Optima Battery cover

["K. Eric Wolfe" <kewolfe@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'm almost positive that I saw an ad in Old Cars Weekly where one of the
firms that markets "new" versions of OEM batteries also offers Optima
"cores" that have been placed into NORS shells of older style batteries.
    



-----Original Message-----
From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christopher
Middlebrook
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 3:40 PM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: Optima Battery cover


I bought an Optima battery for my 62. It's the best (and most expensive)
battery I have ever owned. However it looked very ackward under the hood
after all of the trouble I took painting things and placing decals on
things for authenticity. 

So I too looked around for a cover, and I found one through Eckler
Corvette. At the time, they were the only ones to provide a vintage
looking cover designed to fit over the Optima.  To make the long story
short, it beats nothing, but it's not the best in fit or finish. It's a
cheesy vacuum formed ABS molding with a separate piece that has only
three sides to it to cover the sides of the battery. Not the best
solution since the battery in the Imperial is pretty exposed and visible
on all sides. On a Vette, it probably looks good since the battery lies
out of sight at the bottom of the engine compartment. So I wound up
getting some black plastic panels from the local hobby shop and made my
own "sides" of the battery. The other goof is that the little molded
screw on lids have Delco stamped on them.   I'm fairly satisfied with it
since it still gives the engine compartment a vintage look. I bought
this piece about a year ago, and I have noticed that now someone else
offers a sim!
ilar cover for vintage Fords.

At a local car show a fellow I know took things a step further. He
actually took an old tar top battery and gutted it. Then he stuck the
Optima inside it. It was a fair butcher job, but after all the trouble
he probably went through, the look wasn't any more convincing. You see,
the posts on the Optima are located differently from a traditional
battery, so that's where the problem lies with any solution you choose.

Chris Middlebrook 





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