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1975 Eldorado Battery

Started by Jeff Wilk, October 25, 2018, 07:20:27 PM

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Jeff Wilk

Any advice on what the biggest and strongest battery is that fits in a 75 Eldo Convertible?
"Impossible Only Describes The Degree Of Difficulty" 

Southern New Jersey

1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special
1975 Eldorado Convertible (#12 made)
1933 Phaeton Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"
1933 Master Sedan Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"

SOLD
1976 Cadillac Mirage (factory authorized Pick-Up)
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sedan
1958 Cadillac Coupe Deville

The Tassie Devil(le)

If it is anything like the 72 Eldorado, then I use an 800 CCA Battery, and it is the top post design, as we don't have the side-post design down here.  Actually, never had them.

Plus, I had to fit an over-the-top retaining clamp as it didn't have the side lugs.

Bruce. >:D

PS.   I wasn't concerned about originality.   Just wanted the biggest, baddest battery that would fit in the hole.

PPS.   Will have a photo for you shortly.
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Jeff Wilk

Thanks Bruce. For this car Im not concerned about the OEam look either. Just the biggest and highest CCA that fits.
"Impossible Only Describes The Degree Of Difficulty" 

Southern New Jersey

1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special
1975 Eldorado Convertible (#12 made)
1933 Phaeton Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"
1933 Master Sedan Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"

SOLD
1976 Cadillac Mirage (factory authorized Pick-Up)
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sedan
1958 Cadillac Coupe Deville

bcroe

Seems like I remember a 1000 CCA 24 battery back when big blocks
were in production.  But now they are gone, maybe they are still
somewhere for tractors and big trucks?  Bruce Roe

Jeff Wilk

Yup that’s what I recall using back in the ‘70’s too. For these behemoths an 800CCA just seems weak and the Series 78 size every manufacturer says is a perfect fit is actually about 4” smaller than the space for it.
"Impossible Only Describes The Degree Of Difficulty" 

Southern New Jersey

1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special
1975 Eldorado Convertible (#12 made)
1933 Phaeton Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"
1933 Master Sedan Chevrolet - "Baby Cadillac"

SOLD
1976 Cadillac Mirage (factory authorized Pick-Up)
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sixty-Special
1958 Cadillac Sedan
1958 Cadillac Coupe Deville

TJ Hopland

Group 78 seems to be about the biggest physical size you are going to easily find these days and the 78 (side post) is getting rare so you could end up with a 34/78 which has both side and top. 

1000 amp doesn't seem to be a thing anymore, that closer to 800 seems to be the typical big one now.   One theory is that they have got a little more realistic with their ratings than they did in the 90's so the 800's of today are were the 1000's a few years back.   Even the fancy ones like Optima are only 800 now.   I don't doubt that a 1000 exists that is the size of the battery tray but its not going to be something on the shelf in a typical store.

An 800 should be enough to start a 75 with a leaky float bowl in below freezing temps, at least it was for me a few years back when I was daily driving a 75.   If your carb doesn't leak and you are not starting it when temps are well below freezing you should not have any issues.   I think one winter I did it with a 550 that I had laying around.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

35-709

Maybe time to loosen, clean and re-tighten all of the ground points on the car if an 800 CCA seems weak.  Also the positive starter connection and check the cable itself. 
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Scot Minesinger

Autozone (and I'm sure other parts stores) has the 1,000 CCA full size.  Measure your battery tray, take a rule with you and pick one out at AZ.  It is an Autocraft battery with black casing, looks like it was always meant to be there from the factory, except of course it does not look like a 1970 battery.
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

TJ Hopland

This must be the one Scott is talking about group 78 and 1000 cca.   They may be the only one that has that size anymore.
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/battery/duralast-gold-battery/53436_176353_25697

This also looks interesting.  AGM is what Optima was known for but unlike Optima this one isn't twice the cost of a typical battery.
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/battery/duralast-platinum-battery/319462_929734_25697

StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

EAM 17806

  I would suggest you all go to the Walmart stores in your areas to get the "EVER START" batteries which were rated as the best quality and reliability by a report that I found to be 100% correct.  I put them in all four of my cars and they are the best ones I have ever used so far; try one and see for yourselves.  EAM
Ev Marabian

1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic, 1990 Pontiac Bonneville and 1996 Buick Skylark

TJ Hopland

I think one problem when it comes to brands of batteries these days is you never know what you are going to get.   I believe there are only 3 major manufacturers we see in the USA Excide, East Penn, and Johnson Controls.   There used to be a few more and a given brand name tended to be made by the same company for years.   I think they used to negotiate long term contracts and said that say Sears was going to buy all their batteries from say East Penn for the next 7 years and they did so you got pretty much the same battery and quality for 7 or more years. 

Now what seems to happen is when Bob's Battery Barn needs to order a batch they put the word out that they are looking for 10,000 batteries with roughly this spec and see who comes in with the lowest bid.  One thing this leads to is the same model you bought 6 months ago may not be made by the same company today.   The group 78 you bought for the truck on the same day as the group 75 for the car may not be made by the same company even though they are both Bob's Best 72 moth models.   

