VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt 6v batteries

I currently have 2 6v chevs, 35 and 50. Preparing for the 6 cyl tour in Sept lead me to search for a new battery. Result all the previous sources I had seem to have discontinued carrying them. The optium is an awkward fit. The sealed battery in an old style case is very expensive. Has anyone any comments?

Advance Auto had them the last time I was there. Tractor Supply also had them.

I use Interstate 6v batteries in my trucks. Any Interstate battery dealer can get them.

Cheers, Dean

My Optima served me well for almost 10 years before giving up the ghost. It shorted and died a tour a couple of years back. I bought a generic 6v from an O'Reilly's. It was in stock. It's been doing as well as the Optima for a fraction of the cost. I don't remember the CCA rating off the top of my head but I think it's in the 450 range.

I have used 6-volt batteries from Tractor Supply for the past 10+ years. They are available, fresh (relatively fast turnover) and seem to work 5+ years as long as they don't run down too far before recharging. Have been very satisfied in them.

Six volt batteries are commonly available just about anywhere in my area. NAPA, Baxter's and O'Reilly's are just a few of the auto parts stores that carry them. Also, we have several battery places around here that also stock 6 volt batteries. That is a common battery.

For a 6 volt battery you want to get a minimum of 600 CCA's.

I get mine at Tractor Supply. Farmers want their tractor to go when they have work to do and the weather is good.

As Rustohollic, I, too, use Interstate batteries.

Most all batteries will give super service. For a while.

Generally, the best rule of thumb on the life of a group of cells (battery) is that the amount you pay will somewhat correspond (to the life of the battery). The more you pay, the more you can expect. Not always. There are surely exceptions.

I have found that Interstate batteries are superior to many others but cost more.

I grew up sweating and uncomfortabe in the aganizing doubt that the car's battery will die at the drive-in food place or theater (with all your friends looking on or out in the woods with your school's Drum Majorette ( what ever) with whom you finnaly got a date and who wants to play the radio whilst listening to the "children of the night". It does not impress a girl for you leave her in the car whilst you double-time it out of the woods looking for buddies who can come jump you or enough to push you for a start before violating her parents curfew. Downright embarrassing. Is too!

Any of you born in the thirties will know what I'm talking about. No cell phones back then.

Charlie

I know what you mean Charlie but I made sure I parked on a reasonable slope so I could clutch start. What I didnt allow for was putting a stick through the tire and previously not put the jack back in. The girl was not impressed about being used as a vehicle lifting device while I changed the flat tire.
Tony

Thanks for showing me sources I had not thought of. Also the Optimum is a great spare to carry since it stores in any position anywhere.

Several places have 6-volt batteries. The most important thing is the CCA cold cranking amps. These old Chevys like lots of power. Orchlins, or places where they sell tractor supplies. The old 8N and 9N Ford tractors and probably several others used this battery JIM

I have good luck with the farm supply store batterys. Tractor Supply and Orschelns are 2 stores that are local to me. I just paid about $74.00 each for two of them. I get 5 or 6 years use as a rule.

Just to be contrary to the other posts... I think it depends entirely on where you live for Farm Supply Store batteries. I live in the DFW Metroplex and the Tractor Supply batteries around here are horrendous. I have had to return three of them.

My guess is that the turn-over on their 6v's just isn't very quick here in the DFW area and so those batteries get old sitting on the shelf. Not to mention I watched them put the one with a dead cell that I brought back right back on the shelf with the other 6v's. So if you live in an "urban" area I would not use Tractor Supply. Again, just my experience with them.


It's funny I was actually coming here to ask the same thing. So does anyone use that small Optima battery? I chatted with Optima on the phone about it and all they would really give me was "we don't make a battery for your car". (I've got a 1931 5-Window Coupe).

After reading some of the other posts here, I am now leaning toward Advance or one of those guys now since they are cheaper and guys are having good luck with them.

-Garrett

The optima 6V redtop is described as a starting battery with 800CCA and 100 minutes cranking reserve.

I have an Optima battery in my truck ('36 GMC) and I have a friend who has a '32 Roadster and he has a Optima in that. Never have had a problem.

The optima starts my 1939's with no problems, and it has more compression than a 1932 engine.

I have used Optima 6v batteries in both my 216 and 235 powered 1950s. The first one was bought in 2004 and still worked last year when I sold the car. I got 5 years out of a Delco and though my charger would show full charge, it would no longer turn over the 216, hence I bought another Optima 6v. I found the best price by far was from Amazon with free shipping included! I made a spacer out of 3/4" plywood, painted black, with cutouts for the cables, that I put on top of the battery so it would fit the battery hold down frame and the red top of the Optima would not be so obvious. I use my old dead Delco for VCCA judging.

the 6v red top optima resolved all the past battery problems AND at 1/2 the batt. space, under the floor, it is easy in and out. it has been through three seattle winters now. i'm convinced. so is my '30 coupe.
jim

Another thing to consider: The ease of taking the battery back for a replacement should not be a stong factor in choosing a good, long lasting, battery.

