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Which Battery?

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ddrumman

ddrumman

Senior Member
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Hi Guys and Gals,


My battery is as dead as Abraham Lincoln and needs to be replaced.

Darren changed my two 6 volt batteries into one 12 volt a while back. This is what it looks like right now.

HoneyBeeBattery1.jpg



I suppose I need to replace the terminals as well besides the battery. My question to you is; From what you see, what else would you replace besides the battery, and what kind of battery would you go with?

Thanks in advance!
 
I'd get rid of all those extra wires!

& nothing wrong with Interstate batteries - that's what I use simply because there's a distribution center near me where I can get their blem's cheap!
 
I would use some kind of hold down to avoid having the battery jump if you hit a bump and make contact with the metal cover. Universal hold downs are available at most auto parts stores. I also use terminal caps similar to the ones in the following link to insulate the positive terminal from the cover if the battery should get shaken in the box.
https://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetai...tegoryCode=3012
 
Kimberly - all I got when I went to that URL was their main page.

All MG's originally had battery "hold downs" - most have been tossed over the years because they were kinda hard to manipulate...Moss & VB still carry them (quite inexpensive actually).
 
Our B here has the single 12V as well. Interstate (26 IIRC). We've fitted Interstate batteries to most all of our clients' cars for years with VERY few problems. I'd not hesitate to recommend 'em. Multiple (redundant) cables and tying the "hot" leads and grounds together with tie-wraps on the other hand is a dead short waiting to happen, IMO. Do it up correctly with ONE cable from each terminal, with a good tie-down and it'll be reliable for years to come.
 
DrEntropy said:
Our B here has the single 12V as well. Interstate (26 IIRC). We've fitted Interstate batteries to most all of our clients' cars for years with VERY few problems. I'd not hesitate to recommend 'em. Multiple (redundant) cables and tying the "hot" leads and grounds together with tie-wraps on the other hand is a dead short waiting to happen, IMO. Do it up correctly with ONE cable from each terminal, with a good tie-down and it'll be reliable for years to come.
Click to expand...
Doc, you jus say things so much nicer than me...hehehe...all I had to say was "get rid of the extra wires"...hehehe
 
meh. I s'pose I can be a bit loquacious at times, huh?

...but I usually make up for it later... :devilgrin:
 
Thanks for all the helpful advice. I feel a lot better about using Interstate again. I'll probably go with the I-26 one. Doc! what's the difference between the I-26 and 26 IIRC?

As far as the extra cables MGBGT noob has it right. I do have a pretty potent amp so I can hear my tunes with the top down.
The one cable that I'm confused(suspicious) is the "cloth" looking one coming from the rear. I assume it's what Darren used, for the conversion from two 6 volt to one 12 volt?

I will get a "hold down" though.
 
The best battery you can fit in a battery box liner is a Westco type as found in Miatas. Moss sells them. They last forever, don't leak and hold a charge longer than standard batteries. I have a couple in my cars.
 
ddrumman said:
Thanks for all the helpful advice. I feel a lot better about using Interstate again. I'll probably go with the I-26 one. Doc! what's the difference between the I-26 and 26 IIRC?....
Click to expand...

IIRC = <span style="font-weight: bold">I</span>f <span style="font-weight: bold">I</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">R</span>ecall <span style="font-weight: bold">C</span>orrectly
 
Steve_S said:
The best battery you can fit in a battery box liner is a Westco type as found in Miatas. Moss sells them. They last forever, don't leak and hold a charge longer than standard batteries. I have a couple in my cars.
Click to expand...

Would this be the one you're talking about?
Westco12V31M.jpg



It looks like it would fit very nicely. The CCA (cold cranking amps) is 475. Is that enough? The price on their website is $108.95 which is almost twice as much as an Interstate and a whole heck of a lot less than what Moss is charging for Red Top Optimas. Also Good-Win-Racing has them for $99.95.
 
Interstate cases are typically a little thicker than some others. I was unable, for example, to find one that would fit right in one of those battery box things. found one at Sam's Club.

best, I think, to take the car to place and check for fit before handing over the money. I'd not trust "fitment guides" but "fitment eyes"!
 
ddrumman said:
Steve_S said:
The best battery you can fit in a battery box liner is a Westco type as found in Miatas. Moss sells them. They last forever, don't leak and hold a charge longer than standard batteries. I have a couple in my cars.
Click to expand...

.........................The CCA (cold cranking amps) is 475. Is that enough? .................
Click to expand...

I just realized, the Interstate battery that was on the car has less CCA; 425 so, I guess it was a dumb comment.
 
Yes, that's the one.

Yes, it fits. You can come by and see mine installed in a Moss battery box if you like.

Yes, it has more than enough power for an MGB. Miatas use more power than our cars and thees batteries last for years in those cars.


Yes, they cost more but in the long run I feel they are worth it. No slow cold starts, no dead batteries after storage, no leaking battery acid, and it will outlast a cheaper one which recovers some of the cost. But then again, it's not a cheap battery.
 
While we are on this topic....

The ol' twin 6's in my 'A' have seen better days and are not holding much of a charge lately. I replaced the twin 6s in the my 'B' with a single 12V battery from Pep Boys ( I am at my office so do not have access to the battery model nor size)... It won't fit in the 'A', however. I tried.

Sooo, the query... Will the battery that you have recommended to ddrumman fit in the A??? If not, what would you recommend for a conversion from two 6s to one 12?
 
That battery is tiny and will fit in any MG. In fact it's so small that you may have to put a piece of wood on the bottom of the MGA's battery box so the battery doesn't fall right through!
 
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