VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 What's a good strong battery to start my 41 Chevy?

Well, it's 24 degees here in Connecticut. Tried to start my 41 coupe, no go. I bought a new 6 volt battery last month from Auto Zone 675 cca. I think I need a stronger one. I have new wiring, points condensor, already What do you guys recommend. Ed

if you installed that battery month ago 6 volts, it might have lost half its cca with the cold.

batteries should be removed from the car, placed in the basement on a wood table or anything that will not draw the power. purchase a trickle charger and keep it on the battery until needed.

mike lynch

There is someting wrong. Either the battery is bad (doubt it), the starter and cables need attention or the oil in the engine is too heavy.
My'41 (that I had back in 1951) sat outside in the winter and started with no problem in 10 Deg. below zero and colder.
the engine turns over pull the choke all the way out and give the gas pedal two pumps and hit the starter.

What size are your cables? You need at least a 2-0 (two aught), 1-0 is even better. If you bought new cables at a box store or parts house and didn't ask for 6v cables you likely have 4-0 which are 12v cables and much too small to carry adequate current. Are your connections at the transmission and starter lug clean? 675 CCA should be more than enough, even in the cold. If you have adequate cables & clean connections and the starter won't turn fast enough to start your car you have other issues. Sometimes new batteries are bad or your starter could be weak.

I 2nd what Tiny said. My 41 1/2T Chevy with a two year old 6V battery starts with barely a complete revolution of the original engine. Without a good clean ground 6V systems will be hard start or no start every time. I almost forgot to mention it was 13 degrees out yesterday and she fired right up!

with all the above. Mostly.

As said, the terminals should be clean with adequate sized cable and ground strap. You can get them at Tractor Supply and other such vendors.

As to what Gene said about douting, owing to your vendor, I do doubt that it may be a bad battery.

I have had really good service from Douglas and a Interstate. Interstate is my battery of choice nowadays. I have experienced had really bad service from Walmart and Autozone batteries. Both will exchange bad batteries but who needs the hassle?

Gene gave you good instruction about starting procedures. You shouldn't have to grind for more than a couple engines revolutions no matter how cold it is. You could always move down South and cure the problem of cold once and for all.

Good luck,

Charlie :computer

BTW: Get a battery with a carrying strap or buy a universal carrying strap.

Yes, you guys are right about thicker cables. Right, now, they look like a 12 volt cable on the positive side, and a metal strap on the negative. I'm going to go back to AutoZone for a recharge or a replacement. Starter is new. Ed

I agree with Gene and Tiny, something is wrong. The Chevrolet overhead valve six was always a good starter in cold weather. I drove Chevy 216's for years and they sat out side at below zero temps many times and would often start better than many more modern cars with 12 volt systems.

I agree with the others that a heavier cable is best. Just for clarification the smaller the number the heavier the cable so a 4/0 is heavier than a 3/0 or 2/0 or 2ga or 8 ga etc.

I think you said that correctly but wrote it backwards. A 4-0 is a lighter gauge than a 2-0. I can sympathize since I suffer from fat-finger-syndrome myself.

Hi, again, Went to take out the dead battery, and noticed it has 575 cca, not 675 I said earlier. And does the flat metal strap on the negative side matter? Should a 2.0 or 1.0 cable be much better? Ed

cable size 4-0 is the heaviest, top dog in size.

You are correct. I'll just sheepishly move to the corner and watch from there..... Joking aside I apologize for the confusion. To the OP the concept of needing a larger cable size for 6v is correct. My understanding of cable sizing after reaching 0 is what lead to my misstatement, a 4-0 is indeed the largest.

That's a good link ruscar. To help myself remember I just relate it to shotgun sizes-410 the larger number being small and 12 gauge larger-especially if using 00 buckshot.

With shotgun I prefer slug to 00 but use 7 or 8 for clay target.
Tony

You should also note the temperature the CCA rating was done at when comparing batteries. They should be a 0 degrees F but some rate them at 32. It makes a big difference.

Dave

You infer that the 410 is a gauge. It is not no matter what it says on the box of shells. It is a bore.

Ed, As to taking the battery back. You'll probably have to do it over and over. After you take it out, go to Interstate dealer and trade it in. (They may not accept it even as a trade-in.) You will be out some bucks but you will have learned a valuable lesson that all parts are not born the same and no more worries about the stinkin battery.

Also, go to Tractor Supply for the cable and strap. A 1 (one gauge) will surface for the positive and any strap that is long enough will work for the ground.

Did the new starter come with the holes for the reverse polarity switch? Probably not. No one runs then anyway. Not needed except for show and then the lack thereof is usually ignored. Where did you get the starter? Did it come with a new starter switch? If not replace it.

Charlie

BTW: Until you fix the problem, don't drive the car. Unlike all the rest of Chevrolet mocel years, we 41 owners have a great deal more pride and don't want to be embarassed by being seen out in public with the hood up or on a hook. Note: There is no embarassment associated with a 37/38s having one or both its engine side covers open or even being on a hook. Those owners have no shame. Check out their Fultons as proof-positive.

No Charlie the inference is that 410 IS A LARGE NUMBER AND A small SIZE just like wire sizing-BIG NUMBER=small size and small number=BIG SIZE.

Steve,

Dang it. I know that about wire size.. And you are right on.

I was merely pointing out that a 410 in a shotgun is not a gauge. It has nothing to do with relative size of shell from gauge to bore. Bore is 410 with no relationship to gauge. I guess a 28 gauge is fairly close. I don't know of a smaller "gauge" in a shotgun.

Don't make me have to come up there. (just kidding)

I hope you have a wonderful and Merry Christmas. Owing to your vast amount of knowledge i hope you get a new Fulton for Christmas.

Charlie

Questions: Is it too late to ship something from NC to NH? And, where would I find a piece of coal nowadays?

After checking all other areas previously mentioned another thing to consider is the condition of your starter. I had a new battery, good cables, good ground and my starter would drag when starting. So I removed and cleaned it and now it works better than ever. It was full of debris and oil. I was surprised it worked at all.

Well, I went back to AutoZone,they checked the battery and it read "BAD". They gave me a replacement, and checked it to make sure it's OK. And it read GOOD". Put it in car, and it started right up. But I'll keep that option of buying an Interstate if need be. Ed

Charlie there is nowhere in my post that refers to 410 as a gauge but rather a LARGE number. I got a Fulton a couple of weeks ago from my good friend who helps me with my car. It's a Fulton traffic light viewer for the dash. Thanks for the Christmas wishes and may you and yours have a Merry Christmas also. It's good to know that semperfi got his problem solved with a good replacement battery.

Hey Ed, glad that you found the problem was just the battery, that happens!

Hey Tiny I too have piano fingers,not for playing for lifting.