Period Correct Battery

[MartyWorld]

Greetings.

I would like to purchase a "period correct" battery from either "Antique Auto Battery" or "Restoration Battery"

for my 65 Riviera.

Has anyone had any dealings with these companies?

What is the quality of these batteries?

For a 65 Riv, are the battery caps yellow with black lettering or black with yellow lettering?

Thank you,

Marty

Edited January 17, 2014 by MartyWorld
Additional question. (see edit history)

[64Riv-King]

Good question. I emailed Antique Auto Battery to get a price for my 64 Rivi and they quoted $270.00 plus $37.00 shipping. Pics look nice and they claim they are hand made. So I to would like to know too if they are good and last long.

[Bill Stoneberg]

I can't speak for the Riv batteries but I have not had good luck with the 6 V version. It lasted maybe a year before I replaced it. The 2nd didn't last much longer. They look beautiful and I put one in when I show the car but they just have not lasted.

If you can get a 12 v with the optima inside, it may be better.

[msdminc]

I have one in my 65 Rivi. I got it about 5 months ago. They look great, the folks there a very helpful and easy to work with. It was delivered quickly. Also got two period correct battery cables from them too. Since it hasn't been very long since I got it, not sure about how long it will last, but I can say when it was about zero degrees here a couple of weeks ago, it started the car up with no problems.

[JCK55buick]

I had a similar experience as Bill, my 'authentic' Delco 6v for my 39 lasted just about one year. Due to the cost, I kept it for shows and replaced it with a 6v from Oschliens (used to be Wheelers, farm supply store), and it has lasted several years.

[MartyWorld]

I have one in my 65 Rivi. I got it about 5 months ago. They look great, the folks there a very helpful and easy to work with. It was delivered quickly. Also got two period correct battery cables from them too. Since it hasn't been very long since I got it, not sure about how long it will last, but I can say when it was about zero degrees here a couple of weeks ago, it started the car up with no problems.

Thank you for your response.

Was the battery from "Antique Auto Battery" or "Restoration Battery"?

What color are the battery caps? I understand that 64 and 65 Rivs are black caps with yellow letters, and the 63 Riv has yellow caps with black letters.

Thank you,

Marty

[msdminc]

Marty,

I got it from Antique Auto Battery in Youngstown, Ohio. And I got the 850 CCA battery, the G27D Delco/B, and it has yellow caps with black letters. The car was originally delivered in Minnesota, and likely had a heavy duty battery.

I started my car up this afternoon after being gone a few weeks and the battery had no problems starting. I do disconnect the negative cable when I know I am not going to use it for a while. Hope this helps

Gord

[JZRIV]

I've owned two batteries from Antique Auto Battery over the years. I got about 3 years of useful life out of both and in one case on my 67 went as far to lug the deceased battery along to big shows where I would swap it out for judging. What Fun! I had one in a 71 Riv GS. Trying to impress (now wife) a date taking the Riv the battery decided to fail suddenly with no warning and left me stranded. This was humiliating as I take extra measures in maintenance to not break down. I always maintained them them with a trickle charger as well.

Maybe quality is better today but for over triple the cost and one really bad experience, I personally won't buy another. Instead I'll go with a topper such as shown here......even though I'm not crazy about faux parts one of these will probably last a lifetime. These things look real to all but the few with a very critical eye. http://batterytoppers.com/products/ This is only one source. Easily found on ebay using battery topper as search.

I do not know what the correct cap is for sure. The ones I've seen on 1st gen Rivs at the shows seem to have yellow caps/black letters for the most part.

Edited January 19, 2014 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[Mr Riviera]

If you drive your car , save money and get a Delco Professional Group 27 Battery . If your car is for show only - a true Senior Winner , then you may want to spend the big bucks for a battery that is of lesser quality . Its kind of like Radial Tires - if you use the car - those are the tires of choice - regardless of the point deduction . Be Safe not Sorry !

[1965rivgs]

Greetings.

I would like to purchase a "period correct" battery from either "Antique Auto Battery" or "Restoration Battery"

for my 65 Riviera.

Has anyone had any dealings with these companies?

What is the quality of these batteries?

For a 65 Riv, are the battery caps yellow with black lettering or black with yellow lettering?

Thank you,

Marty

Hey Marty,

Hope things are going well...well, I thought this question would be very straight forward to answer but I had to dig pretty deep into the ROA and my perswonal library to find a well sourced answer (regarding the original color scheme of the caps).

When viewing your question a particular `65 service bulletin came to mind as it contains a very good pic of a tech troubleshooting for voltage on the wires that supply voltage to the headlight motor. I have used this pic as an original reference when determining the original battery post and cable positioning so I assumed I could use it to answer your question...wrong! The pic cuts off the actual battery caps.

So, at this point I went to original period magazine road test pics (probably a better source than factory pics due to early model production changes/early prototype considerations) and every article I found cut off the battery from engine compartment pics. I`m sure this was the case because the photographers were no doubt more interested in the dual quads and chrome air cleaner than the battery and all pics were zoomed in too closely to see the battery.

I thought your question had me stumped until the last magazine test article I checked revealed the answer. The magazine is the July 16th 1965 issue of Autocar. I suspect this was a weekly publication whose content is very heavy on imports. In their pics is a very good overall engine compartment shot which clearly displays a battery with dark caps ands light colored lettering (black and white photo). I suspect this is the original correct battery due to the correct post arrangement (posts forward) and the cable routing.

For kicks I checked the service manuals and found the same battery part number specified for all three first gen years. However, in the `65 manual the battery illustration is the same as used in the earlier shop manuals except that the raised script, which reads "Delco DC-12" has been whited out, very obvious. Dont know why the script was whited out but someone obviously had a good reason to do so....maybe a battery upgrade and subsequent model # change? Perhaps a later edition `65 shop manual or a `66 shop manual would reveal the answer?

You almost had me with that question buddy...but no cigar. Better luck next time! Marty, your questions are always challenging as your knowledge is very thorough. If you have a chance give me a call, would love to hear from you,

Tom Mooney

[Jim Cannon]

Hey Marty,

Hope things are going well...well, I thought this question would be very straight forward to answer but I had to dig pretty deep into the ROA and my perswonal library to find a well sourced answer (regarding the original color scheme of the caps).

When viewing your question a particular `65 service bulletin came to mind as it contains a very good pic of a tech troubleshooting for voltage on the wires that supply voltage to the headlight motor. I have used this pic as an original reference when determining the original battery post and cable positioning so I assumed I could use it to answer your question...wrong! The pic cuts off the actual battery caps.

<snip>

Tom Mooney

Tom-

I also find it interesting in that same photo that the warning sticker on the top tank of the radiator, the one that says "WARNING jump positive to positive and negative to negative" is upside down. It is not easily read when standing in front of the car.