Old Style Delco Battery <<<Best Source?>>>

[Dan LeBlanc]

Lipstick on a pig?  Who cares, most can live with that.

Lipstick on the Mona Lisa would be a tragedy.

I stand behind my original analogy.

[TonyZappone #2624]

After monkeying with these old cars for 50 years or so, I find the item that had me hitchhiking in most often, was contact points.  The advent and use of electronic ignition is not offensive to me.  Just as medical advances have provided the means to do my quadruple bypass have improved to the point that it is no longer the procedure that caused probably 80 to 90 percent fatalities 50 years ago.  Moreover, I don't know how to drive on bias-belt tires anymore.  Even the staid Packard club (also the CCCA, has allowed radial tires).  Purists are entitled to their opinions.  I haven't hitchhiked in since I installed Pertonix in my 47 convert, 58 convert, and even a 1936 Pierce Arrow!  We elect our directors to do what they think is the best for the CadLas club.  I think they do a great job.  I am not critical of them at all in their attempt to keep our cars as original as possible.  In any event, I find that most observers at shows are so enthralled with looking at a breathtaking 58 convertible coupe, yellow at that, that they don't even notice my poor Mickey Mouse battery.

[Jason Edge]

I agree with Mike about the ignition and fuel delivery and in time will convert back to factory on my 64 CDV.  For now I like the fact when I pop the hood it is starting to look original as when the car was new.  In the past few years I have converted the loud dual exhaust back to original setup, removed a few "Fleetwood" interior items and replace with the correct DeVille amenities, replaced my aftermarket wire pull over Delco brakebooster with an original style Delco booster and master cylinder, etc.  I tell people that I feel like I have restored 2/3's of my 64-6357 but feel like I need to go back and redo the first 1/3! Some of that (e.g. ignition, carb and intake) is going through and restoring items to original.  10 to 15 years ago, the carb and Pertronix were easy mods that quickly resolved recurring problems that I did not have time to keep dealing with, but look forward to returning that to original.

As far as tires, I have never driven my 64 with anything but the correct 8.2 x 15 bias ply. I have found that people often run radials to compensate for loose steering and suspension. With all new suspension under my 64 CDV I can take my index finger and drive it anywhere. Radials do give a bit better road handling, but I drive my 64 CDV to work and back thru down town pot hole ridden city streets and constantly under repair interstate road in Raleigh, NC with the bias ply effortlessly.  Bias ply on any car with old worn out suspension will give you a workout. I remember the day about 8 years ago when I bit the bullet and replaced ALL front suspension components and it was like I was suddenly driving a different car. I can (and have) written volumes about the tires! LOL

Back to the battery, it is whatever you want. There are some fantastic, powerful, non factory style batteries out there and can understand the issue with price, but I can tell you, I enjoy gradually restoring my car back to original look, and going with the Type 60 Battery and correct spring ring terminal cables has been very rewarding. I will just add, I find it funny reading about these older cars with bolt terminal battery cables and all the discussions about quick disconnects and what works best.  With the original style spring ring terminals, I simply keep a good set of pliers in the glove box and trunk, and can disconnect as fast as it take me to squeeze the handles.   They are truly a work of art and are what someone would have seen when they first popped the hood on their new Cadillac back in the day.

[TonyZappone #2624]

Over the years, I have probably owned thirty Cadillacs and Buicks in the '50s.  I do not remember the snap clips on the batteries on those cars.  I thought they were bolt types.  In fact I would have sworn the positive bolt cable I just removed was a factory original.  I will stand corrected if someone who knows for sure that the 50's cars had snap terminals.

[Dan LeBlanc]

Over the years, I have probably owned thirty Cadillacs and Buicks in the '50s.  I do not remember the snap clips on the batteries on those cars.  I thought they were bolt types.  In fact I would have sworn the positive bolt cable I just removed was a factory original.  I will stand corrected if someone who knows for sure that the 50's cars had snap terminals.

According to the Serviceman bulletin, spring ring terminals were to be installed on Cadillac cars after March 1st 1961 or when current supply was deleted.  My car was built February 22, 1961 and has spring ring terminals.

[cadillacmike68]

After monkeying with these old cars for 50 years or so, I find the item that had me hitchhiking in most often, was contact points.  The advent and use of electronic ignition is not offensive to me.  Just as medical advances have provided the means to do my quadruple bypass have improved to the point that it is no longer the procedure that caused probably 80 to 90 percent fatalities 50 years ago.  Moreover, I don't know how to drive on bias-belt tires anymore.  Even the staid Packard club (also the CCCA, has allowed radial tires).  Purists are entitled to their opinions.  I haven't hitchhiked in since I installed Pertonix in my 47 convert, 58 convert, and even a 1936 Pierce Arrow!  We elect our directors to do what they think is the best for the CadLas club.  I think they do a great job.  I am not critical of them at all in their attempt to keep our cars as original as possible.  In any event, I find that most observers at shows are so enthralled with looking at a breathtaking 58 convertible coupe, yellow at that, that they don't even notice my poor Mickey Mouse battery.

Tony. with  your 40s & 50s era cars, I can see your point on on points. But for a late 60s thru 73or 74, there is NO valid reason to change that out to any HEI.

As for radials over bias ply. I'm with you there. Same on wiring, cables and hose clamps. I'm not putting something on the car that I know will cause a problem when there is a better performing item available.

Jason, I was fortunate to get my car with all of its original trim and just about all of the original engine compartment components (probably not the original water pump), so I could start with everything. There were a few things missing, like the heater control valve, hood struts, etc. but the rest was there, even if it was in terrible condition.

[Gene Beaird]

Funny, the ONLY time I had to hitchhike due to points failure was actually in our 68 Calais, and was just fairly recently.  Even then, the 'hike' was from one side of the storage facility to the storage unit I was keeping it at the time to get my tools.  Luckily, I quickly discovered the problem, and a quick adjustment of the points at least got the car to start so we could move it back to the unit, saving my wife and I from having to push it back. 

But I see the point of this thread.  I'm not at all against updating parts with better, more efficient and safer parts.  I do see the point of a 100-pointer car, but few of our vehicles are that any more.  Heck, even my 72 Trans Am, that I regularly showed had an aftermarket scatter shield and 3" lap harnesses.  It's just safer. 

[cadillacmike68]

I had to repair the terminal on the wire from the minus side of the coil to the points under the rotor in a Boston Market one night, but that was because the 35 year old wire had frayed too badly to carry enough voltage to fire the points.

[gkhashem]

Dan, say it right - "lipstick on a pig"

I's also like to get an original DELCO 6 cap with the "eye" but nor for $300 when better performing modern ones cost only $100 or so and have more power. I like the new ones. I can leave my underhood and trunk lights on for several hours and it starts up just fine.

I think you are in dreamland if you think you are getting any more than the cheapest AC Delco battery for less than $100 or even $100.  A decent one seems to be at $125-130 now. (a 6 or 7 year battery that is)

[cadillacmike68]

I think you are in dreamland if you think you are getting any more than the cheapest AC Delco battery for less than $100 or even $100.  A decent one seems to be at $125-130 now. (a 6 or 7 year battery that is)

You have to know where to shop!

[jdemerson]

I'll add a data point. My Group 2D Delco tar-top battery with Optima inside was purchased from Restoration Batteries in October 2010. It cost $280, so it wasn't cheap. But averaged over 9 years (including some periods of hard starting with vapor lock)...I'm happy. I expect it will die any minute now.  But I'll take the "fake" battery any day if it will last nine years or more!

John Emerson
1952 Cadillac sedan 6219X