Which battery for a 1969?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 180
From: Lockhart, TX
Which battery for a 1969?
Hi Guys,
Any advice for getting a battery for a 1969? Does it matter? Edit, it has a '71 454 powering it.
Thanks,
Simon
Any advice for getting a battery for a 1969? Does it matter? Edit, it has a '71 454 powering it.
Thanks,
Simon
Last edited by Zealot; Sep 18, 2021 at 08:12 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 44,686
Likes: 1,833
From: Huntsville AL
No because most if not all of them are made by the same manufacture and rebranded. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a battery they have the best prices and warranty is the same regardless of where you buy it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8,336
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From: Cool Northern Michigan
Not sure which Group Size we all use in C3s.
Do not buy the most cranking amps you can. The more CCA the thinner the plates inside the battery. The thinner the plates, the more prone to separation from vibration. When that happens, you loose cells / amps. So a better longevity unit will have reasonable CCA, somewhere around 600-700. (Thicker plates)
You can buy junk every 3 yrs. Or buy one excellent battery every 10 yrs.
So, words of wisdom says:
You Get What You Pay For.
Do not buy the most cranking amps you can. The more CCA the thinner the plates inside the battery. The thinner the plates, the more prone to separation from vibration. When that happens, you loose cells / amps. So a better longevity unit will have reasonable CCA, somewhere around 600-700. (Thicker plates)
You can buy junk every 3 yrs. Or buy one excellent battery every 10 yrs.
So, words of wisdom says:
You Get What You Pay For.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Sep 18, 2021 at 08:53 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 44,686
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From: Huntsville AL
Johnson Controls
ACDelco, Advance Auto, AutoCraft, AutoZone, Bosch, Champion, Costco, Delco, Diehard, Duralast, Equalizer, Everstart (Wal-Mart), Firestone, Interstate, Motorcraft, Optima, PeP Boys, Sears.
ACDelco, Advance Auto, AutoCraft, AutoZone, Bosch, Champion, Costco, Delco, Diehard, Duralast, Equalizer, Everstart (Wal-Mart), Firestone, Interstate, Motorcraft, Optima, PeP Boys, Sears.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,400
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From: Tampa Florida
I was at one of their sites many years ago and watched a guy putting labels on batteries. He had stacks of various labels for different companies.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 750
Likes: 180
From: Springfield Missouri
I have an Auto Zone battery in my 76 only because it has a handle for easy installation. Every other battery I've purchased in the last 40 years or so has been form Walnart. Everyone has lasted well past the warranty period with little to no problems. I've always bought the highest CCA's I could find primarily for the cold winter months.A battery carrier tool is practically a must for a C3 Corvette.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/37342383725...sAAOSwy-Ff-r13
https://www.ebay.com/itm/37342383725...sAAOSwy-Ff-r13
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 3,606
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From: PA
The bigger question is when your 1969 was built.
Earlier 1969 Corvettes will use a top post battery with “spring ring” cables… Late 1969 Corvettes use a side terminal battery with screw in cables.
As others have said, most of the current batteries are rebranded so simply find one suitable for your car.
Regards,
Stan Falenski
Earlier 1969 Corvettes will use a top post battery with “spring ring” cables… Late 1969 Corvettes use a side terminal battery with screw in cables.
As others have said, most of the current batteries are rebranded so simply find one suitable for your car.
Regards,
Stan Falenski
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
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From: Cool Northern Michigan
A quick Google search indicates that Johnson Controls manufactures 65% of automotive, truck & marine batteries for Ford, Walmart, Chrysler, etc.
That leaves 35% from another source.
Regardless of which color plastic battery case is used or which label is slapped on the side of the case, its the internals that differs in quality and price of a battery.
Hence the reason some are $39.95 and some are $280+. Its the quality of the internals that count on warranty too. That just stands to reason.
People that believe all batteries come down a assembly line awaiting different labels also believe all oil filters get the same treatment.
bs
That leaves 35% from another source.
Regardless of which color plastic battery case is used or which label is slapped on the side of the case, its the internals that differs in quality and price of a battery.
Hence the reason some are $39.95 and some are $280+. Its the quality of the internals that count on warranty too. That just stands to reason.
People that believe all batteries come down a assembly line awaiting different labels also believe all oil filters get the same treatment.
bs
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Sep 19, 2021 at 08:04 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 9,063
Likes: 2,736
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
You need a 12 volt battery that hooks up to the cables in the car, and fits in the compartment. All this stuff about buying "quality" batteries is made irrelevant when you drive a car 300 miles a year. Even with Battery Tenders,.....the worst thing you can do to a battery is never use it. So no benefit in spending big money on some "special" battery, like these Optima brands. But,.....buy whatever you want. If you drive the car like alot, they will last longer. I don't buy "expensive" batteries thinking they somehow are actually better. I just passed the 6000 miles mark on my 77, since April this year, and the Autozone battery starts it every time.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 174
From: Fort Wayne IN
The stock battery size is I believe a group 74 which is 10 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 8 3/4. I have a group 65 battery in mine which is 12 1/16 x 7 1/2 x 7 9/16 - it was the largest one that i could find that would still fit in the box.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 44,686
Likes: 1,833
From: Huntsville AL
A quick Google search indicates that Johnson Controls manufactures 65% of automotive, truck & marine batteries for Ford, Walmart, Chrysler, etc.
That leaves 45% from another source.
Regardless of which color plastic battery case is used or which label is slapped on the side of the case, its the internals that differs in quality and price of a battery.
Hence the reason some are $39.95 and some are $280+. Its the quality of the internals that count on warranty too. That just stands to reason.
People that believe all batteries come down a assembly line awaiting different labels also believe all oil filters get the same treatment.
bs
That leaves 45% from another source.
Regardless of which color plastic battery case is used or which label is slapped on the side of the case, its the internals that differs in quality and price of a battery.
Hence the reason some are $39.95 and some are $280+. Its the quality of the internals that count on warranty too. That just stands to reason.
People that believe all batteries come down a assembly line awaiting different labels also believe all oil filters get the same treatment.
bs
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,030
Likes: 363
From: Lubbock Texas
It's interesting to me that battery technology has not changed a lot over the years. I would have thought by now we would have much physically smaller batteries with the same capacity as those of yesteryear. I'd love to have a battery in my '73 that is about 75% the size of my AGM battery but with the same capacity. With the disconnect switch, junction box, ground junction and various relays I've added over the years, I'd like more wiggle room for replacing the battery when the time comes.
DC
DC
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,190
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From: Chapel Hill NC
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Walmart and make sure it has a handle strap to ease installation and removal