andyelan wrote:Hi Everyone
For a 1973 Plus 2 130/5, here in the UK at least, the original battery was designated as an 037 and looks like the one in this add.
http://www.tayna.co.uk/037-Numax-Car-Battery-P981.htmlI don't know about other Plus 2 models or what would have been used in the States
Unfortunately these are getting quite difficult to come by now as most batterys these days come with round terminals and not lugs, but they can still be found
I do feel these batterys are a bit on the small side and in the Plus 2 there is room to fit one a bit larger, I stick with this however as it's the same size as the one in my Europa so it gives me the option of swapping them over from car to car if I need to. Actually I have found that one of the biggest problems with starting is not battery size but voltage drop in the long cable which connects the battery to the starter solenoid. Do make sure this is in good condition and all the terminal are clean and tight or it will cause all sorts of starting problems
Gerry, on the subject of cut out in the boot floor, I would suggest the one in your car isn't original. The original boot floor board was simply a sheet of plywood and had no frame around the cut out or even a lid. The battery was simply covered by the boot carpet which is why most of the original carpets have long since rotted away.
Andy
Thanks for the link and description Andy. Very helpful.
The dimensional data for the 037 compares well with the BCI Group 90, with the Group 90 40 mm wider but 25 mm shorter than stock. I think there is plenty of width room available, but the slope in thee floor has to be accounted for I suppose. Group 90 posts on same sides as 037. Looks like Group 90 posts are inset in the battery top though, which may cause an issue for stock terminals, so worth checking. Group 90 looks like a potentially good upgrade in power with considerably more cold cranking than stock.
gerrym wrote:Stuart, my Plus 2 S130, has a cutout in the boot floor boards around the battery. This effectively means there is no real restriction on the height. The cutout is reinforced, appears to be well executed so I can't tell if it is factory or owner modified.
Must say when I replaced the battery, I just used a modern Bosch Silver unit. The starting, especially hot, was hugely improved. No more fingers in the mouth as to whether it would fire. I put this down to a much higher voltage available at the points due to lower voltage dip when cranking with the bigger, more modern battery.
In the future, I'm only every going to install lightweight small batteries for track days for example. Otherwise just off the shelf modern batteries
Regards
Gerry
Gerry, sounds similar to mine. My current plan is to adjust the floor height slightly when making up replacement floor panels. All the support clips were removed for body prep. I need to raise the floor ~ 1/2 inch anyway to fit the spare tire in the well without buckling the floor panel. Might be able to use my existing battery with the floor raised, will have to see. The Federal parts book shows a felt pad to cover the battery, but that is long gone on mine.
Here are the dimensions of the two batteries...
Type...............L.. x..W. x..H.. (mm)
BCI Group 90...242 x 175 x 175
037...............245 x 135 x 200