It was odd that the battery was dead. I've never had any charging system problems on it. It still checks good. 
Why behind the seat!?
Pro
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 575
Likes: 3
From: Tampa / Ft. Myers FL
I heard it was for better weight distribution too. But I would think if you're going to go that route, put it on the passenger side to offset (even just a little) the driver's weight since most folks when they drive their C3 hard are alone...
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,388
Likes: 2
From: Eagle River Alaska
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 872
Likes: 3
From: Cortlandt Manor New York
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
Years ago, I didn't have a garage where I lived and rented one in another town. It was a relatively common thing in spring to get to the garage and meet a dead battery. Since I only rented one bay, I would have to jump off my DD that was outside the garage, so I bought a set of heavy duty jumper cables that were 50 feet long. Those things were very handy to have around. So handy, that someone decided they needed them more than I did, and relieved me of their ownership.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,419
Likes: 22
From: In limbo
St. Jude Donor '13-'15, '17 thru '22
My tools have been popular over the years. I never had my own place for tools until I bought my house. 32 years of storing tools in places where other people had access to them somehow caused thousands of dollars worth of them to grow legs and run away from home. I lost some tools at my house too, until I found some honest contractors to do the work on my house I chose not to do.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,941
Likes: 281
From: Was New Orleans but swam to Baton Rouge LA
Cruise-In IX Veteran
You could have popped the hood and connected to the starter and the engine to jump it. I know on the newer GM trucks they have a box under the hood with a positive terminal just for jumping.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 145
Likes: 13
From: Athens AL
Another good reason to not put the battery under the hood is that older big block cars were built to operate at 210 degrees F. A battery's life would be cut way short when exposed to those temperatures, especially an early 70s battery.
Has anyone tried the AGM batteries yet? I installed a new one this morning. Hope it lasts longer than my last one (installed July, 2014).
Has anyone tried the AGM batteries yet? I installed a new one this morning. Hope it lasts longer than my last one (installed July, 2014).
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Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 4
From: MA
What do you guys find works better for cold winter storage, a tender or disconnecting the battery entirely? I've done it both ways but somehow got burned last week with a battery that could not muster enough juice to start the car without a jump, even with the tender on. Battery was only 2 or maybe 3 years old. Next year I may just unscrew the cutoff and let it sit and not let the clock run for 5 months.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 145
Likes: 13
From: Athens AL
What do you guys find works better for cold winter storage, a tender or disconnecting the battery entirely? I've done it both ways but somehow got burned last week with a battery that could not muster enough juice to start the car without a jump, even with the tender on. Battery was only 2 or maybe 3 years old. Next year I may just unscrew the cutoff and let it sit and not let the clock run for 5 months.
Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 4
From: MA
Yeah mine was green too. Glad I'm not the only one. New battery ordered.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 145
Likes: 13
From: Athens AL
FWIW, I had been using the cheap Harbor Freight tenders ($7 each) on my mower and Polaris RZR with no problems at all. I bought what appeared to be a higher quality tender for the Corvette and here we are. The battery I bought today was $200 including tax, so more than ever, I'd love to know what I'm not doing right.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 14,406
Likes: 8,212
From: Napa Valley California
I've used Battery tenders over the past 30 years and never had a problem with my motorcycles, boats or cars. They make several different styles and amperage rated tenders. They are not one size works for all. Make sure you have the right Battery tender for your application. I keep both battery cables and the Battery tender connected all year, however keep it unplugged during the week and plug it in on Friday nights. The tender checks the battery and if it needs to charge, it does and all lights are solid green in about five minutes. I leave it on over night, then unplug it again on Saturday morning. The only reason I do this is, many years ago I had a Battery tender hooked up to one of my boats and I noticed the "charging" led indicator had stayed on for several days. I checked my connections and found the battery was very warm. I had the battery tested and found it had a bad cell, was not taking a charge and the tender was continually attempting to charge the battery.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,131
Likes: 102
From: Toms River New Jersey
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,365
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From: Cape Girardeau Missouri
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,705
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From: Orlando FL
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,380
Likes: 6,391
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
Tenders are good but not if you just put it on and forget it all winter . I had my first new DieHard battery go bad by doing this. They should only be put on for a week at most without a rest. They can fry the battery cells.
