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Just bought a '76 chevrolet with gobs of lift, 40 inch super swampers, a built 350, headers and single-chamber flowmasters. It has a dana 60 rearend, stock 12 bolt frontend, lockers front and rear, electric fuelpump, electric fan, 3 speed plus granny gear transmission. I think that's all the info on it lol.
I bought it for the sole purpose of being my mud toy. It'll never be road driven, tagged, have insurance, etc.
Anyway, the battery that came in it is absolutely no good.
I'm debating two options. The first, and I know would be the best, is to get a yellowtop optima battery. I've heard that ordinary batteries can prematurely go bad when bouncing around offroad in a truck, and the design of an optima battery can better withstand it.
The bigger reason I want an optima, though, is that the truck will likely sit for long periods of time, and I feel the optima will hold a charge better and be able to fire it right up without jumping it off. The engine is a high compression motor, and it seems to take a lot of juice to turn it.
The other option I think I'm leaning towards is just get a decent regular battery (which would most likely be less than half the price of an optima) and just put a battery maintainer on it when the truck is parked for a while.
What is y'alls opinion on this. Would I get enough life out of a normal battery with a maintainer to make it not worth my while to spend the extra $$$ on an optima?
Thanks,
Mitchell
Edit, yes I know it's a sin to own a chevrolet, but all my daily driver-trucks are fords, and I got a great deal on this chevy truck, and it's exactly what I was looking for in a toy. Please don't hate me, I'm all the way, but can appreciate other brands as well.
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87 f250 4wd LB ex cab 460 bored .60 edelbrock intake, towing cam glasspacks-6 mpg 8 on good day- my pride & joy once towed my '85 j-co j-crane 28' 5er
99 F250 7.3(engine stamped june of '99) 250K white ex cab lb, 2wd jl audio slash 4ch amp, jl 8" sub, focal components front, infinity coax rear, 10 disc changer
-tymar intake, no muff -bullydog egt, autometer boost -f5 chip w/80t, 80e, 60t, 100, 140 extreme(140 is amazing!) -ats housing/banks big head Chrome fender trim, 265 nitto terra graps, nerf bars, billet grille, '06 headlights, chrome door handles, louvered 5er tailgate
77ish chevy 1500 w/350 bored .30, torqer cam, some sort of intake man, hi perf elec. ignition, elec. fuel pump & fan, headers & single chamber flowmasters, kc lights, 9" lift, 40" tsl boggers, yukon lockers front & rear, dana 60 rearend, 3sp w/granny gear
ONE BAD MUDDER
High compression? ... If you are really worried about spinning the motor go with a gear reduction starter and a bed mounted 4d or 8d series ... Sorry ... I like my old fashioned batteries ... More cca ...
Okay. I've priced a high compression starter for it....I'll just stick to the stocker lol. It'd be different if it was road-driven, but I'll pull it off and pop the clutch to crank it before I'll sink that much money in a starter lol. If there's enough juice to it a stock starter cranks it okay. It only takes about half a revolution and it fires up anyway.
So your opinion is a regular battery with a battery mainitainer on it.
Lol @ your oil burner comment. I love my 6.9 "oilburner" for the mileage it gets and dependability I expect it'll give me, but without putting some money into it my 460 will outpull the dog pee out of it
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87 f250 4wd LB ex cab 460 bored .60 edelbrock intake, towing cam glasspacks-6 mpg 8 on good day- my pride & joy once towed my '85 j-co j-crane 28' 5er
99 F250 7.3(engine stamped june of '99) 250K white ex cab lb, 2wd jl audio slash 4ch amp, jl 8" sub, focal components front, infinity coax rear, 10 disc changer
-tymar intake, no muff -bullydog egt, autometer boost -f5 chip w/80t, 80e, 60t, 100, 140 extreme(140 is amazing!) -ats housing/banks big head Chrome fender trim, 265 nitto terra graps, nerf bars, billet grille, '06 headlights, chrome door handles, louvered 5er tailgate
77ish chevy 1500 w/350 bored .30, torqer cam, some sort of intake man, hi perf elec. ignition, elec. fuel pump & fan, headers & single chamber flowmasters, kc lights, 9" lift, 40" tsl boggers, yukon lockers front & rear, dana 60 rearend, 3sp w/granny gear
ONE BAD MUDDER
I think you will be fine with a regular battery with a tender hooked up when you not using your new toy. My pops sl65 sat for a 3 month period with a tender on it and it fired right up when he started, granted it never goes off road .
I not going to lie the old 80s era chevys jacked up with 40s are pretty dirty, I would get one.
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2006 CC F250 FX4, SCT X3 with custom tunes, MBRP 4" turbo back, EDGE Insight w/ EGT probe, s&b...
Just took it out last night for the first time in some real mud. An old pond we've busted the dam on to let all the water out, sorta a local mud hole. I must say the truck's pretty bad. With the 40 inch tsl boggers and lockers front and rear I never once got it stuck, but I hope to see if I can bury it next week Like I said, I'm not a ford man, but it's perfect for what I needed. If I'd found an old f150 or f-250 set up identically I'd certainly have gotten the ford if the price was right, but I can appreciate other brands too.
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87 f250 4wd LB ex cab 460 bored .60 edelbrock intake, towing cam glasspacks-6 mpg 8 on good day- my pride & joy once towed my '85 j-co j-crane 28' 5er
99 F250 7.3(engine stamped june of '99) 250K white ex cab lb, 2wd jl audio slash 4ch amp, jl 8" sub, focal components front, infinity coax rear, 10 disc changer
-tymar intake, no muff -bullydog egt, autometer boost -f5 chip w/80t, 80e, 60t, 100, 140 extreme(140 is amazing!) -ats housing/banks big head Chrome fender trim, 265 nitto terra graps, nerf bars, billet grille, '06 headlights, chrome door handles, louvered 5er tailgate
77ish chevy 1500 w/350 bored .30, torqer cam, some sort of intake man, hi perf elec. ignition, elec. fuel pump & fan, headers & single chamber flowmasters, kc lights, 9" lift, 40" tsl boggers, yukon lockers front & rear, dana 60 rearend, 3sp w/granny gear
ONE BAD MUDDER
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all the way, but can appreciate other brands as well. 
Like I said, I'm not a ford man, but it's perfect for what I needed. If I'd found an old f150 or f-250 set up identically I'd certainly have gotten the ford if the price was right, but I can appreciate other brands too.
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