Battery

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365 GT 2+2
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Battery

Post by 365 GT 2+2 »

Anyone have advice about what brand battery is best for the 365 GT 2+2 or vintage Ferrari in general?
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TOMKIZER
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Re: Battery

Post by TOMKIZER »

The 365 GT 2+2 battery tray takes a size 27F battery. Be careful to get one with the positive terminal that will be inboard when the terminals are closest to the firewall. Otherwise, the positive terminal will be under the body sheet metal and there is more risk of short circuiting to ground with your wrench when working on the positive terminal. Choosing the right configuration also ensures that the production cable lengths will not be a problem. Take this advice from one who didn't notice the terminal configuration.

If you want the battery to look like a vintage one, you can buy one like Tom Yang did. The story is in his restoration pages and can be found by searching "Battery" in the left column. I think it's also in the Suppliers list.

If you just want a good battery, get a modern 27F maintenance free battery with the correct terminal configuration.

I don't know if there is a significant difference in the modern battery brands but maybe someone else here knows.

Tom Kizer
So many sidewalk cafés - so little time left.
1969 365 GT 2+2 S/N 12293 (Gone but not forgotten)
1967 230 SL 4-spd (Currently on CPR)
365 GT 2+2
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Re: Battery

Post by 365 GT 2+2 »

Very very helpful Tom. Thank you!
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tyang
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Re: Battery

Post by tyang »

Hi Toms,

I think by the late 60s, the tar top battery was less common than the simple plastic cased batteries we see today. Can anyone confirm this? I've seen a Sears battery that has a plain black case in the 27F size that looks pretty good. Get a sticker from Parker Hall, and it'll look Vintage.

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
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tyang
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Re: Battery

Post by tyang »

BTW, Whatever you do, DON"T buy and Optima! I've never seen more failed batteries than Optimas. At Bill Pollard's shop, whenever a Ferrari wouldn't start, we would start placing bets it was an Optima sitting in the battery box!

They're also the ugliest thing to put inside a Vintage Ferrari!

Tom
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mdempsey
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Re: Battery

Post by mdempsey »

I agree with TY. Optima's are now crap. They are living on a reputation only. I had an optima go thermal on me while driving my 73 corvette from MD to KY to the corvette museum. Spewed some goo, way hot to the touch, and filled the car with acid smell. The store that sold me the optima said it must be the charging system. Nope. Just a crappy battery. That was my 4th and last optima in my fleet, period.
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tyang
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Re: Battery

Post by tyang »

mdempsey wrote:I agree with TY. Optima's are now crap. They are living on a reputation only. I had an optima go thermal on me while driving my 73 corvette from MD to KY to the corvette museum. Spewed some goo, way hot to the touch, and filled the car with acid smell. The store that sold me the optima said it must be the charging system. Nope. Just a crappy battery. That was my 4th and last optima in my fleet, period.
I think they suffer from the corporate realization that it's cheaper to spend money on Marketing than Research and Development.

Tom
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Re: Battery

Post by 8339 »

I've looked into to the time line of tar topped batteries in the past, it appears that Delco chanaged from tar topped to hard rubber sealed and cased batteries in 1967. That was the first Delco Energizer, as far as I can tell that's when everyone else switched. No one was rebuilding batteries by then. The tar topped batteries were made to have the tar removed and the plates replaced when the plates sulfated, of ocurse that's when people actually had things fixed, remember the TV Repairman!! I have not been able to find definitively when the europeans switched to "sealed" top batteries, but I do believe it was around the same time. Battery manufacturers decided they wanted to sell more batteries. I have purchased period style batteries from the Antique Battery Company with very good results, they come both as a lead acid wet cell or a repro with a gel cell battery inside. They use Exide gel cells instaed of Optimas.

Richard Garre
Radcliffe Motorcar Co.
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carello
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Re: Battery

Post by carello »

One of the details that seems to be a big hurdle for Italian sports cars is obtaining a show quality battery. I am not a fan of stickers applied to generic, period, almost tar top batteries. Sticker batteries, to me, started in the late 70's or maybe even the 80's.