After a while it gets right annoying taking the dang things back, over and over.

Charlie

Just pulled the trigger on an Interstate 6v. They had to order it so I'll get it next weekend. Hopefully, money well spent. I'd like to have gotten the Optima, but they are just too dang expensive for me.

A little disappointed to learn the Interstate 6v's only come with a 6-month warranty but, like 41specialdeluxe says, with any luck, it's a good, long-lasting battery.

Interstate are a very good battery. I have had my 6 Volt interstate battery for sometime with no problem.

I'm confident you will be pleased with your decision.

Charlie

I've had good luck and service with Interstate Battery products but I suggest you ask them the date of manufacture which is usually stamped into the case of the battery. With only a 6 month warranty you don't want to get one that has been sitting in another warehouse longer than 6 months.

The 6 month warranty is from the date that the battery was purchased.

Yes but the fresher the better. If it's been on the shelf for 12-18 months it still should last the six to get past the warranty but the life is definitely shortened. Just like the supermarkets that put the oldest milk in the front on the easiest shelf to reach battery retailers will want to get rid of the oldest stock first. Since it's a non-stock item and a slow mover it's possible to get another branch's old stock. Most batteries if defective will fail in the first year. Some manufacturers warranty their batteries for 100% first year and that's it. Some that have extended warranties base the warranty on list price so if a battery fails two years down the road and you get a 50% warranty its figured at 1/2 of list which may be close to what you paid when new. Most buyers like to see a big discount when buying but the warranty is not usually based on what you paid but rather the list price. Of course I have been retired for the last seven years and maybe the battery business has changed.

Purchased a 6 volt battery two years ago and it had a three year warranty. The battery failed two months ago....it had one dead cell. Took the battery back and with the warranty I only had to pay $20 and I got a new battery. It was the exact same battery as the one that failed previously, however, instead of a three year warranty now the same battery only has a one year warranty.

JYD some manufacturers do a full replacement within the original warranty but the replacement unit is only has warranty for the remainder of the original unit. Other manufacturers restart the warranty with the replacement unit.
Tony

The manufacturer of the battery changed their warranty policy recently and all of their 6 volt batteries now only have a max. one year warranty.

Given my track record with batteries if it's going to fail I'm confident it will fail in the first 6 months...

Just going to be extra careful with this one.

Mostlly, the warranty protects the manufacter not the buyer. The better battery names are generally the best for the money.

Just my opinion.

Charlie

I believe there are only a few (3-4) major battery manufacturers in the US. The warranty does help protect the manufacturer as well as the buyer. Having sold hundreds of batteries very few were actually defective while many failed due to lack of maintenance or improper maintenance or installation. Many fail to read the installation instructions until after the battery fails.

I just got a new 6 Volt Duracell battery for my 1933 Master this past summer. The specs have the highest cranking amps of any 6 Volt battery I could find and the price was great.

I got it at Batteries Plus Bulbs.

The car cranks over better than it has for years and I have owned this car since 1971 and gone though quite a few batteries over the years.

The only Duracell 6v battery I find is for a golf cart. It doesn't list CCA but amp/hours, not the same animal. Do you have a link?

I have an optima and talked with them about it also talked with Deltran about the Battery Tender and would it work. they are a GOOD MATCH.

I hope to get good time out of mine.

Tiny, here is a Link to the "batteries plus bulbs" 6 volt battery that they say fits the 6 volt Chevrolet ==> https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/sli/bci-group-1/sli1

The Exide I bought for my Dad`s '30 truck died just past the 6 month warranty period. I may try this Batteries Plus battery, although the Optima Red Top has my attention.

I put an Optima Red Top in my 32 4 years ago and it is still working fine. The Optima 6V cranks the starter like it was a 12 Volt.

I wish Costco sold 6v batteries other than deep cycle here. Anyone ever checked in the USA to see if they can order in?

I buy my 12v batteries and deep cycle at Costco. You can buy the biggest battery you can stuff in the vehicle and they don't care what the original was and will accept any old battery for the core charge. The dates are clearly marked and you can pick the most current one. The prices are very good and Consumer Reports usually rates the quality quite good.

