6V battery - where to buy

[NOLAs38]

Where would be the best place to get a 6 v battery?

I just purchased a ‘49 Plymouth and have a bit of work to do on it. Any and all help is appreciated!

[Mark Shaw]

www.interstatebatteries.com

 

[Frank DuVal]

Tractor Supply if it is the Group 1 battery.

 

Did a quick Google search, yep, Group 1 battery is what fits.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Frank DuVal
Confirmation (see edit history)

[plymouthcranbrook]

I have a Farm and  Fleet in mine

[Bloo]

The best is Optima. The downsides are the cost (really high), and the weird shape that means they don't fit most battery boxes without a little help. The upside is they are really powerful, and your terminals wont corrode.

 

My best conventional Group 1 battery by far is labeled "Pacific Power", a regional brand in the Pacific Northwest, USA. You don't seem to have a location listed, but I guess that's probably no help if it turns out your name refers to New Orleans.

[rocketraider]

NAPA or any store that caters to farmers should have a suitable 6v battery. Tractor Supply, Rural King, Farm & Fleet, anywhere like that. Just make sure it's fresh and hasn't been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.

 

Since the Plymouth is "new-to-you" I also suggest checking the battery cables closely to make sure no one has put small gage 12v cables on it in the last 70-some years. With a 6v system, the bigger gage the cable the better the start and other electrical performance.

[Bloo]

^^That's excellent advice. There are an awful lot of 6 volt tractors still working for a living, and any store that caters to them is a good bet to find a fresh 6 volt battery. Tractor outfits also should carry 6 volt battery cables and straps (in other words big ones).

[Jon37]

I've been getting my 6-volt batteries at the Batteries Plus Bulbs chain. 

 

Here is their Group 2 six-volt battery:  https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sli2  Price is $85 (if you give them your old one). Six volts, 675 cold cranking amps.  They seem to be running a 10%-off sale at the moment.  

 

Here is their Group 1 six-volt battery: https://www.batteriesplus.com/search?categories=&query=Group+1+battery  Price is a bit more.

 

I think both batteries are made in Pennsylvania by DEKA, you might check with DEKA on price.  My previous 6-volt DEKA was a #902, then Batteries and Bulbs started selling it as the "Duracell SL-12"

 

These are old-style lead-acid batteries with fewer C.C.A. than the Optima, and with luck they last for five years (Optima can in some cases last ten or more).  But, the price is right.  And after several weeks of storage, my car always starts right up with my Group 2 battery.

 

Be sure to go with the highest C.C.A. rating you can get.  And, as has already been said, be sure you have the large diameter battery cables for 6 volt.  

 

[Avanti Bill]

Battery Central Mall has optima batteries in original cases if the appearance of a period correct battery is important.  Expect to wait 8-12 weeks though and pay a premium.  I only use Optima batteries as the last forever and never leak, well worth the money.  If your battery is hidden I guess the look is not that important so you could save some money with an off the shelf Optima.

 

[DB26]

Got mine at NAPA, has treated me well. 

[JACK M]

Around here Bi-Mart has the best deals.

[Paul Dobbin]

Tractor Supply carries a 6 volt battery that works fine for about 5 years, I get 7-8 out off Optima.   The tractor supply batter looks more lithe the

1949 Plymouth battery/

[PhillyFordGuy]

7 hours ago, Avanti Bill said:

Battery Central Mall has optima batteries in original cases if the appearance of a period correct battery is important.  Expect to wait 8-12 weeks though and pay a premium.  I only use Optima batteries as the last forever and never leak, well worth the money.  If your battery is hidden I guess the look is not that important so you could save some money with an off the shelf Optima.

 

I was willing to plunk down $375 once for one of these Optima-in-a-repro-Ford-script-case batteries, but now that the Optima has finally expired I'm less inclined to do so: 1) They're out of stock everywhere until at least January of 2023; and 2) I'm morphing into a cheap old bastard. Wondering if anyone here has successfully cut out the bottom of one of these cases and replaced the Optima inside. The actual model in question for my '50 coupe is OPT-2HF. Seems do-able somehow. 

[31plymouth]

13 hours ago, Jon37 said:

I've been getting my 6-volt batteries at the Batteries Plus Bulbs chain. 

