Australian Chevrolet 216 engine owners
 

Hello All,

Now that I have your attention ;)

Could someone who owns a Chevrolet truck with a 216 engine in the Land of Oz please let me know the details of their battery? Apart from the battery being a 6 volt I am stumped about the rest. It would be handy to have a name of a battery make and product code off the battery and the cold cranking specifications :salute:

Also my engine has not run for at least 20 years so I am wondering if things like distributor points, rotor buttons and caps are readily available and who are possible suppliers for them?

I am going to get the generator, starter motor and coil looked at by an auto electrician. With all those elecrtrical bits and pieces I should have the spark side of getting the engine started sorted out :)

Kind Regards
Lionel

Any Autoparts shop that can get Bosch parts should your source. The Electrical bits ran for many years of Chev and even Toyota engines and are much easier to find than Ford Sidevalve! They may not be on the shelf nowadays, but could be ordered in. Take a list to swapmeets and stock up when you find it.

Points: Bosch GD44
Rotor: Bosch GD85
Dis cap: Bosch GD86
Condensor: Bosch GD11E

Spark plugs might be harder: AC44, NGK B6S, Champion J8C

You won't like my 6v battery. :nono:

Thank you Tony
 

Hello Tony,

Thanks for the parts numbers for the electrical goodies - it should make things easier.

I am a bit intrigued about your 6V battery. Have you made some modifications to one or got a super heavy duty version which cost the earth?

Kind Regards
Lionel

battery
 

IF you don,t like tony,s battery and you have the old rubber case, POPE batteries in Blacktown NSW will rebuild your old one, other wise take your sizes to ALCO batteries nearest you to get a plastic one that will do the job.

Battery
 

Hello Bob,

My two trucks both came without batteries. So the battery is a mystery to me. :(

Kind Regards
Lionel

Battery chart
 

Here is a battery chart to determine what battery would fit in your truck. I have used group 1 batteries in the past, but wasn't sure if the size was correct. I used them because the farm dealer near me stocked that size.

http://www.rtpnet.org/teaa/bcigroup.html

Paul

A couple of minutes of your time Chevrolet 216 motor owners
 

G'day Chevrolet 216 engine owners

If one of you has a 216 engine hooked up to a 6 volt battery could you please walk to your truck and look at the battery. While doing this could you please take a moment to write down what the name of the manufacturer is and what the product code is? After doing this could you post it on the MLU forum for me. Please; pretty please and even with sugar on top :note:

Kind Regards
Lionel

Thank you for before
 

G'day All,

I forgot to mention in the last email how much I appreciate all the information other members kindly sent me. I pressed the send button before my brain cells switched on to this bit.

Kind Regards
Lionel

You were warned Lionel, brace yourself!

The original Chev battery was a 6v 700cca, 90-100aH battery measuring 9"H x6 3/4"W x 9"L, as Paul has mentioned a "Group 1" size. Have you asked your local Auto Electrician which battery brands he can order in? There are several large battery dealers in Sydney who will freight 6v batteries around the country dry, but the freight cost to Bundy might be a deal breaker. :eek:

Try Century, or Exide direct and see what they can provide.

Now I figured out why
 

G’day Tony,
When I opened up the photo of your battery it took me a while to figure out why you thought I wouldn’t like your battery. What could be so bad about a battery I thought? Maybe it was bashed around really corroded or some devilish home adapted device of questionable engineering standards.

Well Tony you did warn me.

First of all I looked at the terminal arrangement.. Then I looked at the unusual metal connectors going across the battery. Then after that I looked down the battery case and what did I see? A big four lettered “F” word – you could have blacked out the offending item by visiting the “Paint” program and covering the word up for me. My poor sensitive eyes….

Now since the F-word trucks ran a V8 were they too a 6 volt battery?
Did they have to use a higher capacity version of the ones used for the Chevrolet trucks - since they were only a six?

So what I am suggesting could you cross contaminate the wholesomeness of a 216 Chevrolet by actually using the same F-word battery as you so kindly posted up?

Would this battery be fully interchangeable; after a long session of cleaning and masking over the F-word, between a F-truck and a Chevrolet truck with a 216 engine?

Kind Regards
Lionel

Thanks Paul
 

G'day Paul,

Thanks for posting the chart Paul.

I thought I used to know a bit about cars and things which made vroom vroom noises of the truck and tractor type. Until getting both trucks which had no battery in them if I needed a battery for my previous machines I would just write down the name of the battery maker the product code or lately lift of the adhesive sticker off the battery and go up to a battery supplier and say.... "I want one of these please". After a short while later I would install the new battery and be a happy fellow.

So please let me know what a Group 1 battery might be and how many groups there are. I do know that "heavy duty" batteries have more plates - has that something to do with the different groups bit?

Kind Regards
Lionel

I thought it was a simple question - honest
 

Hello Tony and Paul,
In my ignorance I thought I was asking a really simple question. :giveup

I am now reminded of a milk ad on TV. A bloke walks into a corner store and walks up to the lady behind the counter and he asks, “ I would like a bottle of milk please.”
The old lady behind the counter stares at him for a while and says, “what type of milk do you want?” and then she reels off a big list of alternatives, “Full cream; half cream; extra dollop…” and the list just goes on and on.

