Batterys back in the day

[gmcdude]

Does anyone know if batterys back the day had top or side post? This one I've bought has side post, (why I don't know) I don't like the side posts myself.

[BAGNDRAGIT]

im gonna go ahead ans say top post, i dont remember what year started side post....someoone will chime in with the date....

[rwolf9653]

My 72 has side post. I really cant tell you with 100% certainty that it is original equipment though. But why would you opt for side terminals???

[gmcdude]

Don't know anyone would ? Who would like them?

[Longhorn Man]

in 71 GM went to side post.
They are a severly flawed better design.

Maybe a better idea that they shoulda thought about a little longer. But there's ways to make them far better than top post.
I always take a 3/8 inch bolt, cut the head off, and thread it into the side post. Then I remove the small worthless bolt out of the GM style battery cable, trim the rubber off the end, and slode the remaining ring terminal over the stud. Then I secure it with a nut offf a freightliner style battery nut... but a regular 3/8 nut will work fine.

The rerason this is a better idea than a top post is the gasses that come out of a battery are highly corrosive. Why have the cables right there? Move them to the side where the corrosive gas won't get on them... cable already want to corrode, no need in feeding it.

[project 67 sub]

thats why i opted for an optima

[mr48chev]

I think the biggest reason for side post batteries was hood clearance on some GM cars. On certain cars I have seen batteries short out on the hood when someone put in a top post battery to replace a side post. That and our penchant for laying a wrench down on top of a battery.

[Stocker]

I guess I'm the odd man out.... still have the side post in my '72, and it's never been an issue for me in 32+ years.

I've been told, like Andy said, they went to the side post design to move the connectors further away from the corrosive vented fumes -- and possible acid -- coming from the top of the batteries.

[Longhorn Man]

yeah, that is the reason GM gave back in 71.

[54blackhornet]

On the topic of batteries back in the day, all I can say is that someone screwed up pretty good in the engineering dept at GM if you ask me ! I have never seen a 67-72 that was not eaten up by battery acid WTF happened to the great idea they had in the older trucks where the battery is out of sight and away from critical parts like core supports, inner fenders bottom of outer fenders . My 68 GMC only has 60k 1 owner from new but needed everything because it sat untouched with the original battery just leaking away on top of the front sheetmetal. Did no one look at a battery in those days ?

[rwolf9653]

I could be wwwaaaayyyy off here, but isn't that about the same time that they started using "sealed" batteries? Just a guess as to why they changed terminals, location, etc.