My battery is going on 7 years (Duracell from Batteries Plus)  Keep a trickle charge on in the winter

[BearsFan315]

1 hour ago, russonator said:

I was willing to plunk down $375 once for one of these Optima-in-a-repro-Ford-script-case batteries, but now that the Optima has finally expired I'm less inclined to do so: 1) They're out of stock everywhere until at least January of 2023; and 2) I'm morphing into a cheap old bastard. Wondering if anyone here has successfully cut out the bottom of one of these cases and replaced the Optima inside. The actual model in question for my '50 coupe is OPT-2HF. Seems do-able somehow. 

I just got an Optima 6v Battery, ordered it from O'Reillys and had it in a few days to the store FREE shipping. Best part was it was not even a month old based on the date stamp  living its life out in my 1929 now

 

there are several places online that sell cases for the optima, none of them will fit the slot in my 1929 Chevrolet. without customization 😛 

 

[60FlatTop]

"The longevity of a battery is directly proportional to the frequency of starting and the volume of fuel through the carburetor." They love being cycled.

 

I am an Interstate Battery fan myself and usually buy 12V blems. They are $45 exchange and have a 1 year warranty but seem to last way beyond that. I did have to buy a new 6V (no blems) for my Packard. It is in Poland now and probably still cranking six years later.

[Flivverking]

I.didn't read any others comments

.no mater what you buy.,don't buy a. Batt. with a sticker that shows more.then 2 or 3 months after assembley/manufacture..( 2 or less prefered)

Our local Tractor Supply has group one batteries and there pretty good batts.They also has those long thin 6volts.the old buicks had and others used.

 Last week they had(2, 6 volt and one long skiny 6v  job)  on the shelf,dusty with ,9/21 stickers.. Thats too old stock to buy.

.there is a case stamp date code..too.

.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Flivverking (see edit history)

[Ron Green]

16 hours ago, russonator said:

Wondering if anyone here has successfully cut out the bottom of one of these cases and replaced the Optima inside. 

 

Cut one apart a few years ago thinking of doing this however it was not an Optima inside. None of them are as far as I know from research. It was a AGM battery (glass mat technology same as Optima) but is was square and small (like a motorcycle) compared to an Optima plus it had large wires inside going to the terminals. Also I believe the Optima battery terminal spacing is 1" different than most battery's. The rubber case was so thick it would be impossible to put a battery inside. Went to Walmart and bought a battery and transferred the fill caps from the dead reproduction battery onto the new one (via glue). Looks like an original battery. 

[Restorer32]

Interstate has batteries that use exactly the same technology as Optima at a lower price.  We recently purchased 7 Interstate AGM batteries to power a 1921 electric car. 

[NailheadBob]

2 hours ago, Flivverking said:

I.didn't read any others comments

.no mater what you buy.,don't buy a. Batt. with a sticker that shows more.then 2 or 3 months after assembley/manufacture..( 2 or less prefered)

Our local Tractor Supply has group one batteries and there pretty good batts.They also has those long thin 6volts.the old buicks had and others used.

 Last week they had(2, 6 volt and one long skiny 6v  job)  on the shelf,dusty with ,9/21 stickers.. Thats too old stock to buy.

.there is a case stamp date code..too.

.

Where is the location of the case stamp date code and is there a site to look up the code?

 

Bob

[Ron Green]

1 hour ago, Restorer32 said:

Interstate has batteries that use exactly the same technology as Optima at a lower price.  We recently purchased 7 Interstate AGM batteries to power a 1921 electric car. 

NAPA also has a decent AGM battery they came out with not to long ago. I got a few to try them out. They seem very good so far plus they are fairly heavy. 

[kingrudy]

I had to replace my battery this Spring. I had an Interstate battery that had lasted about eight years and was going to replace it with the same 6 volt long and narrow battery that fit perfect in the battery compartment. I was disappointed that Interstate no longer makes this battery, so I purchased one from NAPA ($100) and the specs were the same as Interstate. 640 CCA long and narrow.

[Marty Roth]

several years back our local Auto-Zone offered me a severely overpriced pair of 6-Volt Optimas at about $295/each when you could buy them online for $106/each.

Just for grins, I checked the date of manufacture because they were very dusty. Turns out they had been on the shelf for more than 30 months (2-1/2 years).

The Auto-Zone employee assured me it didn't matter because they still had a one year warrantee from date of purchase. I tried to explain that they would likely fail sooner than a fresh one. He said they couldn't order fresh ones until these were sold.

