battery: top or side post?

[longbedrick]

I plan on replacing the battery cables on the '73. is the truck supposed to be equipped with side post or top post terminals? does it matter? It currently does not have a battery in it

[donut]

I believe they were top post. Top or side it won't really matter, I just prefer top post.
Most of my batteries have come with connections for both. (iirc)

[N2TRUX]

It came with top post. That was before the side post era. I like side post because they look cleaner.

[cableguy0]

I prefer side post too. They dont usually seem to corrode as easily. Looks cleaner as well

[Wincks2]

If other things are going right beside it, side bolts can cause issues:



I'm afraid with constant vibration the bolts may damage my other parts.

I'll have to look for smaller bolts.

[Pyrotechnic]

Side posts seem to be more maintenance free. Unless the battery is seriously leaking, I've seen side posts go many miles without needing to be cleaned. It seems with top posts, you need to clean the terminals every oil change to maintain a good connection, or at least inspect them every now and then.

Top posts seem to be more durable. Sometimes with side posts, the threaded hole in the battery can strip out if overtightened or even in cases where the terminal is taken on and off a lot, leaving you with a useless battery if it only had side posts. Of course with top posts this isn't a problem.

[Jim85IROC]

Personally I prefer dual terminal. The side posts work best for the factory connections, and it leaves the top posts available for aftermarket goodies, or for a convenient location for battery chargers and/or jumper cables.

That said, affordable dual terminal batteries seem to have evaporated from the market in the last couple years. For years I ran the same $50 Wal Mart dual terminal battery in most of my cars, but they are gone, and now the cheapest dual terminal batteries I can find are at or near $100.

[Longhorn Man]

GM went to side post in 71.
They did it to keep the corrosion down on the teminals. The gas escaping from the cells causes a lot of the corrosion.
Personally, I normally cut the rubber off the side post cable and remove the bolt. Then I take a 3/8 inch bolt about one inch long, and chop the head off of it. Thread the headless bolt in the terminal of the battery, slide the end of the cable over the headless bolt, and secure it with a nut.
You get the best of both worlds. You don't have to deal with a rounded off head like they always seem to be (too many idiots try using a 6 inch adjustable instead of a 5/16 wrench) and you can get the connection tighter. Plus, if/when need be, you can hook the jumper cables to it easily.

[Pyrotechnic]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

GM went to side post in 71.
They did it to keep the corrosion down on the teminals. The gas escaping from the cells causes a lot of the corrosion.
Personally, I normally cut the rubber off the side post cable and remove the bolt. Then I take a 3/8 inch bolt about one inch long, and chop the head off of it. Thread the headless bolt in the terminal of the battery, slide the end of the cable over the headless bolt, and secure it with a nut.
You get the best of both worlds. You don't have to deal with a rounded off head like they always seem to be (too many idiots try using a 6 inch adjustable instead of a 5/16 wrench) and you can get the connection tighter. Plus, if/when need be, you can hook the jumper cables to it easily.

That's a good idea!