Battery Question???

I need to replace my battery, I have a 74' that has been changed to one small 12 volt from the original two 6 volt system. Can anyone recommend a good replacement; manufacturer/type/model/supplier etc?

Any decent Group 26 (aka "Type 26") battery will fit.

Groupe 26. The longer the warranty the higher the amperage, 60 month will be fine, about any brand, there are only a couple of battery makers in the US. They label for the other brands you find.

Any decent Group 26 battery will fit. Depending on the manufacturer, you may have to trim the plastic lip at the bottom. I think a lot of people get them from Walmart. I know they have them at the chain auto parts stores.

Steve S posted this section from his great website just the other day;

Catagory: Battery
Product Name: Optima Red Top 75/35
Vehicle Application: MG TC
Manufacturer # SC75U
Description: Optima batteries are known for their high quality and reliability. They are gel cell, which means no maintenance and no battery acid spills. They can be mounted in any position including sideways. If your car sits for long periods of time, chances are it will still have plenty of starting power when you crank it up again, even after a year of non-use. The 75/35 is the largest battery that will fit in the battery box of an MG TC, and I have had many years of flawless service from mine.


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Catagory: Battery
Product Name: Westco
Vehicle Application: MGA, MGB, MGC
Manufacturer # 12V31M
Description: This battery was designed for Miatas, but happens to be the perfect thing for MGs as well. It uses "absorbed glass mat technology" which means no maintenance and no battery acid spills. It is significantly smaller and lighter than a standard battery but still offers 475 CCA which is plenty for our cars. Best of all, it fits inside the cramped battery boxes of MGA, MGB and MGC. In fact it is so small, you may need to install a base at the bottom of the battery box so the battery doesn't fall through! Moss sells battery box liners for MGB which work very well with this battery. They sell the Westco battery itself as well.



In the past, I have just gone to walmart ($39 ) and three miles from me.

Edit, Duh, yeah, forgot to say Group 26 :)

I have the Westco Miata battery in my car with a Moss Battery box, seems to work well for me.

Cheapest Walmart battery for me.

I just picked up ANOTHER Exide battery today for my Mustang. I bought my last one Jan '07. Used it for 6 months and then stopped driving the Mustang. (A BAD case of MG obsession) I had the battery on a trickle charger the whole time. But it still died. This is my third Exide battery.

Fortunately, with the 60 month warranty, the replacement was free. But I'm not too impressed.

I've had good luck with Die Hard and Interstate. I currently have an Interstate in the B.

Die Hard for us.

IIRC when I got my moss battery bins in the note on them said group 26 and group 21. I think the only diff is the 21 is taller

Don,

I have a 74 and have a 26R-DL Duralast from Auto Zone, 710 cranking amps/575 cold cranking amps.(32dg F), 90 reserve capacity, measures 8.75i X 6.75i at the top (for the handy handle) and 7.75i X 6.75i at the base. The compartment widens from the base to the top and it fits nicely, no trimming, with room to spare.
(click on image to enlarge/ hosted offsite)
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ted

I had an Exide battery(Group 26) that died after one year.I got a free replacement,however Exide stopped supplying the convenient carry strap.Plus they changed case size a little so it gets stuck in the box.I think I'll do some shopping next time,maybe just buy the Optima!

I've got an interstate battery dist. center near me. They sell seconds (cosmetic defects) - new batteries that work perfectly, for $20 each. Not many people know about the seconds, so they have a good supply on hand. Cheap way to get juice. Check your yellow pages.

Tom, I'll be in Fox Lake this summer. Where is that Interstate dist. center?

I too would recommend avoiding the Exide battery too, I am on my 3rd one and they are starting to get a bit grumpy when I bring it in because it errors out.

I had problems with Exides in the past also. That was a lot of years ago so I shouldn't condem them as sometimes manufacturers have problems that are cured.
I've been buying all mine from Advance for several years now. Before that I used Interstates but the fella I delt with retired.

I put a Sears Die Hard in my 69 B last summer. Works fine and I'm very pleased.
Sears part number is 30026 and cost $72 (with old battery trade in). This is a group 26 battery.

I have a Duralast from AutoZone. It was installed in October 1997, that makes it 10 1/2 years old.

Clifton