Optima in a 36

John Gibson

John Gibson

Senior Member
Here’s my solution to installing an Optima in the original battery location. I just made a stainless frame that drops the battery about an inch or so lower than the original.
 

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I left mine all stock. Just laid battery over and being AGM it won’t hurt a thing. Too easy
 
First off I'm retired from the automotive parts sector and one of my benefits is I can purchase most parts at cost.
Originally I had one 6 volt Optima installed. I was having some trouble with the headlights being dim, slow cranking etc so when I had the car disassembled for some major changes to the driveline, I decided to convert to 12 volts. Instead of changing out the battery for a 12 volt, I got another 6 volt and was going to hook them up in series. As a test, I tried it out in parallel and it worked really well, so I kept it 6 volt. I now have a Denso (Toyota) alternator converted to 6v pos ground hidden in the generator case, LED headlights, turn signals etc. I also replaced all the original wiring and paid extra attention to making sure everything had a good ground. I think the grounds were the source of most of the original poor performance. The headlights are incredible, super bright white light like a HID system and the amp gauge barely moves when I turn them on. Very happy with it.
 
blownford said:
First off I'm retired from the automotive parts sector and one of my benefits is I can purchase most parts at cost.
Originally I had one 6 volt Optima installed. I was having some trouble with the headlights being dim, slow cranking etc so when I had the car disassembled for some major changes to the driveline, I decided to convert to 12 volts. Instead of changing out the battery for a 12 volt, I got another 6 volt and was going to hook them up in series. As a test, I tried it out in parallel and it worked really well, so I kept it 6 volt. I now have a Denso (Toyota) alternator converted to 6v pos ground hidden in the generator case, LED headlights, turn signals etc. I also replaced all the original wiring and paid extra attention to making sure everything had a good ground. I think the grounds were the source of most of the original poor performance. The headlights are incredible, super bright white light like a HID system and the amp gauge barely moves when I turn them on. Very happy with it.
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Fantastic. Thanks for the great explanation.
 
I must be lucky! My 36 pickup has a 6 volt battery the name I don't remember. I have the generator set at about 4-5 amps and I give it no thought until it's winter sleep. I hook up my battery tender and forget about it until Spring. The new 97 Uncle Max sent me gives an almost instant start so that the battery doesn't get much exercise. Also a Skip Haney coil and a Vertex condenser. I remove my distributor and give it a little attention in the winter sleep. 6 volts works great for me.
 
I love Optima batteries. I have them in my T's, A's and V8's. I keep them in my barn but I prefer to work on them outside. When they are not running I use the starters to slip over the lip in in the concrete. This didn't work so well when I had wet cell batteries in the cars.
 
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