The best part is the warranty. The last few I bought had a 5 year replacement, 100 month pro-rated. I had a couple fail over the years just shy of 5 years. I simply took to customer service and said they were bad and they said ok and that they don't waste time testing for sake of customer service. They checked my receipt and gave me a 100% refund and sent me back into the store to buy a new one which also came with a fresh 5 year, 100 month warranty.

Tony

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I had not looked at this thread since I made my original posting.

Like I said I got the Duracell Group 1 6 Volt battery from Batteries Plus Bulbs and just did a search of "Group 1" on there website.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/search?q=Group+1

Except for the CCA I believe I got all the other specs from a different web search.

I'm missing something here. Some of you say that the new battery spins the engine over better than any other new battery they've ever had. I don't see how a 6V battery can do any more than supply 6 volts. You are not going to get a faster spin like you would if you used a 12 volt battery to start the car.

I think some are cheating on their experience. Maybe. Anyway if you clean the cables and the contacts when you install the new battery, your are going to realize higher voltage to the starter - but not more than the 6 volts it is rated at.

Also, the life of a battery is somewhat dependant on the use of it. The more you use it the more fig newtons it is going to use up. This reelative high use of the battery is going to result in less longivity of the battery.

Chipper is our resident chemist. Where is he in all this? One little nibble at the start is all. I'm sure he will back me up.

Charlie

BTW: What brand of 6 volt battery does one get at Tractor Supply. I thought they carried Exide. That should be a pretty good battery given their long history in the industry.

I think the key to battery longevity is the freshness of the battery. The 6 volt batteries we use are not the fastest movers in the store. A year of sitting on the shelf is not good for the long term life of a lead acid battery. Also, automotive batteries are not designed for repeated drain / charge cycles like a golf cart battery, so if we let them run down and recharge often the life will be short. I believe battery tenders help with this problem. The use of distilled water and regular maintenance does not hurt.

I am stuck on Delco and have had good luck as long as the battery I started with was fresh.

Dave

Fresh would be a big factor indeed. Doesn't seem that long ago that automotive stores used to store the batteries dry. When you bought it, the battery either came with the acid in a small container for you to add or the store added it from bulk stock as you waited. I bought a bunch of batteries dry years ago and then bought a gallon of acid at Napa. It was neat to have a dry battery, add the acid and instantly you could start a car with it.

Ability to crank over the engine is more related to the available current than the voltage measuring 6.X volts. A tired battery could have a weak cell or sulfated plates and still measure close to full voltage but may not provide as much current as a fresh battery. Same idea as a AAA battery vs a D cell battery. Both are 1.5 volts but the available current is less on the smaller battery...

A couple months ago I started a thread regarding battery leakage. It has been two months and still no sign of any water or vapor on the battery near the fill caps. It's probably time to take a voltage reading and give it a charge but I have concluded that charging completely has solved the problem. I believe that because it was left for a year without charging that lead sulfates had formed to the point where they were shorting out the plates. I charged it for a week at a slow rate and have concluded that the lead that had sulfated out was restored to the plates and the shorting eliminated. I agree with Dave39MD about starting with a fresh battery and when buying I try to check the date codes .

During my 10 years doing roadside calls which included flat battery I found the the average battery life was between 4 and 5 years for most brands (possibley the same manufacturer) in vehicles used almost daily. The batteries that didnt last have been less often used and only for short runs.
Tony

My 1951 Chevy sits the majority of the time and the 6 volt battery that I had two batteries previously lasted 10 years. The last 6 volt battery that I had (same brand of battery) lasted only two years. The 12 volt battery in my 1968 GMC (which gets driven two or three times a month) is an Interstate battery and it has been in my truck for 11 years and the battery still starts the truck instantly.

JD,

That is amazing. Really. Could it be owing to your vehicles having good grounds, strong starters, and being finely tuned? If, so, then the battery doesn't have to do much work or even sustained work. In that case, even a weak battery will preform nicely. It is when the battery has to turn the engine against a poor starter or weak grounds, etc, that the proof of the pudding lies. A wek batter will start to fail after just a few revolutions of the engine.

With good connections and strong starter a weaj and failing battery will last much longer than one that has relatively higher demands put on it.

I wouldn't take your 11 year old battery on a date where fireflys provide most of the light. You know.

Best,
Charlie

Here are some of the specs I got off the internet for various 6 Volt Group 1 car batteries. Take your pick, but you may pay the price. You may also be able to find the same brand Group 1 batteries from other stores at lower prices, but this is what I could find without spending more time.

As I recall, several batteries ago (15+ years ago) I had an Interstate, but I don't remember it being significantly more than a Duralast or Exide so I do not under stand why the only one I could find was so expensive. I do remember back then that it was hard to search for without the Interstate part number so this could be a different Interstate group 1 listed here.

