Fake battery shell

[bull]

Last summer my 8-year-old reproduction Mopar battery croaked (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,140084.0.html) and during those 8 years prices went way up and as with all parts the availability went way down so I decided to try something different. Plan A was to gut the reproduction battery to put a small Odyssey inside like others have done but when I removed it I realized the case was cracked. So I cut it all up but kept the embossed front. I bought one of those fake, yellow cap tops and made a shell out of 1/8" ABS to house an inexpensive, regular battery. I'm not completely done but here are the results so far.

[70 sublime]

That looks better than I thought it would

Was it hard to find a battery with the same spacing on the posts ?

[bull]

That looks better than I thought it would

Was it hard to find a battery with the same spacing on the posts ?

The position of the posts was not that much of an issue as long as the top you get matches the battery group. In this case I wanted a Group 34 yellow cap top so I bought the Group 34 top and a Group 34 battery. The difficulty for me and the thing they don't tell you is that finding a Group 34 battery that fits under this cap correctly is a hassle. Overall dimensions of batteries are all over the map. There was easily a 3/16" - 1/4" overhang off the back of the battery I finally found and that was the best I could do. The lousy fitment is what prompted me to encase five sides of it (the bottom is open). I'm not going to lie, this project has been a pain in the butt from start to finish.

[Nacho-RT74]

...

I'd still try to get the real deal.

But anyway, that is a good idea, and you can even install some temperature isolation between case and batt. That will enlarge the batt life agiants the engine bay heat

[bull]

...

I'd still try to get the real deal.

But anyway, that is a good idea, and you can even install some temperature isolation between case and batt. That will enlarge the batt life agiants the engine bay heat

I was hoping for that but there wasn't enough room. But the bottom is open and a lot of the heat can vent out the terminal holes at the top so that's better than nothing. Thing is over the course of 20 years I can probably switch this case out on three new normal batteries that will last 7-8 years for the price of one restoration battery that will go 10 years at most. I'm trying to think long term.