Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models > Processes, Products & Techniques

Battery Rebuild Writeup

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rockhouse66:

--- Quote from: Rsanter on May 12, 2014, 05:12:16 PM ---I would recommend that you look at some of the race car batteries. They are similar to what you used but are rated in CCA and are very powerful. They are not cheap but may do a better job cranking a big block
Bob

--- End quote ---

Bob - thanks for the comments.  I know there are some pretty trick, small batteries out there, but at some point if the battery is expensive, the whole project isn't worth doing.  If you aren't saving money by doing all of this work, you might as well buy one of the new Turbo Start repros which are quite powerful.

J_Speegle:
Thanks for the info and article

Been trying to get to this task as I've got a shot repo Grp 27 gel and rather than buy another new one I was just thinking of reusing the case

Anyone cut open a gel battery yet ?

tim_morrison82:
I have a display battery that has no internals that I want to do this to. im hoping the top isnt glued completely on. its an older group 24 repro one. if I get it open I will document what the internals are like.

cheers for the writeup!

Murf:
I would like to add a few words to this.  Having done this on a number of reproduction batteries, one will find some that do not have this type of wet cell.  Some reproduction batteries are AGM (absorbed glass mat) and are a little easier to work on.  Some were built with a small AGM battery inside and if you find one of those they are so easily rebuilt you will be finished in almost no time.  Those that are AGM and those that have a smaller battery inside can easily be identified by trying to twist off the red caps- the AGM type will have caps that ARE NOT removable.  I find them on occasion and they are getting more plentiful.  Friends bring me their "corpse" battery to stuff with a wheelchair battery now and then and the AGM types are starting to fail so more and more candidates for rebuilding are of that type.  Don't be afraid to tackle them, Jims write up covers all of the important steps. In regard to cutting the top off, do as Jim suggests and use a hacksaw and cut right below the ledge of the top part.  The hacksaw removes such a tiny amount of material that one cannot tell the battery is shorter, probably only removes about .030 inch if you watch what you are doing.  (a band saw will remove significantly more material but is certainly quicker)  As for reattaching the top portion after working your magic on the inside I have found that construction adhesive is both strong , not costly and universally available.  I use masking tape on both the edge of the top cover and the case where the top mates so any excess that squeezes out will be on the masking tape, not on the case.  If you use construction adhesive it probably will leave a light tan or grey parting line right under the ledge that quickly can be converted to the same black as the case by using a magic marker and wiping the excess from the case after application.  I think you will be surprised how invisible the seam of construction adhesive can be.  And that type of adhesive can be applied in a continuous bead around the perimeter of the sliced area and I can attest that it is more than strong enough to allow your newly rebuilt Autolite battery to be picked up, carried and reinstalled in the car with a normal battery strap type carrier - just let the adhesive dry 24 hours or so or whatever the instructions on the tube advise for 100% strength. If after several years you need to install another battery inside of the Autolite shell the construction adhesive is very easy to cut for your next rebuild. Finally, I think that you will be surprised at the cranking power of the 12-350 style wheelchair battery. I have been unlucky enough to have a timing chain slip hundreds of miles from home on a Saturday night and that little battery lasted while figuring out the problem, making the repairs and still starting the repaired motor with no noticeable decrease in cranking speed.  Finally, I have found that keeping this type of battery fully charged during winter storage can really prolong their life - having just redone a couple that were originally converted to the wheelchair battery either four or five years ago.  I charge them on the first day of each month with a charger specifically manufactured for AGM type batteries but probably a normal 2 amp self regulating charger would be sufficient. A big thanks to Jim for writing this and the images to illustrate how it is done. 

ajd350:
I have two cars running on 350CCA garden tractor batteries in gutted 24F cases. Both are 289s, one a K-code. Both were done in the same manner as Bob described. One was a lead-acid conversion (very messy), the other was a dead AGM type that was surrounded by a potting compound. Hard to deal with, but worth it. I got 3 1/2 years out of the first one and it always works fine. When the tractor battery finally died, I changed it in the Sears parking lot, swapping the shell with just a couple of wrenches. You can get them nearly anywhere and they are cheap. No special charger needed.

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