1956 12v battery needed

[sylvurhfox]

I have been told that the 12v battery for the early birds is no longer being made. Make sure when you put a new battery in, that the positive terminal is on the side of the engine. The replacement battery is now made with the positive terminal away from the engine and it will hit the hood when closed.

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[cokefirst]

Interstate Battery has them

 

[sylvurhfox]

I have been told that the 12v battery needed for the early birds is no longer available. The new replacement battery is backwards. Make sure when installing a replacement make sure the positive terminal is on the engine side. If you put it in incorrectly, the positive terminal will hit the hood when it is closed.

 

[Tom Alpers]

I have been told that the 12v battery needed for the early birds is no longer available. The new replacement battery is backwards. Make sure when installing a replacement make sure the positive terminal is on the engine side. If you put it in incorrectly, the positive terminal will hit the hood when it is closed.

THat's a good point. If someone has a battery with the terminals "on the wrong side" they should be able to work around it by buying a longer ground cable so they can install the battery with the terminals toward the engine, so it won't hit the hood.

 

[TJShea]

Here's is the update...so far. I was able to get a Die Hard 29NF battery from Advance Auto Parts. I had the SG32NPP battery I bought from the Battery Central Mall in Feb 2021 tested. It showed fully charged, but when the tester put a load on it said the battery needed to be replaced. So it lasted 3 years to the date. I kept it on a Deltran Battery Tender when the vehicle was not being driven, It just suddenly died 10 minutes after I had been driving the car, and had shut the car off in a parking lot. It was so dead I could not even get the car to jump start. I put a spare 4 year old Interstate 29NF-VHD on and charged it to show a full charge. I left it on the car overnight, and it was still charged in the AM, so I would guess the alternator is not draining the battery when parked. Also, I drove the car, and the battery was ok when I shut it off, so It appears the alternator is working (That is next, getting the car to a place and have the Power Master alternator checked). The new Die Hard started the car just fine. Back in the day when I lived in the Seattle area and the local Sears had an auto repair facility, I always had very good experiences with Die Hard batteries. Hopefully, they are still as good.

I do miss having the period look of the Battery Central Group 32 battery. But spending almost $400 every three years on a battery just does not seem like a good idea. But It did look good and it was what the car had when originally ordered. I may just breakdown and give it another whirl as car show season gets into swing. Thanks for all of the insights and suggestions.

Hello. Much earlier in this thread, Feb 2024, I wrote, like others, some posts about my battery trials, and that I would post periodic updates. The Die Hard 29NF I was able to get from Advance Auto Parts has survived the really hot summer we had here in Las Vegas. While the 29 has been working just fine, I thought I would take a chance and order a 32 replacement for the one that died from Battery Central. It was what the car was delivered with back in '57. I decided to take a chance, because at the time the Battery Central site showed that if one ordered the battery then in Feb, it was going to be shipped around April 5th. So I ordered and paid for the battery. Not cheap, but what the heck what on an old car is after all. I had good luck when I ordered three years prior, so I thought maybe I would be ok again.

I figured there could be a bit on a delay, but when the end on May was rolling around, I called to see what happened/will happen. The folks at Battery Central are always receptive to talk with, and try to explain this as well as they can, however they felt it should be out around the end of June or so. June came and went, and around mid-July a recontact resulted in an August estimate, but again, they really didn't know. August came and went. In early September I was told perhaps by the 1st week in October. Well, it is well into October. The site currently indicates the battery is "available," but will take 4-6 months for delivery. I am over 7 now and soon will be at 8. And yes, the original delivery estimate was April 2024, not 2025, as A friend suggested. At this point I will give it some more time, I mean I am in Las Vegas after all where "just one more spin will be a winner...."

It appears that trying to keep a period close to correct battery in vintage car is getting less accessible by the month. With the reduced life span of batteries also seeming to be more commonplace, I am coming to believe that it is going to become increasingly frustrating and challenging to find replacements. Hopefully, for someone like me, the more knowledgeable folks will keep giving updates when suitable replacements are located that will work well in replacing the traditional sources that may be drying up. And, I would hope, most likely rather naively, that retailers would refrain from advertising and accepting payment for items that are actually unavailable, or at the best have a reliable "available" date window, rather than one lurking in some nebulous future, in a galaxy far far away....,

 

[cokefirst]

Interstate still lists the 29NF-VHT battery on their site. I also see that Napa, DieHard and Deka also list a 29NF battery. Although pricey, Battery Central Mall also has a AGM battery for the Thunderbird.

 

[TJShea]

Interstate still lists the 29NF-VHT battery on their site. I also see that Napa, DieHard and Deka also list a 29NF battery. Although pricey, Battery Central Mall also has a AGM battery for the Thunderbird.

I ordered and paid for one from Battery Central Mall in late February 2024. First delivery date was the first week of April 2024. There have been several "tentative" delivery dates since. The last passed 2 weeks ago. Their site indicates if you order one now, delivery will be in 4 t0 6 months. I am at 8 months now. Doesn't appear that the Battery Central Mall is an option at this point. In scrolling through their batteries there are very few "in stock". Most seem to bee "avaialble-4-6 month" Eight months ago when I ordered mine, it was to be shipped in 6 weeks. delivery estimate.