Tar Top Battery

[Don M.]

I just realized in my last three events, I have had 3 differents deductions for my Reproduction Tar Top Battery. SB Tar top -6, Std Lip - 9, Delco non tar top -12. What do you have to have to get ZERO deductions??, What would you get in deductions if you just installed a modern GM Delco Battery??. My battery is getting weakand I would like to replace it. What is my best bet for minumum deduct?

[Michael J.]

Re: Tar Top Battery

I just realized in my last three events, I have had 3 differents deductions for my Reproduction Tar Top Battery. SB Tar top -6, Std Lip - 9, Delco non tar top -12. What do you have to have to get ZERO deductions??, What would you get in deductions if you just installed a modern GM Delco Battery??. My battery is getting weakand I would like to replace it. What is my best bet for minumum deduct?

Having just completed the regionals, I got the same kind of hits on my very expensive Restoration Battery, Delco-eye in my '67 L-71. They carped about the edges, obvious repro, etc. (and I even paid extra for the proper date code!). However, my '66 L79 has an Optima (best battery I have ever had), and they hit me for the full 25 pts. on originality, and the 15 points for condition. So with a good battery you lose 40 pts., with a very expensive repro, with questionable reliability, you will lose 12 or so. Your choice. Also, BTW, many of the parts I got from Long Island Corvette, represented as "correct" also earned me numerous deductions. The judges just seem to be getting very picky on anything not original. They also are getting to be very cautious on any big block C2, they must have been burned somehow somewhere on high dollar fakes, so now everything is suspicious.