The battery in my wifes Volvo just died

Time to transplant the Vette battery into the Volvo and get a Red Top to the Vette

Anyone know what the model # for the Red Top is?

Just to be sure and not crash my computer...disconnect the Negative cable first...right?

P.S. Any reason why I can't get a blue top? I know it's a deep cycle battery...

Peace
Willfulone

 

Red Top is a normal starter battery for daily driver duty while Yellow Top is a deep cycle battery for applications where you discharge and recharge the battery fully often, as in show cars that run their accessories and such. There are comparable models for C5's in Yellow and Red Top guise but I've never heard of a Blue Top for a vette (must be the marine line ).

Always disconnect black-negative cable first and connect it last.

Either the 34/78 or the 75/35 will work in the C5. The former is older but slightly more powerful. You don't need any sort of adapter. I run the 75/35 and got a new clamp block from Optima for a better grip but the stock one was working fine before I got that. Optima sent me the block free of charge.

Here's my 75/35 with the stock clamp block.


You can see the clamp block Optima sent me in this pic with my 75/35. It conforms to the Red Top's shape better than the stock block.


Here's a 34/78

 

Tks Patches,

One more quick question...the stock battery has top mounted terminals, I assume it does not matter...

Tks Again
Willfulone

 

That's right, you have an '04 with the top-mount. You'll notice in the pics above, the Optima comes with both side and top posts so it doesn't matter which you have. Just pull the protective covers from the posts you need and hook it up. Another plus with the Optima dual post setup is that you can use the other posts for accessory taps.

 

Blue top is a marine battery. The red top I have in my car is a 74/38. Another choice would be a 75/35.

 

The 34/78 for me too. (It's OK JD, we know what you meant. )
Robert

 

One thing I'll add is that the '04 battery is top terminals, and the end of the battery cables is "L" shaped. They may not reach the terminals on the Optima considering the terminals are set fairly far back. I have a buddy with an '04 and he hasn't put the Optima in for this reason.

You might have to get an adapter of some sort or cut off the stock ends and get straight ones........

 

That is NOT good news. It's not a big deal for some of us to convert to side terminal posts or to replace the cables with longer ones, but it's not an option for others.

Can anyone suggest a quick and easy adapter that can be bought at a local parts store that is also a quality piece? I would not recommend Optimas to owners with 04's if there's no easy way to adapt them. Plus, having to buy adapters on top of the expense of the batteries is not fun either.

Thanks for the heads-up, Randy.

 

BTW, if you need a battery for your wife's car, check out this list of recommended picks from Consumer Reports:

Best for cold weather performance:
1. ProStart (Pep Boys), series 65: $60 CR Best buy
2. Interstate: $75
3. Advance Autocraft, series 75: $55CR best buy
4. Advance Autocraft, series 24: $50
Advance Autocraft, series 34/78: $75 CR Best buy
"All of these batteries deliver a good blend of life and cold-starting power in their group size."

Best for warm weather performance:
1. ProStart (Pep Boys), series 65: $60 CR Best buy
2. Advance Autocraft, series 75: $55 CR Best buy
3. Advance Autocraft, series 24: $50
4. Advance Autocraft, series 34/758 $75 CR Best buy
"The ProStart (1) and Advance (series 24 and 34/78) excelled in our life tests."

If reserve power matters most:
1. ProStart (Pep Boys), series 65: $60 CR Best buy
2. Interstate, series 75: $75
3. Advance Autocraft, series 24: $50
4. Advance Autocraft, series 34/78 North: $75 CR Best buy
5. Diehard, series 34/78: $90
"All excelled in reserve capacity. The Interstate and Diehard had superior CCA performance."

I'm guessing that the Optima was not included because of its higher-than-normal price range, which tends to restrict its sales to those who are extremely concerned about leaks. That being said, I've been driving since 1974 and have never had a leaking battery, so I guess we can compare buying an Optima to buying runflats?

 

Tks Dave,
Appreciate the time and effort.

Gonna take another look at it in the morning and decide if I'm going to cut the cables and put an Optima in the Vette, or just put a battery in the wifes car.

Peace
Willfulone

 

Patches, do you have any miles on that car? My God man there isn't even dust next to your battery!

 

This suggestion may sound like going backward in time, but it is very easy to convert the top post cables to side mounts. New side post connectors are available for around $1.25 (heavy duty connectors), and only takes a few minutes per cable.

 

Thank you for the suggestion - just what I was asking. I didn't have to worry about this with mine but I'll check for the parts in the store next time I'm there.

Oh, and, madeouttaglass, we don't have dust here in Georgia - just red clay.

 

Patches/Randy,

Tks for your imput...

Here is an update on the 04 Red Top install:

Randy was correct, the factory battery cables will not reach the terminals on the red top. The red top terminals are aprox 2 1/2" from the edge of the battery. The factory terminals, AC delco battery, are 2" from the edge. The factory battery wires are bent at aprox a 90 degree angle, two inches to the bend.

Although at first this looked like a problem ( I bought all the needed stuff to cut the wires and put new stuff on to make it fit) It was not needed.

The simple solution was to bend the wires (post connectors) from approx 90 degrees to 45 degrees. This was not hard and was done by hand, (no tools needed, as the metal is fairly soft) With the 45 degree bend in the terminal connectors, the connectors fit over the posts nicely. The Red top posts are raised approx 1/4", so the 45 degree bend clears the end (or the last 1/2") of the battery...

Patches:
If you want the pics here, PM me with you email address and I'll send you the JPG's for you collection...




Close up




Peace
Willfulone

 

Excellent post Willfulone. I like that solution. No extra expense and very simple modification of the cables. I have already saved the pics for future reference.

Thanks for the follow-up.

 

Willfulone...thanks...I am just abot to get a red top for my 04 as well...

 

You can make your own battery cables with parts from www.waytekwire.com and you can check out more battery sizes, CCA's, and weight (if you care) here: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=976812