# Battery Topper Question



## sixty5gto (Oct 3, 2012)

I have been running a battery topper to simulate the original Delco R-50 battery for about 15 years in by '65 GTO. I have been using a Delco maintenance free battery. Recently my battery failed and I went to get a new maintenance free battery. It seems that all the Delco batteries are now not maintenance free and the caps will obviously not work the the topper.

First question, is it possible to get a Delco maintenance free battery?

Second question, if not what maintenance free battery are you guys using with your topper?

Third question, I've seen some reproduction R-59 batteries that are maintenance free but they are pricey. Are they any good? It seems that the old reproduction tar top batteries were junk. Guys would just use them for show. Are these new repro batteries any good?


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## Oldeboy (Sep 17, 2012)

I bought one from AutoZone. (Duralast) I believe it was a group 124?. I am pretty confident it wasn't a group 24. I took my battery topper in to the store with me to make sure the location of terminals on the battery matched the holes in the battery topper. 
Unfortunately the positive and negative indicators on the topper are opposite of the actual terminals.


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## sixty5gto (Oct 3, 2012)

I found out the Delco does still make a maintenance free group 24 battery. It's called a Sixty Series. The topper fits it perfectly.

Oldeboy, you got one with the terminals reversed. They make them both ways.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

I searched for several days to find a battery that matched the topper's positive and negative post and wound up with a the Legend 75 from NAPA. Before that I paid an arm and a leg for the R59, I left the dome light on which drained the battery and it never took a charge after that.


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## Oldeboy (Sep 17, 2012)

I didn't notice that the topper had the markings on it before I bought the battery. I will take notice next time and probably end up with the NAPA or the Delco.

05GTO: I notice you have the correct battery terminals with the spring clips. I puchased some of these cables recently. Is there a tool/trick to using these so I don't bend up the spring clips when putting them on/taking them off the terminals.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Oldeboy said:


> I didn't notice that the topper had the markings on it before I bought the battery. I will take notice next time and probably end up with the NAPA or the Delco.
> 
> 05GTO: I notice you have the correct battery terminals with the spring clips. I puchased some of these cables recently. Is there a tool/trick to using these so I don't bend up the spring clips when putting them on/taking them off the terminals.


I use a set of channel locks to compress the clips, I have a small current drain and I store the car with the negative cable disconnected.


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