Optima Battery question

[ViperRay]

Speaking as someone who is also interested in replacing my stock battery with a sealed one or a gel type because I track my car, what I have been able to gleen from this and other similar threads is "buy the Optima red top and bend the battery tray with a jack (if needed) to make it fit.
Anyone using a gel type battery?

 

[Ulysses]

But "Dripping" solder will cause a "cold" joint that has resistance=heat.

Defintely agree. Cold solder joints are not good and the risks versus the payoff to do it right would leave me heading out the door to buy another one, chalking up the loss to experience.

 

[Viper Specialty]

One thing that can be done with the Optima's if the post length has to be cut down a little, but not all the way off, is this;

Trim to its highest possible fitment level, then drill a hole through the post, SIDEWAYS, and tap it. place a bolt through, and nut the back end. (5/16 should work) Doing this will allow the bolt to transfer the power. I recomend this as a last resort though, NO WAY will a store take a battery back after this, should you damage it.

 

[old96er]

I cut mine off nearly flush with the top of the battery. I could not return my battery so I tried to fix it. I did it about year and a half ago and still works fine. I told another person about it and it worked for them too.

First off I claim NO RESPONSIBILITY for doing this, working on batteries is dangerous, it is at your own risk!!

Here is what I did:

Materials:
variable speed Drill
3/16 bit
hack saw
silicone(bathroom type will work)
lag bolts

I purchased 6 stainless steel lag bolts from home depot, they are marked BAO, or BAD on the head. They have a 7/16 head and are about an 1" long and 1/4" diameter.

Very carefully Drill three 3/16 holes straddling the inner and outer parts of the top terminals. Think Gatling gun with three barrels. Only drill 3/8 to 7/16 inch deep, mark the bit with electrical tape or something so that you do not go too deep. Lead is very soft so go sloooooow. Do this for both sides for 6 total holes. Drill press may make this easier for hole depth consistency.

Now mark a lag bolt to the same depth you drilled (use a sharpie or more tape) and crank it in to that depth. It should have about half of the bolt sticking up out of the battery. Cut the bolt off flush with the top of the
post using the hacksaw. A dremel with a cutoff wheel is quicker but sparks + battery gasses = bad news. Ok, 1 down, five more to go.

After all the bolts are cut off, the post will be pretty flat again but will need covered. I covered my with silicone and waited a day for it to cure
before putting the battery back in.

Last off I claim NO RESPONSIBILITY for doing this, working on batteries is dangerous, it is at your own risk!

 

[ChoiceViper]

All this battery surgery.
Why not measure before you buy to make sure it fits.

 

[SNKEBIT]

you can lay the optima battery on it's side!!!!!! It's made so it can work upside down. What's the problem??????

 

[shor]

Good points from all.
I will tell you this; after seeing what the lead acid battery did to the tray I will NEVER go back to a regular lead acid battery.
Sealed leak proof optimas for me from now on.
I put one in my Suburban as soon as I got it home from the dealer.
I have two in my diesel pickup.

I agree about the cold joint, and I thought about the pros and cons of my battery "repair". I did squeeze most of the lead together before the solder repair; and heat, if any, should be equal between the two lead pieces...i think. I laid down a pretty thick layer of plastic from the glue gun on top of everything. I addition to being an insulator, it should really prevent any movement at the repair site.

But......it is in the back of my mind....I would hate to have my real world testing fail me in the street somewhere. I will probably take it out, I can't risk it failing.

The bolt idea sound interesting.
Bending the tray might be the answer.
I don't know.

 

[shor]

snakbit, right, you can lay the optima on its side.
I thought about that also.
You would then have to rig some sort of custom hold down bracket, as the stock hold down clamp wont work.
I guess it could work.
Maybe one of those black rubber straps with the hooks on each end?
It would have to be real tight though, and unable to move or bounce around.

 

[proracer1]

Viper Ray, Sean Roe's guys reccomended this battery, It fit right in no hasles. As far as power it is a deep cycle battery so it will last longer.

 

[Andy]

Well, I decided to give it a try. I tried a newer smaller Optima, model 7535. It's about 0.2" smaller than the older one. It still exceeds the viper manual electrical specs. It fit in, and had about 1/4 inch clearance. I think the larger one would have probably fit in mine. This was for a '97 GTS.

I had found it on line for $95 with shipping, but didn't want to do that since I wasn't sure if it would fit. Local auto parts place had it for $110, and would take it back if it didn't fit.

 

[Jack B]

Murry's Auto stocks the Optima Red Top. I just installed one and it fit in the vertical position on a 97. There was approximately 1/8" clearance from the frame with the insulated post cap on. This would have worked, however, I put a bottle jack on the forward side of the battery tray and put in another 1/8" of clearance. I also put silicone caulk on the insulating cap to keep it in place.

ProRacer1:
depending on your use, a deep cycle battery might not be the best. Deep cycle batteries are typically used for trolling or boats where you are taking the battery down to 75-80% of its voltage rating.