The guy stands there with a stunned expression on his face and says, “I just wanted a bottle of milk which just tastes like real milk!”

I just thought I was just asking for a battery so it would help my truck make vroom vroom noises again – looks like there are as many varieties of batteries as there is types of milk for sale.

Well no one can say that you don’t learn something every time you visit MLU or work on an old military truck!

Thanks for your help – I do appreciate it– just takes a while to get over the feeling of “I just wanted some milk which tastes like real milk”

Kind Regards
Lionel

A simple answer to your complex question is "YES" most early vehicles were 6 volt and could, may and did use the same battery in many cases. Vehicles using 12 volt systems became more common in the late 50's - 60's :)

The number of plates refers to the lead plates in each shell. You can see from the pic of the top of my Batt, there are 3 cells in a 6v batt. Each cell produces about 2.2v, so a 6v batt actully puts out 6.6v, while a 12v batt will have 6 cells producing 13.2v. The number of cells in a given case size will limit the number of plates able to fit into the cell. In 12v batts, 9 or 11 plates are standard, with truck and 4wd ones going up to 13, 15, or 17 plates as Heavy Duty. 6v batts have more generous cell sizes, so around 15 plates is standard, with some being 17 or 19. Superior cells to a 12v battery.

The Group refers to the dimensions of the battery, and this can affect you in two ways. The dimensions of the battery can determine the cca and A/H rating and the wrong choice could mean insufficient reserve. Also if you truck retains it's original battery box and hold-down bracket, a different size may not physically fit or the terminals may be in the wrong place (or even short out on bodywork). A Group 1 will fit into a Group 2 box, but might not be enough power, while a Group 2 will be more than sufficient for Group 1 needs, but could be too big to fit in the space provided.

You would be more than welcome to use a Ford 6v battery, but it is a Group 2 size (2HF), which is 10 1/4" x 7 1/4" x 9 1/2" and turns out a respectable 875cca (all the better to turn all 8 cyls, count 'em!) This of course sits perfectly in the original Batt box with the original hold-down clamp.

6 volt batteries are not that common these days, although Deep-cycle ones are available for Golf Buggies. Deep-Cycle batteries are not ideal as cranking batts for a daily driver, but might have advantages for a vintage truck that gets driven every 2 months.

Take the sizes and rating in to your Auto Elec and find out what he can get.

Thanks Tony
 

G'day Tony,

As both my trucks have just about no remnant of where the battery box was the size of it is not really an issue anymore. The idea of having plenty of juice to turn reluctant engine and being able to put a decent load on the battery makes getting a Group 2 size (2HF) sound good. Do any come without that F-word written on the side?

Kind Regards
Lionel

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but You should call your local Auto Electrician and see what he can get in stock.

Hello Tony
 

G'day YES, YOU DID TONY.

And guess what I HAVE BEEN to an auto electrican and I was shown two batteries and told about another possible one. I was given a choice between "that one there," or "that one there" and "not sure about if I can still get the other one which is not here."

HENCE my reason for posting on MLU. This is despite my giving the make model year engine capacity and voltage of my truck.

OKAY and I only wanted milk that tastes like real milk....

Kind Regards
Lionel

To add further
 

G'day Tony,

I readily admit to knowing Jack Shit about somethings. So to get the right information I did go to a supposed qualified person and I was left far from satisfied with the result. That is why I posted a message to people who have been doing this stuff for years and actually have batteries they are happy with. So as I result I posted a question on this glorious site.

Kind Regards
Lionel

Agri batteries
 

My late father-in-law used to drive up to an agricultural shop and buy tractor batteries for his cars. Are there any 6v agricultural batteries available still?

Precisely. Things do go out of production. It is irrelevant to say that Mr A uses "Brand X, model Y" if they are no longer available from a supplier. In the past 10 years (admittedly long in the life of a battery), so many suppliers have discontinued lines or even gone out of business altogether, while new Chinese brands have appeared. For someone to say "I have had great results from this battery" means little if that battery can no longer be found. Lionel, your choices are limited by what you can actually buy today. You might find that plain milk is no longer available.

Antique batteries
 

http://www.antiqueautobattery.com/prod03.htm sell Chevrolet batteries in all three types (they used Group 1 and 2) from 1929 to 1953, with the 'DELCO' brand name. I wonder if they have an Aussie distributor (excuse pun)? Otherwise, just in case you have not tried them, I wonder if these people can help?

http://www.chevparts.com.au/home.htm

Battery
 

My brother purchased a 1953 Chevy today and towed it home. He drove down to the local auto supply (an AC Delco dealer) and purchased a new 6 volt battery and a set of ignition points. I was shocked that he came home with the parts! I had no idea that parts would be so easy to get.

Paul

Any farm parts supplier has 6V batteries in stock in several types. I can't imagine having trouble finding one.