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) are at 0 deg F, and Cranking Amps (CA) are at 32 deg F. Not all Reserve Capacities were at 25 Amps, some were at 20 amps, while others did not specify the amps.


Duracell (Batteries Plus): 640 CCA, 785 CA, Reserve Capacity 130 minutes, $ 81.99, 1 yr free replacement warrant.

Duralast (AutoZone): 575 CCA, 715 CA, Reserve Capacity 160 minutes, $96.99, 1 yr limited warranty.

Exide (Tractor Supply): 625 CCA, 750 CA, Reserve Capacity 160 minutes, $79.99, 1 yr limited warranty.

Interstate Workaholic (Fastenal): 640 CCA, 768 CA, Reserve Capacity 130 minutes, $190.52, 6 month free replacement warranty.

Optima (AutoZone): 800 CCA, 1000 CA, Reserve Capacity 100 minutes, $187.99, 3 yr limited warranty

PowerStride Battery (powerstridebattery.com): 500 CCA, 625 CA, Reserve Capacity 215 minutes, $149,97 with free shipping for limited time only, 1 yr warranty inc free return shipping.

My question would be are most of these batteries in stock dry and filled when they are purchased?

All of the six volt batteries that I have purchased in the past were already filled, fully charged and ready to go before I purchased them.

Most car batteries I have seen in the last 20 years are filled and charged from the factory, the exception is the smaller motorcycle battery arrive dry with the acid in a container in the box.
Tony

At my local battery shop, motorcycle and ATV batteries come either dry with the acid in a container or the batteries come filled and fully charged. We have two choices. However, the batteries that are filled and fully charged are more expensive, but it is worth the money not to mess with the acid and then charging the battery.

NAPA sells a commerical style maintenance free sealed 6 volt battery with faux caps. Working well for me except it had the fat posts which don't fit stock cables well. I did see some tapered post caps at O'Reilly AP.

Rick, to keep your 6 volt system happy, toss the stock cables, go to a farm implement store and purchase heavy gauge cables.

The car will start better ...... and the cables will fit the new 6 volt battery.

Good tip, Bob. Thanks.

Will look into it. Thanks

Rick

I just replaced the battery in my '33 coupe. The date on the old one was May of 2005. I guess I can't complain on the service life of that one!

and what brand was that battery ??

dick

It was a Fleet farm battery, they are a farm service store from Minnesota and Iowa. They seem to have their own brand of batteries but I do not know who makes them. They must be pretty good batteries. I checked my other 2 old Chevys and one has a 2011 battery and the other has a 2013 they are both still working good. I do keep them all connected to a battery maintainer and I think that has a lot to do with their long life. I think that is the secret more than the brand.
On edit, if the new battery lasts 13 years like the old one, my dear wife pointed out that I will be 86 when it needs replacing ( if I live that long) and I will not be able to lift it out from under the floor boards! I really don't want to think about that!!!

Fleet Farm ads I have seen say there batteries and East Penn made in Pennsylvania

I hadn't seen that but I am very satisfied with their batteries!

Uncle Ed,

I think maybe the tender is whats keeping your battery going. How about you driving that old piece of junk to the store to get your wife a cold Coca-Cola and a pack of square nabs and then go try start it go go home. Bet you wouldn't dare try that. No sir. You'd end up having to use one of those new fangled things that are starting to be popular out there in the sticks. You just take the ear piece off the hook and grind the crank and you can talk to people even further out West. (They've had um in CA for some time now.)

Also, please knock it off about age. You said your wife said you'd be 86 when the next battery wore out, if you lived that long. Think of time being not so fast. If you stay home and sit on the porch in your rocking chair looking in the distance for some dust a-rising down the road and getting closer and closer, it may be me a-coming to check out your missus seeing she's predicting your demise so soon! Take it easy, ol sport. You'll live a long, tong time that way. You'll be able to relate to the story about the guy who was talking to a real old guy and asked how long his dad had been dead. The old guy said "who said he's dead? Then the guy asked about his grandfathes death. The old guy said who said he's dead. The guy said you mean he's isn't dead. Tha old guy said no he's not and he's getting married next week to a real pretty eighteen year old girl. The guy said well that is amazing that he's so old and yet he wants to get married again. The old guy ssid "who said he wants to?

Yep, you posting about being 86 made me almost think of the scene in Tombstone where Doc and Ringo are about to have a gunfight. Doc said something about stepping on graves.

Best and give the missus a hug for me.

Charlie

OK Charlie, but how in the heck did you know about my Grandad???

Best wishes,
Ed