Got my Ford battery for my 32 yesterday

[Old Redneck]

It came from Jim's Battery MFG [Youngstown, Ohio. Not cheap $359.50

[JM 35 Sedan]

Wow, thats's an expensive battery. Is this an Optima in a script Ford case? Jim must have taken over Antique Auto Batteries or possibly Restoration Batteries. Both were located in that same area of Ohio. Would you please post some pictures of this battery, and give us approximate L x W x H dimensoins.

[Old Redneck]

Its a Maintenance Free Battery 7 inch wide 9 inches long Its still in the box. Ford stript. There phone number is 1-800 426 7580

[Pat/Ohio]

Ken, you will probably find that the battery is too tall for your under-the-floor battery box. You can lengthen the box a little if you have a welder or a friend with a welder.

This battery (Optima inside) was selling for around $300 five years ago. So it sounds about right.

Ken, let us know if the battery is too tall for your box...if you will. And what you intend to do to correct it.

Thanks,
Pat

[stangblue]

I found out after I put a Optima battery in my my (34 Ford) scripted tarr battery case as noted on my profile page for the pictures of installation. I had a remedy for the height problem by slightly warping the plywood cover for the necessary clearance. I also will note that the floor matt and jute shows no sign of the distorted cover from viewing above.

[philipswanson]

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This battery (Optima inside) was selling for around $300 five years ago. So it sounds about right.

Thanks,
Pat[/QUOTE]

Same price today. $200 for the battery on E Bay and $100 for the case. But it sounds like this is not an AGM battery like the Optima. Maintenance free batteries don't last nearly as long as AGMs. Better off with the Optima setup if you want durability.

[rotorwrench]

Absorbent glass mat and gel cell technologies are both considered to be a maintenance free but they are very different technologies. The AGM allowed the cells to be rolled up into a cylinder so that's what made the Optima. The gel cell types are problematic since they are picky about the environment they like to work in and they just don't seem to have the capacity of the AGM. Both are expensive to produce but the AGM is less expensive than the gel cell and has better and more consistent capacity and reliability. The standard old wet cell batteries are still the least expensive to produce and have a reasonable life expectancy but they require maintenance and folks don't like to maintain them.

[philipswanson]

[QUOTE=rotorwrench The standard old wet cell batteries are still the least expensive to produce and have a reasonable life expectancy but they require maintenance and folks don't like to maintain them.[/QUOTE]

Wet cell batteries last 3-5 years tops. AGMs usually last at least twice that time, often up to 10 years.

[rotorwrench]

Yes but you can buy two for the price of one. Apples & oranges to me. Pay the big bucks if you don't want to maintain.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by Old Redneck

Its a Maintenance Free Battery 7 inch wide 9 inches long Its still in the box. Ford stript. There phone number is 1-800 426 7580

Maybe when you open the box and get ready to install you could take some pictures to post here, and give us the L x W x H dimensoins. I'm pretty sure this battery would not fit into any of my stock '35 battery locations under the floor, without some modifications or a taller cover.