Not a hard job, but maybe a few helpful tips.
In getting the car into shape I looked at typical safety stuff, brakes, tires, fuel lines, brake lines... but I didn't think about the battery until a friend asked me what kind I was using. I didn't know, but I thought it was an Interstate. Oops.
Long story short, my battery was from 2015 which is getting long in the tooth at 8 years old. So yesterday was 'new battery day'. I looked at the AGM battery but it is even heavier than the liquid cel. And I am not ready to find out if Lithium cels are ready for prime time in antique autos, not at $800 a pop (ouch). So I bought a new wet cel. Good thing too - you have to be able to maneuver the battery pretty well. An extra 20lbs would not have helped.
Tools:
6mm hex head socket, long socket extension
13mm crescent wrench for the battery terminals
Phillips head for the A/C dryer
Procedure:
Remove the battery terminals.
Remove the A/C dryer (if you have one)
You will probably want to move the windshield washer pump as well (I did)
Remove the hold down bracket from the right side of the battery
Lift battery up and out - you'll need to maneuver it a bit, but it does come out. Really.
Replacing is essentially the reverse although I used string to tie off my wiring so I would not accidentally pull on it or crush something. Again, it is going to need the right angle to go in. Be patient, and most of all pay attention to how you got the old one out.
There is your one 6mm hex-head bolt. You can see what a tight fit the AC dryer is. Those hoses are for the windshield washer pump.
With the dryer out there is some room to work. You can see the old battery's date code here - D5 which is May (5) 2015. You just have to know the decade. The dryer's gasket has seen better days.
I take the negative terminal off first, and connect it last. Just habit. The idea though is that it energizes the entire chassis of the car, making it easy to short circuit things. A 900A battery can weld. So I take extra precautions. I put a baggie over it to stop it from connecting accidentally. The thick wire to it takes a set and it wants to go back.
Ok, old battery out. Good time to clean out the accumulated crud. You can admire my janky headlight wires. I did not finish getting the new fuse panel in yet.
Not concours, but much better. The light brown stuff is Cosmoline*, from the factory. Its a rust inhibitor.
You can see the windshield washer pump and the air vent for the A/C dryer. My A/C dryer looked like it had been worked on at some point, poorly. It had just one screw holding it in and both gaskets were a mess. The washer pump is mounted with 3 rubber 'studs' that are tapered. Mine was already loose and I couldn't get it back in. (is there a trick to this?)
Ok, new battery in place, just add the bracket and put it all back together.
It takes a nice long extension (I needed 2) to get your wrachet down to the mounting bolt.
Here are the A/C dryer & washer pump back in place. There is no way to do this without moving them. It's a very tight fit.
"A3" is our new date code, I took a pic because it is on the backside of the battery unfortunately. A (Jan) 3 (2023). See you in 2030, or so.
* Update
Apparently this is not Cosmoline; it is Tectyl which is made by Daubert Chemical, which appears to be owned by Valvoline. It is a wax based coating that helps prevent rust. The Tectyl 506 product seems to be what is used to protect the cars during overseas shipment from salty air and salt spray. There is a dedicated removal product for it called Tectyl Bioclear or you can use mineral spirits or any similar petroleum based solvent. Low pressure steam can also work.
The concours folks like to remove it to get the cleanest, shiniest parts. If you drive in the rain or snow or just use your car you may want to leave it. On the Magnesium case cars it apparently is required.
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