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, NailheadBob said:

Where is the location of the case stamp date code and is there a site to look up the code?

Google this and go down the rabbit hole. Depends on manufacturer. Some are all numbers MMDDYY or MMDDY, some are alphanumeric  K4 = November 2004 or  2014.

 

Usually hot pressed into case side at top, or in the top near a side. Some are stamped in the lead of a terminal.

[Pfeil]

20 hours ago, 31plymouth said:

My battery is going on 7 years (Duracell from Batteries Plus)  Keep a trickle charge on in the winter

The oldest 6v I have ever had for one of my VW's was a DELCO, it lasted 12 years. That battery was replaced by a NAPA Commercial and it lasted a little over a year. I've got another NAPA Commercial in there now for about a year and I'm crossing my fingers 

[graydog]

My vote for Tractor supply, I just bought one 6 volt for 109. works great and best price. They want double the price for Optima.

[leomara]

Batteries are a crapshoot, I've had many different 6 volt brands and I would be hard pressed to say any one was better than the other.  That said if you do diligence and maintain the battery properly you should not be disappointed.  I'm talking about conventional 6 volt batteries here not the Optima type. 

[31 LaSalle]

I recently purchased a 6 volt optima in the uk for my 1928 Chrysler 72

it was an expensive choice but i was informed by sales person that this type of battery is right for my car.

I did not think to ask how long it had been on there shelf.

I was wondering does this type of battery deteriorate even if it has never been used

and where would i look to find manufacture date

 

[john hess]

tractor supply

[Bhigdog]

Get mine from NAPA. Generally last 6-7 years. Sit unattended from Nov to May. Start the car right up first attempt in May............Bob

[Bimus]

Continental from Tractor supply  975 CCA

[Frank DuVal]

All this discussion of brands. There are only a few manufacturers of lead acid batteries in the US. Note, Optima is a lead acid battery, just not a flooded battery. Interstate has never been a manufacturer of batteries, just a jobber. 

 

Bill Darden used to have a great list of manufacturers and who made what brands for who. List is not on the internet anymore (Page 404), but, thanks to the WayBack Machine, here is the January 1, 2022 list:

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20220117024808/http://www.jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/batbrand.htm

[rocketraider]

I've long had a habit of putting a newly purchased battery on a slow charge to make sure it's fully charged before putting it in the vehicle. Some take only a few minutes, others have taken an hour. 

 

I also make the parts store test a rebuilt starter or alternator before I leave the store with it. 

[Marty Roth]

4 hours ago, rocketraider said:

I've long had a habit of putting a newly purchased battery on a slow charge to make sure it's fully charged before putting it in the vehicle. Some take only a few minutes, others have taken an hour. 

 

I also make the parts store test a rebuilt starter or alternator before I leave the store with it. 

You're just about as "anal retentive" as my friends believe I am !

 

--- and with full justification, too !

Edited June 8, 2022 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[61polara]

If you are new to Plymouths of this period and six volt systems as well, note that your Plymouth has a Positive Ground system.

[Str8-8-Dave]

I put a NAPA battery in my 31 Buick and it has been trouble free for 4+ years now.  I maintain it on a Deltran 6v battery tender.  I have yet to have to add water.   NAPA has an extensive list of 6v batteries in their online store, most have complete specifications, Length/Width/Height, cold cranking amps, etc.   I never thought to take a specific battery picture, below are what I have which were taken as I restored and installed floorboards.  Once the floorboards and floor mats are installed access to the battery is thru a lift out door in the passenger side floorboard which allows access to check water and top up.  If the battery has to be replaced the floorboard has to be removed.  For that reason I tried to find a battery that would live for awhile, lotsa work to replace the battery....

 

 

 

 

Once the main floorboard is installed access to the battery is through the lift-out door in the foreground.  It's big enough to service the battery but the entire floorboard must be removed to replace the battery.

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)

[TXCharlie]

For a 6V battery, you might want to check out local auto parts stores or even online retailers that specialize in classic car parts. Sometimes, specialty shops catering to vintage vehicles can be a good bet too.

 

When I was restoring an old motorcycle, finding the right battery was crucial for getting it up and running smoothly. I ended up finding a good fit at a local shop that stocks parts for older bikes. If you're looking for modern alternatives or upgrades down the line, I've seen some interesting developments in li-polymer battery packs that might offer more power in a compact size.

Edited July 11 by TXCharlie (see edit history)