Most likely i will see a correct battery in a $5000 1963 Ford Fairlane and a sticker battery in a $1mm 1963 Ferrari. It's not like it is in the trunk and is not seen, i believe it is right in your face, terminals, cables, hold down clamp and all!

Are there any period photos of Ferrari batteries, catalogs of the manufactures, sales brochures?
I sure would like to see some documentation!
Craig
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TOMKIZER
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Re: Battery

Post by TOMKIZER »

Here's what I'm shooting for in my efforts to reproduce a 1969 365 GT 2+2 look-alike. The sketch is from my parts book and the photo is from my owner's manual. The white thing is the vacuum formed polystyrene battery cover that I made. I'm getting pretty good at vacuum forming with the oven and vacuum cleaner. I still have to make and add the vent caps, fake lift handles, and black gloss vinyl paint.

Also, note the difference in the battery cable connectors in the sketch vs the manual photo. Which is right? Both?

Tom Kizer
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So many sidewalk cafés - so little time left.
1969 365 GT 2+2 S/N 12293 (Gone but not forgotten)
1967 230 SL 4-spd (Currently on CPR)
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tyang
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Re: Battery

Post by tyang »

Hi Craig,

The Tar top battery we got for 3553 looks pretty good, and with a Sticker from Parker Hall, it finishes it off.
Image

Tom K.

Nice work on the vacuum forming. A good alternative to buying a tar top repro. The only trick will be to paint the lead connectors so they look real.

Tom
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TOMKIZER
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Re: Battery

Post by TOMKIZER »

Thanks.
The "lead" straps are just sitting there, not yet glued down. I'll experiment a little with paint to try to get the "lead" right before gluing them down.
When I'm finished, I'll come back here and post final photos.
Tom Kizer
So many sidewalk cafés - so little time left.
1969 365 GT 2+2 S/N 12293 (Gone but not forgotten)
1967 230 SL 4-spd (Currently on CPR)
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carello
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Re: Battery

Post by carello »

TOMKIZER wrote:Thanks.
The "lead" straps are just sitting there, not yet glued down. I'll experiment a little with paint to try to get the "lead" right before gluing them down. When I'm finished, I'll come back here and post final photos. Tom Kizer
Hi Tom, i believe the lead "dog bone" connectors are available thru Ferrari people (maybe others), already cast in lead or a look alike metal. Simple glue in place.

I am not sure the battery size of the original Ferrari battery is the same as current convention of 27F or others. Is there information on the manufacture, designation, size? The sketch seems to suggest a certain brand of the era. Also the lifting lugs built into the battery case seem to be very European and of the 60-70's era.
Craig
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TOMKIZER
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Re: Battery

Post by TOMKIZER »

Were they Magneti Marelli (see the ad), or were all the Ferrari ones made to a standard case?

My car is a European model, built on March 13, 1969 and imported to the U.S. in 1984 by the sixth owner.

The early 365 Parts book (23/68) shows a 74 AH battery but no brand name. The later 365 parts book (35/69) shows a FIAMM 6B5 74 AH battery. The two books show the same battery drawn in two different orientations to fit properly on the exploded view page (probably not significant since the other components on the two pages are not the same).

My build sheets are illegible but there is nothing typed in the area where the battery is supposed to be specified.

Finally, my owner's manual (page 88) specifies "SAFA 65 SNS - 74 A/H" for the battery.

Tom Kizer

PS: I just received my resilvered Carello headlamp reflectors today. They are beautiful.
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So many sidewalk cafés - so little time left.
1969 365 GT 2+2 S/N 12293 (Gone but not forgotten)
1967 230 SL 4-spd (Currently on CPR)
User avatar
TOMKIZER
Posts: 412
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:51 pm
Location: Québec City

Re: Battery

Post by TOMKIZER »

By the way, a 27F fits my battery tray with only about 1/4 inch longitudinal slop - no fore/aft slop at all. Perfect fit.

Tom Kizer
So many sidewalk cafés - so little time left.
1969 365 GT 2+2 S/N 12293 (Gone but not forgotten)
1967 230 SL 4-spd (Currently on CPR)
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