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My repro R71S battery from Antique Auto Battery died. No one seems to repro this any more..
I took off the top of my R71S and looked inside. There was just a small Gel Cell Battery inside. See photos.
I measure the inside cavity about 11 3/8" Long 6" Wide and 7" High
I am thinking of just replacing the old Gel Cell with something better, something that can fit within the dimensions. and there in is the challenge. I've looked at a bunch of automotive batteries but none seem to be able to fit inside. No wonder they put this small battery in, looks like something from a golf cart..
Any ideas on this would be greatly appreciated and might be able to help others...
Braille makes AGM and lithium batteries for race car applications. Their AGM B2618 should fit inside that case. They make larger and smaller versions with different capacities. Their lithium batteries are very cool but insanely priced, so I'd probably stick with the AGM.
X2 on the Braille but might want to check over your financial statements! I would recommend a look through the Odyssey battery catalog, high quality batteries with full specs and sizing listed.
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Last edited by bccan; September 12th, 2022 at 07:05 AM.
Braille makes AGM and lithium batteries for race car applications. Their AGM B2618 should fit inside that case. They make larger and smaller versions with different capacities. Their lithium batteries are very cool but insanely priced, so I'd probably stick with the AGM.
Thanks for the info Joe Looks good!
Curious. What is best way to maintain??? leave on trickle charger? take off terminal and just charge day before a show. my 68 442 sits a lot between shows..
Mr. Fred how did you manage to remove the top off the R71S box? It looks like it lifted right off. If and when my R71S dies I want to replace the guts too.
Mr. Fred how did you manage to remove the top off the R71S box? It looks like it lifted right off. If and when my R71S dies I want to replace the guts too.
You won't believe this but it so poorly glued I took it off by hand no tools.. no kidding. I guess if it did not come off so easily I saw an unrelated youtube video where they just kind of took a sharp screwdriver and a hammer and tapped around it, and pried it little but little until the top came off, I guess that is what i would have done but I think it is just luck of the draw on how well things where glued together. at least in mine the real battery was separate and sealed i.e. no leaking acid... Why I am trying to figure out a SEALED battery that will fit inside this case. I am actually for something really stout so I dont have to do this again for a long time. Why I am asking for help opinions so can come up with a solution.. I've already had people asking to buy my case. Sorry I need it..
I guess the thing now is to start tell ing people to start saving, looking for dead R71S batteries and we the classicoldsmobile group will come up with a method to do this..
I thank people who have made battery suggestions that I would have NEVER thought of. Sitll doing research, and asking the battery experts here.
So Funkwagon455 suggested some aircraft batteries, as well as Mr. Padavano suggestion of Braille race car battery.
The specifications with these batteries are slightly different that what a normal auto parts place posts for specs, not quite sure of what ampere parameters I should look for, and what other parameters that would be important electrically for an occasional use auto.
How would these hold up under use by an ocassional use show car?? with long periods of down time, enough to crank a 400ci, etc ??? How well would each hold up??? Opinions?? I ha e no clue of race or aircraft battery usage..
The specifications with these batteries are slightly different that what a normal auto parts place posts for specs, not quite sure of what ampere parameters I should look for, and what other parameters that would be important electrically for an occasional use auto?
Fred,
Use these considerations for choosing a battery...
1. Must be a pure-lead AGM for good cranking amps, long life, withstand of repeated drawdowns, and moderate cost.
2. Many do not show CCA, so the heaviest battery is a good stand-in for that parameter.
As an example, the Concorde RG-35AXC weighs 32 pounds, has 440 CCA, and 900 IPR (final amps at a constant 6 volts for 15 seconds at 23 °C). That gives you a benchmark for comparison, showing an approximate relationship between IPP and the familiar CCA.
If 440 CCA seems low to you, realize that an original Delco R71S battery rated 455 CCA--it was used on all tall blocks including the 455 from 1967 to 1970.
Dang!!!! Mine took a dump nearly 2 years ago...I had it in the garage for all this time until spring of this year and I finally brought it into Advance Auto for credit...