What may have happened is next month Bob needed another 10,000 and went with another manufacturer.   Manufacturer A had a better price on the big ones and B had it better on the small one.   This doesn't just happen with Bob's Battery Barn it happens with pretty much all the brand names which now are mostly owned by stores unless the manufacturer happens to have their own brand name which is getting rare.   I think you occasionally see brands that have "by Excide" in the name.   Deka is East Penn.   I don't know of Johnson has any of their own brands.   I think now days the buyer for the store doesn't even talk to the battery manufacturers I think now there is a middle man that maybe even puts the labels on em.   I have noticed the same name on a lot of brands lately,  I can't remember it off the top of my head but its something like best brands inc or along those lines.

For me it comes down to a store that tends to have in stock what I need and isn't a hassle to deal with on every level including bringing in my core and dealing with warranty if it comes up.     
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

The Tassie Devil(le)

Here is a photo of the battery that I put in my '72 Eldo as promised.

Not sure of the actual numbers, as that would mean taking it out.

Bruce. >:D

PS.   At least the green matches, almost, the colour of the car.
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

TJ Hopland

73 they changed the front structure of the cars, likely for the impact bumpers.  Was also when they went to the side post.  The battery no longer sat in a little cage.   The new design has all the structure in front of the radiator and the battery sat on a little shelf next to the radiator.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

The Tassie Devil(le)

Thanks for the information TJ.

Sounds like they might have also been trying to reduce weight by making the battery easier to get to.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

TJ Hopland

On the 72 and older cars I dealt with I do remember if the batteries didn't have the handle built in they were difficult to get a grip on.   The built in handle was a what mid 80's thing?  And aftermarket?   I don't recall ever having a factory installed battery with any sort of handle built in.

I also remember there is decent chance of the cables getting scuffed on that framework between it and the rest of the engine bay.  I don't think I ever worked on an original car,  mine all came to me with the crappy aftermarket bolt on repair ends so maybe by the time I saw them the cables had already been re routed.  Doesn't seem like the kind of thing the factory would have done.  There must have been some sort of gromit or other method to safely secure the cables. 

The 73+ style at least you can lean the battery forward and grab them with those claw gripper battery handle tool things if it doesn't have the built in handle. 
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

J. Skelly

Quote from: TJ Hopland on November 14, 2018, 11:37:34 AM
73 they changed the front structure of the cars, likely for the impact bumpers.  Was also when they went to the side post.  The battery no longer sat in a little cage.   The new design has all the structure in front of the radiator and the battery sat on a little shelf next to the radiator.

not true, TJ; the Delco side terminal battery was introduced for the '71 model year for the Eldorado and Grand Prix
Jim Skelly, CLC #15958
1968 Eldorado
1977 Eldorado Biarritz
1971 Eldorado (RIP)

TJ Hopland

Interesting.  Eldo I could see since it was a unique and higher end car, wonder why the Grand Prix too?  I'm not a Grand Prix expert was there anything else special about them tech wise that year?   On the Eldo that must have been fun to access those terminals for sure you would be doing the ground first.  Seems like very little chance of swinging a wrench without hitting something on those.

Did all the Cads or even all GM go side in 73?   I wasn't paying attention when those were new so by the time I saw them people must have changed them to tops.  That would explain why they were the crappy bolt on terminals and the routing seemed terrible, a side post cable would likely be slightly short to try and make it to the top.

Was side post a world wide thing for GM?  I suppose it could be hard to tell since perhaps after the factory battery died people maybe converted to what was readily available which I assume would have been top post.  I would think in most countries outside USA/Canada GM would have been a fairly small minority so if they were the only side post battery people would not have bothered to stock them. 
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

The Tassie Devil(le)

Quote from: TJ Hopland on November 14, 2018, 06:35:36 PM
Was side post a world wide thing for GM?  I suppose it could be hard to tell since perhaps after the factory battery died people maybe converted to what was readily available which I assume would have been top post.  I would think in most countries outside USA/Canada GM would have been a fairly small minority so if they were the only side post battery people would not have bothered to stock them.
Side posts never came to Australia.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

J. Skelly

TJ,

The terminal posts were fairly easy to access on my '71.  However, jump starts were a pain since there was little to clamp on to with the small terminal posts.  Also, the terminal posts don't hold up well as the metal is too soft.  By the way, you always remove the ground cable first. 

I can't answer if GM used the side terminals on all North American cars, but all of mine since then have had it ('73 Caprice. '76 Regal, '77 Eldo, '87 El Camino. '89 Riviera,
'91 Beretta, '95 Riviera, '01 Monte Carlo).
Jim Skelly, CLC #15958
1968 Eldorado
1977 Eldorado Biarritz
1971 Eldorado (RIP)

TJ Hopland

I always do the ground first, well at least since the first time I laid a wrench between the non grounded terminal and metal part of the car and found out why you do the ground first.     

I wonder what the logic was with the side terminal in the first place?   I could see in some cases maybe that helped with height clearance like say a Corvette where there wasn't a lot of height to work with but with most cars in the 70's space wasn't that bad in any direction.  They gave it a good try, what around 30 years?  I'm thinking my 2001 truck was still side but it seems like they went back to top soon after that.

I kinda like the side post except for jumpstarting.  I solve that by getting the dual post batteries.  That way I can shuffle batteries between just about everything I own.   Seems to be less corrosion issues with the side post.   I suppose maybe it was because they had to do a better job with the seals since if they didn't the acid would leak out a little faster than a bad seal on a top post. 
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason