Battery replacement

Bourbon

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2019
Messages
40
Reaction score
66
Location
Cleveland
I need to replace the battery in my ‘67 VIP. The car is very low mileage and nearly all original and I’d like to keep it that way yet still drive it.
I’d love to buy a restoration correct battery but the prices are a bit steep. Any thoughts on the battery toppers and if they work, what is the best battery option to pair them with?
Thanks!
 
I have a battery topper hiding my modern day Group 24 battery..
(I had removed the Delco tag since this pic was taken..heh heh)
Looks impressive yet much more affordable.
boab 2018 006.JPG
 
I have a battery topper hiding my modern day Group 24 battery..

Lea -- where did you buy the topper from? Am I correct that there is still no topper for Group 27 batteries? A year ago you'd posted that the owner of Legendary Battery Toppers was considering adding a Group 27 Mopar topper, but the website indicates that once the Group 24 toppers with green caps (which "can be painted the right color") that he has in stock are gone, he's done with Mopar. I may yet get one for Poppy, as she is (almost) all-original.

--> @Bourbon, if you want one, go get it quickly!
--> Anyone else know of another source for toppers? The Turbo Start original-look batteries are $350 to $360 a pop, which is more than I want to pay for a wear item on a driver like Medina or Ming.
 
Last edited:
Lea -- where did you buy the topper from? Am I correct that there is still no topper for Group 27 batteries? A year ago you'd posted that the owner of Legendary Battery Toppers was considering adding a Group 27 Mopar topper, but the website indicates that once the Group 24 toppers with green caps (which "can be painted the right color") that he has in stock are gone, he's done with Mopar. I may yet get one for Poppy, as she is (almost) all-original.

--> @Bourbon, if you want one, go get it quickly!
--> Anyone else know of another source for toppers? The Turbo Start original-look batteries are $350 to $360 a pop, which is more than I want to pay for a wear item on a driver like Medina or Ming.
Correct no toppers for group 27
Members may have to contact battery toppers for Group 24 availability..
Legendary Battery Toppers : Reproduction Battery
 
I used this on my O'Reilly Group 27. Fantastic for $24. Just peel all the branding stickers off so you have a plain black battery box and stick this package on there.
Mopar Battery S27M red (1966-74) Glue Caps kit | eBay

Tip: Don't line up all the stick-on battery caps like soldiers facing in the same direction, otherwise it's a tipoff for a fake. On a real battery they all clocked every which way.

IMG_1554.JPG


IMG_1600.JPG
 
Mine is a sticker kit as well.
Same site as above. A guy in France reproduces them. If I recall correctly Green for the small power group 24, Yellow for the group 24 which went into 383 2bbl. ( red was an option) red for the high capacity group 27. 440 and maybe the 383 HP. I have a post somewhere that I wrote the application and color down. (For ‘68)


0B187F42-0899-4E18-B6E1-1B41446309EA.jpeg
 
Thanks guys for the suggestion. @Trace 300 Hurst -- your battery looks a lot like the Napa Legend Premium that I have on Medina and Snow White. The latter would have a few more markings to deal with, though:

upload_2020-5-20_13-37-14.png
 
Thanks guys for the suggestion. The latter would have a few more markings to deal with, though:

Doesn't all that NAPA and Legend and "date installed" stuff peel off? If not, a scuffing and some black semigloss would look better than NAPA or Interstate or AutoZone, etc. But I agree, I got lucky with the plain, smooth vent caps as a nice "fooled you" base for the phony caps. I wonder how it would look if you made up some thin, smooth plastic covers to RTV to the existing vent caps, THEN stuck the phony caps on those?

BTW, I stuck all my OReilly stickers on a piece of paper in my car history & expense notebook, in case I have a warranty issue with the battery.

I save all stickers, box flaps, parts bag labels, instructions, etc for EVERYTHING I've done to get this car up to proper snuff. The notebook is now quite thick....
 
Doesn't all that NAPA and Legend and "date installed" stuff peel off? If not, a scuffing and some black semigloss would look better than NAPA or Interstate or AutoZone, etc. (...) I wonder how it would look if you made up some thin, smooth plastic covers to RTV to the existing vent caps, THEN stuck the phony caps on those?

BTW, I stuck all my OReilly stickers on a piece of paper in my car history & expense notebook, in case I have a warranty issue with the battery. I save all stickers, box flaps, parts bag labels, instructions, etc for EVERYTHING I've done to get this car up to proper snuff. The notebook is now quite thick....

You and I think alike. And, I do the same. Then again, we both liked the same book for similar reasons, didn't we? :D

41tLKAFqT0L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
Then again, we both liked the same book for similar reasons, didn't we? :D View attachment 377460
We both like over-the-top, over-hyped dialogue, modern-day Film Noir.

How many times was Derek Strange's Afro, wide collared shirts and his platform shoes mentioned? :D And the cars, described to the last chrome detail.

But not a mention of Mopar batteries....
 
Expense notebook?? That's just not right....


:D Well.....I'm not particularly worrying about the expense, just keeping track to know how far in the hole I am. I figure if I keep track of every improvement and rebuild and upgrade, I'll be able to sell it for 3/4ths of what I have in it! :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
 
:D Well.....I'm not particularly worrying about the expense, just keeping track to know how far in the hole I am. I figure if I keep track of every improvement and rebuild and upgrade, I'll be able to sell it for 3/4ths of what I have in it! :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
If I did that, I'd never have another old car. I like being ignorant of how much money I spent.
 
Expense notebook?? That's just not right....

I think this is the first time I find myself (respectfully) disagreeing. I find that keeping track of one's expenses is helpful in and of itself, as @Trace 300 Hurst said, but also to avoid repeating mistakes later.

If I did that, I'd never have another old car. I like being ignorant of how much money I spent.

Precisely! Our messages crossed. I am reassured, I end up agreeing with you after all :)
 
In my case, I'm not tracking expenses, per se, because I'm not expense phobic. I'll spend what is necessary. However, I am definitely logging every single thing I've done to make the car right, in major groups such Underhood, Electrical, Dash, AC, Steering, Fuel, Doors, Seats, Trunk, Interior, Suspension, Exhaust, Brakes, etc., down to the tiniest (or giant-est) detail.

This logging includes receipts and costs and part numbers and vendors, but the real goal is a history of my work should I need to present this "provenance" to a buyer in the future. I figure if someone is considering spending fairly big damn money to own a really good 300 Hurst, they might want to know what they're getting. Since I've left nothing untouched on the road to reliability and correctness (except the diff...it's fine!), I'd like to be able to vouch for that work and cost to a granular level, should a buyer want that sort of confidence in what they're buying. If you don't do it when you're doing it, you'll NEVER be able to revisit all the myriad details of a refurbishment. Thus the detail info of parts and expense of those parts.

When I got back into collector cars with this 300 Hurst in 2018 [after selling my HemiCuda in 1999 and saying goodbye to the hobby] value has not been my prerequisite at all. I bought what I needed to make it right and I knew I'll probably lose doubloons in the process.....my choice. But if someday I can mitigate those doubloons into pesos, that would be kinda nice.
 
Possibly it's my slightly irresponsible nature, but I start to document things I do to the car and I just never get around to it. The other thing is that I had to do so much paperwork in my job and document everything, that I'm rebelling in my retirement. I do take pictures now though... and you guys will never see most of them because they show my messy garage. :lol:
 
Back
Top