Great work / ideas on that by all!!! I should had held on to it just a little longer!
Use these considerations for choosing a battery...
1. Must be a pure-lead AGM for good cranking amps, long life, withstand of repeated drawdowns, and moderate cost.
2. Many do not show CCA, so the heaviest battery is a good stand-in for that parameter.
As an example, the Concorde RG-35AXC weighs 32 pounds, has 440 CCA, and 900 IPR (final amps at a constant 6 volts for 15 seconds at 23 °C). That gives you a benchmark for comparison, showing an approximate relationship between IPP and the familiar CCA.
If 440 CCA seems low to you, realize that an original Delco R71S battery rated 455 CCA--it was used on all tall blocks including the 455 from 1967 to 1970.
Gary
Thanks Gary for the info..
OK I contacted Braille, Gill and Concorde for more info as well as searching for durability, long life, etc.. The Concorde RG-35AXC came up a fair amount and one guy is on 8 years and counting on a trickle charger, airplane is outside in the weather.... So looks like I will buy one, they are pricey though. like $429. the Braille seemed to not have a longevity in general from what I read online, but it is a race car batrtery, just the cost of racing verses the need for a lightweight battery. FYI the Concorde RG-35AXC wieghts 32lbs but not sure if weight directy correspondes to longevity.. We'll see.
Would like some advice on next step. Remove the old existing small battery in the R71S case, which seems to be glued to the bottom..
OK how to remove this old battery without damaging the R71S case. And the limitations of getting to the old battery.
I thought of warming the bottom of the case and maybe it would let go but I took a heat gun to a piece of the old glue, didn't really melt, So a non-starter..
It's probably just held in there with silicone, try wiggling it out.
Not a chance in Hell to "wiggle it out" they used a black glue type thing to glue the bottom as well as the top. Like I said in an earlier post, I tried melting it with a heat gun, NADA didn't do a thing hence I have up the idea of heating up the bottom to release it.. What every this black glue stuff is , it's pretty tough. Like a plastic or an epoxy..
Still looking for ideas other then trying a sawsall
Fred, you could break up the inner battery, remove the debris and grind off any remaining sidewall pieces.
Fill the outer shell with water and wear suitable PPE (face shield, gauntlet gloves, long sleeves, long pants, etc.) before bashing. Change the water often or neutralize with washing soda which will not foam like bicarb does.
Fred, you could break up the inner battery, remove the debris and grind off any remaining sidewall pieces.
Fill the outer shell with water and wear suitable PPE (face shield, gauntlet gloves, long sleeves, long pants, etc.) before bashing. Change the water often or neutralize with washing soda which will not foam like bicarb does.
Gary
This is my dilema, how to "break" it up I do not want to damage the case. as I am going to reuse it. I've rushed into things and made thigns worse let's think this through...
A neighbor suggested I use a chisel from the top. So I chiseled little by little and broke up the small gell cell inside it. Once I got the top off, to neutralize the acid, I used 2 rounds of two boxes of baking soda boxs inside a plastic garbage can, as I went along. I also used Dawn to clean as I went along..Pulled out the insides with vise grips. I put the gell cell inerders into a plastic bag and will take to hazerous waste dump. Found out what gell battery Antique battery put in it.. See photos.
Last edited by FStanley; September 30th, 2022 at 09:06 PM.
Thanks for sharing this information, Fred. Are you going back with another PC950?
NO after extensive research and previous poor perfprmance I bought an aviation Concorde RG-35AXC due to the weiight 32lbs.. after the fact someone posted that the original R71S CCR was 455(This is incorrect it was 850 CCR) and this is 440 CCR. I anticipate this will still not be great but it is what is it if one wants to have original appearance and no one reproducing it. Also this Concorde was NOT cheap like $420. but as the PC950 crapped out after 3 yearsand I paid soemthing like $336.... I am going to try something different. the problem is trying to find a battery that is small emough to fit inside the case with best specs.. I bought a previous R71S before this one and it weighed significantly more. No idea what battery was in it. I think this later one was poorly made, a joke..
