Battery for '62

[David K.]

I am really looking for a good reliable battery for my '62. It is a driver, but like many drivers, will have some "down time", waiting for me. At this time I am not really interested in a battery that will get me the most points as I am a battery that works the best. So if it is that battery, that is great as well. I was thinking an Optima battery, but now I am reading reports of bad luck. What are you guys happy with.

[Donald L.]

Re: Battery for '62

Ive been using a battery made by Johnson Control that are sold by Costco. Its rated at 610 CCA and has not let me down in 5 years.

[Donald B.]

Re: Battery for '62

I purchased a ACD24/60 Delco back in late 2004 ($55) and have had no problems. I put one of those cheapy fake tar tops so it looks remotely correct to the casual observer.

[Gary B.]

Re: Battery for '62

I have been using the top Sears Battery with a Battery Butler from Lectric Limited with excellent results on my '62 driver with a 383.

[Dennis C.]

Battery for '62

I always buy a Delco. They have worked well for me and just in case (in a weak moment) I have my car judged, the point deduction is not as catastrophic as a non oem brand.

[Richard T.]

Re: Battery for '62

I had a few repo tar top batteries in my 62 over the years and all were a pain in the ass. I finally installed an Optima and put a fake tar topper on it. This thing cranks like crazy, never loses a charge and won't leak. Before I put the tar topper on I cut off the bogus looking DELCO caps and glued in six real ones. You would be surprised how real it looks. I also have a replacement Delco in my 57 with a tar top cover. It seems to perform about as well as the Optima. Just don't use a repo battery unless you have to. Rich

[Bruce B.]

Re: Battery for '62

Dave,
I put an AC Delco sealed top post battery in my 62 about 11 years ago and it is still fine. Every winter I put a float charger on it and it has started every time. Last year I bought a charger that reverses the sulfide deterioration of the battery and I hope to get a few more years out of it.
The car has been driven 21,000 miles since I put in the battery without any problems. Although in reality I think the battery is living on borrowed time due to its age.
I looked for you at Lima yesterday.
Bruce B.

[David K.]

Re: Battery for '62

11yrs on a battery has to be a record! Sounds as if Delco, is making a pretty good battery.

Ah, I forgot the Lima swap. Are you sure it is not next weekend? DUH

[Edward B.]

Re: Battery for '62

Not really a record - in October 2000 I finally replaced a Sears DieHard 24F that had been powering my 300SL (sorry about that!) since June, 1986. 14+ years is good battery life by any standard.

[Lou C.]

Re: Battery for '62

I have had very good luck with Delco.

[Duke W.]

Re: Battery for '62

Most of the private labels batteries out there are the same basic battery made by Johnson Controls. They just have different stick on lablels for Costco, Pep Boys, Autozone, etc. Peel off the labels and you have a generic black battery, which is very unobstrustive.

You can check the Johnson Controls web site to see all the various brands they manufacture.

The secret to long battery life is to not consistently expose the battery to cranking load in a partially discharged state, and never let it fully discharge. For infrequently driven cars a Battery Tender or equivalent should be kept on the battery or the battery should be charged prior to cranking if the engine has not run for a week, and the battery should be charged at least monthly if the car is not driven or in winter storage.

With the above maintenance habits a basic Johnson Controls battery should last at least 8 years. That's been my experience. If you don't follow the above on a seldom driven car expect only 2-3 years battery life.

You need a Group 24, which is a fairly common size.

I don't know if GM actually manufactures Delco batteries anymore. They may have sold off the Delco battery manufacturing operation.

The only other actual battery manufacturer in North America that I am aware of is Exide.

A battery's effective life starts at the factory when electrolyte is added, so look at the date codes and buy the freshest battery in the store and fully charge it before you crank the engine.

Duke

[John D.]

Re: Battery for '62

Dave,
I put an AC Delco sealed top post battery in my 62 about 11 years ago and it is still fine. Every winter I put a float charger on it and it has started every time. Last year I bought a charger that reverses the sulfide deterioration of the battery and I hope to get a few more years out of it.
The car has been driven 21,000 miles since I put in the battery without any problems. Although in reality I think the battery is living on borrowed time due to its age.
I looked for you at Lima yesterday.

Bruce B.

Bruce, "charger that reverses the sulfide deterioration of the battery"??? Never sausage a thing. Where can I buy one? Never even heard of it before. Sounds like a thing to have. I mean you haven't lived until you change a battery in a C4. Thanx, JD

[Bruce B.]

Re: Battery for '62

John,
Check page 27 of the March - April Restorer magazine. I bought one at Carlisle last year and got a good deal.
I had doubt about the claims about "desulphation" but at last years SACC National Convention one of the tech sessions had a electrical guy (sorry I can't remember his name) who tried a Battery Minder Plus and his experiences were good so I decided to buy one. Itr works great.
Hope all is well,
Bruce B.

[Duke W.]

Re: Battery for '62

I've heard of these devices and they may have merit. IIRC they use short high voltage pulses to neutralize sulfation.

Sulfation is a natural battery aging process. If you buy a brand new battery and do nothilng but connect it to a Battery Tender for years it will still sulfate and fail in about the same mean time as a battery that is used in a car and well maintained.

Like I said earlier, a battery's life starts the moment acid is added at the plant, and it's limited by sulfation whether the battery is used in a car or stored with regular charging.

Duke

[Ken A.]

Re: Battery for '62

FWIW Delco/Delphi batteries are now made in Korea. Sears is outsourcing overseas to the EAST for EPA reasons, as well. Lead acid production is an EPA nightmare for domestic manufacturers. I doubt that there will be any US made batteries in 5 years.