6 volt battery

parkerm

I am in need of a new battery for my 1940 super six. The battery that was in the car when I bought it does not name on it. Can you tell me what brands and types you use, e.g., lead acid or AGM?

Thanks,

Val

I bought mine at Oreilly Auto Parts its a house brand I believe 

Lklemm1

I bought mine from Oreilly auto parts also. The big advantage to a AGM battery is no corrosion and can be mounted anywhere you like. The cost is also considerably higher. I couldn't justify the cost difference.

railknight

I installed an Optima 6 volt battery in my '53 Super Wasp back in July, 2012.  About two months later it failed having overheated distorting the fake battery case and burning out the ignition points.  Had the charging system inspected by two auto mechanics (Dr. Doug was one of them) and everything checked out fine.   Went back to the lead acid 6 volt and still no issues over four thousand miles later.  

By the way, I took the failed Optima battery back to the dealer in Bensenville, IL where I purchased it.   They claimed to have never seen an Optima battery go bad like the one I returned.  The dealer offered to replace it, but I asked if they could first check to see why this one overheated as I didn't want to repeat getting stranded on the road.  They said they certainly would check it out with Optima and call me back.  Never heard back from them so when I returned to the dealer in Bensenville about five months later, there was the 6 volt Optima battery still on the floor against the wall exactly where it was left when I returned it.  In other words, the dealer did nothing to find out what was wrong with my battery.
  
Some have said that ever since Optima moved its production to Mexico, the quality of their batteries has since gone down hill.   I'm sure there are many using Optima batteries in their Hudsons with no issues.  Just thought I'd tell my story here. 

Jon B

While I have heard that Optimas last many years, I'm still using a lead acid battery in my '37.  Mine is made by "DEKA" and I think it has about 780 cold cranking amps.  Try to get the most cold cranking amps you can, don't buy a cheap tractor battery.  I  believe you will find that the type 2 battery fits your car, but be very careful and check the HEIGHT of the battery (to top of terminals).  I think your car has the hinged, backward facing hood like the 1946-7's, and if the battery is just a bit too high the posts will short out on the hood!  In that case, search for (I think!) a 2L battery (verify the height before buying).  I don't know who makes the 2Ls but a 19L and 2N have a lower height.

I bought my DEKA through Batteries Plus, I think it was a Batteries Plus label.  Price was less than $100.  Generally, a lead acid battery will last 4-6 years.  Be sure to put it on a battery maintainer when you're not using it for long periods of time.

These are the universal 6-volt battery types and measurements (different companies may make some of these):

Type 2:  (L) 10-3/8, (w) 7-1/8", (h) 9-3/8"

Type 2N  10", 5-9/16", 8-15/16"

Type 19L (VW battery) 8-1/4" (L), 6-3/4" (W), 7-1/2" (h), but may have small CCA.

parkerm

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info.

Jon I think i will look for a DEKA.

Best Regards,