OK back at it. So I test fit the new battery in the old case. Too high to allow the R71S top to sit down property. Need more vertical space. Ground down the underneath inside of the old case top, as well as drilling and grinding out the old black coal tar epoxy at the case bottom. Cut the new battery corners to allow top cables and terminal bottom to fit better. once the top is on. Fits now. Found Coal Tar epoxy on Amazon. Laid down plastic sheet to set the old R71S case down on it and got pipe clamps ready to hold the case to repair cracks. Drilled some small holes into the old bottom sides so the epoxy can hold better. The idea is to reconstuct the case bottom. Mixed up some coal tar epoxy a fair amount as I didn't want to run out. Used a cut down brush to coat the old bottom, put the old bottom in and poured and brushed in the epoxy into the bottom. added a bit more the level it out. Then put a plastic sheet inside the case over the epoxy I put at the bottom, and then put in the new battery, I did this in case I ever wanted to remove the new battery in the future. I poured more epoxy between this plastic sheet prtecting the new battery and the inside of the old case to make a cavity. I tighten up the clamps to repair the case cracks
. The epoxy takes 7 days to cure. See ya later.
Last edited by FStanley; October 17th, 2022 at 08:21 PM.
OK a week is up! Final Phase The epoxy is VERY hard now. Took off the outside plastic, and trimmed off excess epoxy, pulled out the new AGM cell battery and removed the plastic inside. Bottom of the old case aint purdy, but solid now.. The epoxy does not adhere to the plastic sheet very well and is relatively easy to remove. The bottom now has about a 1" cavity to set the new AGM battery into, this is so if I need to replace it later with the same AGM battery it wil be easier. I put a dap of Shoe Goo on each side about a 1/2" up from the bottom of the AGM battery, I set in into the old case, I then found some plasticalisky type foam, cut it to fit, and put dabs of Shoe Goo and put them on each side of the top of the new battery to help hold it it the old case. The idea is that I can later put a putty knife to break the Shoe Goo bond and then remove the new AGM battery and replace it with a new one. I had to drill out the jumper terminal spade in the old case top for the new AGM battery bolts. I filed the terminal ends flat afterwards , to get the max surface area to conduct to the new AGM Battery. Installed jumpers, and put old case top on, again I used Shoe Goo dab on each side to hold the top down, As I dont want to stress this new AGM battery,, I will jump my car from an adjacent car I have to get more power when first firing up after sitting for a long time. My logic is that once the new battery car is up and running and hot , it takes nothing to fire it up later, like at a show. Matter of fact I played a game of what is the minimum click to start it before , like one pump and a half sec tick, and right up! I'll keep you posted when this new battery dies.
Oh yeah, thanks to all who provided input on this project!!!!
Last edited by FStanley; October 28th, 2022 at 09:30 PM.
I would have checked with a store that has displays of dummy batteries, to see if they had any old ones that they wanted to get rid of. Certainly would have been much cleaner to start with an empty battery, cut the top off, and fit yours on there.
Just an idea for anyone looking to do something like this in the future.
I would have checked with a store that has displays of dummy batteries, to see if they had any old ones that they wanted to get rid of. Certainly would have been much cleaner to start with an empty battery, cut the top off, and fit yours on there.
Just an idea for anyone looking to do something like this in the future.
Curious, has anyone ever seen a dummy R71S battery in display anywhere??
So I had my R71S crap out after 2 years. Saw this thread and figured what the hell, I'll give it a try. I was able to cut my case open rather cleanly. The AGM that was inside was not secured, although it does look like two or three drops of some sort of adhesive was put on the bottom of the battery at one point. Not sure what the original CCA rating was, but at full charge its only showing 276 now. My dilemma is the internal battery has no labels or markings of any kind, so I'm not sure how to go about finding a replacement. Any suggestions are welcome.
September 10th, 2022, 04:08 PM
