Battery Question

[wthalin]

Hello,
New here. Have a 1966 Dodge Coronet with a 69 4-barrel 383 in it. I’m looking for some input on batteries that can take a beating and what size I should get. Had a duralast gold that lasted a while, but leaning toward picking up an interstate from Costco.

I run Odyssey’s in my Cummins, but this car is still a project and not something that is going to be driven frequently.

I’m not sure on sizing. I ran the cables to the trunk so battery tray is not an issue. Should I just be trying to get the biggest battery with the most cranking amps? Seems like there is not a lot of info out there unless you want to go OEM.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Cranky]

Batteries where the highest cranking amps is not always the way to go because to get high cranking amps you have to have more plates and to do that they have to make the plates thinner to get them into a certain size casing. Heat and vibration is the biggest enemy for thin plates....

 

[MoparLeo]

A standard lead/acid battery is only good for about 5 years on average . Deep cycle batteries are commonly used on low use vehicles like Motorhomes and Marine apps.
Interstate is a good one. Research the makers of whatever battery you are looking for. Johnson Controls make some of the biggest name brands are are excellent.
Basically 3 companies make them all. Johnson Controls is about the best. Make sure to use the largest gauge copper cable you could find and that the connections and grounds are as good as they can be. Also make sure to have very good outside venting of the battery. Hydrogen gas is very explosive.

 

[SoCal440GTX]

A standard lead/acid battery is ...

MoparLeo, you sure know what you are talking about. You are very knowledgeable on this subject.

 

[Mike67]

I've been switching to AGM batteries in my vehicles. They have no real maintenance required.
Although if you have a battery charger it needs to be an electronic type that can charge AGMs.

 

[Slap Stick]

Johnson controls sold their battery business a couple years ago.
Its now Clarios.

 

[toolmanmike]

Just buy a battery and put it in. I have had OEM batteries last 8 years and Interstate's last 7. I don't like their green color under the hood with the Interstate's so I bought a Wal Mart Ever Start and put a cap and sticker kit on it to make it look more Mopar. It will probably last as long as all the rest.

 

[Dave6T4]

Hello,
New here. Have a 1966 Dodge Coronet with a 69 4-barrel 383 in it. I’m looking for some input on batteries that can take a beating and what size I should get. Had a duralast gold that lasted a while, but leaning toward picking up an interstate from Costco.

I run Odyssey’s in my Cummins, but this car is still a project and not something that is going to be driven frequently.

I’m not sure on sizing. I ran the cables to the trunk so battery tray is not an issue. Should I just be trying to get the biggest battery with the most cranking amps? Seems like there is not a lot of info out there unless you want to go OEM.

Thanks for any input.

Check out Weskar.com website for repro push-in caps and decals to make your modern maintenance-free battery look like an original. I ordered a set for my '64 and they look great.
On my '67 R/T, I found a larger Group 30 tractor battery at TSC that had individual flat screw-in caps. I replaced these with red caps from a failed repro battery, and put a repro Mopar battery label on it. This battery is larger than a Group 27, so I had to modify tray, but should be fine for trunk mount.

 

[PRND21]

I’ve got a red top Optima in my 65 that is over 13 years old, still going strong. Now that I’ve said that, it’ll probably take a crap now.

 

[turbine68rt]

Just buy a battery and put it in. I have had OEM batteries last 8 years and Interstate's last 7. I don't like their green color under the hood so I bought a Wal Mart EverStart and put a cap and sticker kit on it to make it look more Mopar. It will probably las as long as all the rest.

View attachment 1060950 View attachment 1060951

Just buy a battery and put it in. I have had OEM batteries last 8 years and Interstate's last 7. I don't like their green color under the hood so I bought a Wal Mart EverStart and put a cap and sticker kit on it to make it look more Mopar. It will probably las as long as all the rest.

View attachment 1060950 View attachment 1060951

Did the same thing with a group 27. For regular drives and cruise nights it has plenty of power with a warranty. Once I'm at a show like Carlisle I'll just swap it out for the old repro.

 

[Slap Stick]

Just buy a battery and put it in. I have had OEM batteries last 8 years and Interstate's last 7. I don't like their green color under the hood so I bought a Wal Mart EverStart and put a cap and sticker kit on it to make it look more Mopar. It will probably las as long as all the rest.

View attachment 1060950 View attachment 1060951

So you don't like Interstate green so you put the same green on a WM battery?
Did I miss something?

 

[toolmanmike]

So you don't like Interstate green so you put the same green on a WM battery?
Did I miss something?

A green and white battery is different than a black battery with original looking green and black stickers. It would be hard to make that one look good.

 

[toolmanmike]

Did the same thing with a group 27. For regular drives and cruise nights it has plenty of power with a warranty. Once I'm at a show like Carlisle I'll just swap it out for the old repro.

View attachment 1061006

Exactly. Plus if it does fail when you are out of town there's usually a Wally World not too far away. Looks good there.

 

[wthalin]

I guess my question is more around what size should I be getting if I go with Interstate or does it even matter? Again, it’s a project car so I want a battery that can take a beating, but don’t want to pay double the price if it does not matter for my case. I’m looking at 24, 24F (what I have now) or 27. Any thoughts on that? Does it make a difference? 24 and 24F seemed like they had all the same specs but were like $60 different in price.

 

[toolmanmike]

I guess my question is more around what size should I be getting if I go with Interstate or does it even matter? Again, it’s a project car so I want a battery that can take a beating, but don’t want to pay double the price if it does not matter for my case. I’m looking at 24, 24F (what I have now) or 27. Any thoughts on that? Does it make a difference? 24 and 24F seemed like they had all the same specs but were like $60 different in price.

The 27 is a bigger battery both physically and cca. What do you have under the hood? A big engine likes a big battery. If you have a 75,000 mile 318 a 24 series would work just fine. Any aftermarket accessories like a kick azz stereo or dual cooling fans? If so get the big one. Measure your battery tray though. It might not be big enough for the 27 series.

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

I guess my question is more around what size should I be getting if I go with Interstate or does it even matter? Again, it’s a project car so I want a battery that can take a beating, but don’t want to pay double the price if it does not matter for my case. I’m looking at 24, 24F (what I have now) or 27. Any thoughts on that? Does it make a difference? 24 and 24F seemed like they had all the same specs but were like $60 different in price.

I think the difference between the 24 and 24F is the position of the posts, they are both offset to the one side but swapped positive and negative.

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

And since yours is in the trunk and battery tray size is not an issue I would go with a group 27. Ground directly to the trunk area close to the battery and also to the engine block, in addition to the rest of the factory grounds. Lots of info on the net as well for installing a starter solenoid to keep cables from being “hot” all the time. Worth looking into IMO as it might save your car from a potential fire.

 

[toolmanmike]

I think the difference between the 24 and 24F is the position of the posts, they are both offset to the one side but swapped positive and negative.

Yep. The "F" batteries are for Fords. They usually have their batteries on the passenger side of the vehicle so the posts need to be backwards. (Ford thing) LOL

 

[wthalin]

Yep. The "F" batteries are for Fords. They usually have their batteries on the passenger side of the vehicle.

that is crazy. The F was between $50-60 cheaper than the regular 24.

 

[wthalin]

And since yours is in the trunk and battery tray size is not an issue I would go with a group 27. Ground directly to the trunk area close to the battery and also to the engine block, in addition to the rest of the factory grounds. Lots of info on the net as well for installing a starter solenoid to keep cables from being “hot” all the time. Worth looking into IMO as it might save your car from a potential fire.

thanks for the input. I think I’ll lean towards the 27.

what’s the difference between the AGM batteries and the regular 27?