Will an Optima Battery fit in a 72 battery compartment?

 

yes

 

Yes, I have a Red Top in mine.

 

I have the same in my 71.

 

They'll fit, but I guess they aren't that great. I know of people that have bought them new and were dead. A guy that works at Autozone says that they get Optimas in the most for warranty, but they are sold the least.

 

Yea mine went dead on half the cells and optima says I overcharged it. Since my car is apart I guess a miracle happened and it was telekinetically (sp?) charged I will never buy an optima again

 

Hummm, had very good luck with mine for the past year or so in the Camaro. It really made all the difference vs the old battery when getting it restarted when hot. The old battery, even though it was in OK condition, just wouldn't crank the starter over when it got hot and heatsoaked. Was just about ready to replace the starter with a mini, when my friend that is a mechanic said get an optima battery. Did so an now it cranks over fine, cold or hot. FWIW.

Guess like everything else, YMMV.

 

Same optima since X-mas '98

 

I've had a red-top since 2001 in my '85.
Run it flat countless times(c4 thing)... ....but it keeps comming back and holding charge
When my batt dies in my '69bb, i'll be getting an Optima for it

 

Have my Red Top for just under 2 years, no problem to report yet...

 

Yellow top in my 69 and it cranks the 509 over with no problems and runs 2 Spal 13 inch fans after the engine shuts off for about 3-5 minutes. Had for 3 years now and it went dead one time, charged it back up and have had no problems since. As with anything I think you will always have the chance of getting a lemon every once and a while.

 

I've had one in my 68 BB for 1 yr with no problems...had problems with other batteries though. Guess it's the heat..should put some king of ventilation in the battery compartment

 

Red top for my big block.

Weasle

 

Got the red top in my 81 for 3 1/2 years now and no problems at all. It sits all winter and starts right up in spring.

 

Yes it should fit but why?

I have owned a battery shop for over 30 yrs. I have seen new design batteries come and go (anyone remember the Torque Starter battery?).

Save your money and get a conventional type battery and replace them in 3-4 yrs. Anyone running a battery for longer than that is asking for trouble.

If you think you have some sorta wonder battery and it will last longer fine. My business also rebuilds alternators, starters and generators and we love people who take a battery too long, makes me a ton-O-money.

Here is a easy way I explain it.

An alternator is a battery maintainer NOT a battery charger. It charges really hard after start-up for maybe 30 sec then tapers back. If you have a weak/old battery these times are increased. The harder the alt charges for extended periods of time the more likely it will burn out.

Think of it like this. Say you start-up a new car and hold the gas to the floor just to the point where the rods are about ready to come through the block and then shut it down. Do you think that engine will last 100k now? Same principal here. The next heavy load against the alt (turning on headlights maybe) could be the straw that breaks the camels back.

I know some will say but it only makes common sense and I have seen this happen on a daily basis for over 30 yrs. Take your chances if ya want.

 

Two of the worst things on a battery are heat (causes water loss) and vibration (knocks the plates loose). Eliminate those and you should get a battery to work flawless for 3-4 yrs. After that and you might as well buy a hard 6 or 8 at the local casino and see if it hits.

 

Good old Sears Die Hard deep-cycle marine battery for me. In fact, I'm about due for a new one.

 

I see your point but I have a question for you then about cold cranking amps. A local guy who rebuilds starters & alternators told me that for an engine with a high compression ratio you should replace/rebuild your starter with one that has high torque windings and also buy a battery with very high CCA. He said to do this because a higher compression engine will need these changes to start more reliably. Obviosuly he is trying to sell me stuff but to what degree do you feel this this is true?

 

I have sears die hard gold in my cars. The warranty is just as good as an optima and they are a lot less money.

 

An Optima red top fits fine in my 69 and works great. The last two conventional batteries I bought lasted 1 and 2 years before not holding a charge. Champion and Die Hard if I remember right. We'll see about the Optima. So far so good.