years with zero issues. In addition to the significant weight savings (power to weight ratio was the primary motivation when building my car) the smaller size makes it MUCH easier to install/remove if needed for doing other work. Based on size it looks pretty wimpy, but it has no issues cranking my LS motor. I live in California, so the weather is pretty easy on batteries.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/brl-b3121/overview/


Rick

Walmart batteries in all my old cars. Excellent service and value. Very long lasting.

I agree, great prices; but they may not be available where he lives

Bill

and, unlike Rural King, Walmart is EVERYWHERE...

Bill

Rural King will ship batteries. I used to buy nothing but WalMart batteries for years but about 5-6 years ago, they raised their prices a lot and cut their warranty. That said, in about 15 years and many batteries, I only took one WM battery back for warranty. All the rest of them way outlasted the warranty.

These cheap Rural King Exides have been good to me. I've probably bought 7-8 of the $44.95 batteries and a like number of the $49.99 batteries. Only took one back for free replacement.

:iagree: , that's why I don't buy Walmart batteries anymore...; but, at least there are Walmarts EVERYWHERE...

Bill

I indirectly killed my 4 1/2 yr old Delco, so I just bought and installed a Auto Craft Gold 700CCA Group24 battery purchased from Car Quest and manufactured by Johnson Controls. They make many, if not most of the batteries on the market. :cheers: Dennis

IMO Optima batteries are the most over rated, over hyped, over priced batteries in automotive history. They have the highest failure rate of any battery right out of the box. I've had 2. One was dead from day one. The other lasted a couple of weeks. Never again. Some swear by them. Not me. I get 11 years out of my Interstate batteries in my old cars.

Rural King's price, shipped to my area is $64 and change. About half what my latest Walmart battery cost me ($118). Very likely to try them next time. Thanks for the post!

:iagree:
Bill

Jeff
I didn't realize shipping would be so cheap, considering the weight of a battery.

thanks for the info, even tho I have a local RK...

Bill