Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

There is a lot of information on leisure batteries, but what would folk suggest as a good main battery for a 1979 1600 Aircooled Devon?
I have a totally inadequate 26mh installed at the moment. The folks at Halfords looked at me as though I was daft as soon as I said "1979".

Thanks ,

Paul.

A UK code 096 fits nice
as long as you dont have a metal battery lid.

correct battery is 065 .
and you still need to insulate the steel battery cover lids!!

the 096 offers more cranking amps than that little torch battery

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, I think that I have a 036 battery in there. (A Hillman imp battery if I remember correctly). It turns it over (Just)!

Oh and I do have a metal battery cover.... With a nice sheet of rubber over the top!

Cheers for the replies.

Paul.

The one you have isn't man enough. I think 62 amp/hour with 580 cold crank amps was standard so use that as the base line and anything bigger than that is a bonus.

Martin

Can someone please explain the reference to insulating the metal battery lid please?

I assume you mean the one behind the drivers seat with a hinged lid?

Yes it will short the + and - terminals and there will be at best some sparks flying and melted metal, worst case fire explosion etc I fitted a terminal cover on my + terminal as well as the insulated underside just for belt and braces.

Hacksawbob wrote:Yes it will short the + and - terminals and there will be at best some sparks flying and melted metal, worst case fire explosion etc I fitted a terminal cover on my + terminal as well as the insulated underside just for belt and braces.

Thanks Hacksawbob. My battery is a tad lower than the lid so no problem so far but insulation seems a good idea.

A large piece of inner tube cut and glued to the underside of the battery box cover does the trick! But still fit the plastic positive terminal cover AS WELL.

Martin

Still learning the basics, so here's what probably is a stupid question:

Is it essential that the battery is covered by a lid? For instance, a previous owner installed new seats, which means that the cover won't fold down on the drivers side- I'm hoping this isn't a cause for concern!

Thanks!

No, but the battery should have some kind of securing strap or bracket. Also if the terminals aren't covered in some way, the seat could short across the terminals - with potential damage to battery or even a fire.