Feeling Cranky

These fun old sports cars are supposed to make us feel happy.  They are, after all, a hobby.  Well, yesterday I felt cranky about my 356.

ALL 660 COLD CRANKING AMPS of crankiness!

I bought and installed another new battery for Miss April, replacing one that was only 9 months old.  I did this because last Summer I did a bunch of research and web browsing to find out the closest size modern battery to what was original to the car.  I believed at the time it should be a 19L battery, which I managed to track down.  The battery has 440 CCA (cold cranking amps).

Although it would start the car, it was just too sluggish for me.  If turning the engine over and deliberately not starting the car so that I could circulate the oil, the revolutions would slow down and just sound tired.  Realizing I have not yet installed a starter relay or replaced the starter bushing in the trans, I still was unhappy with the battery.  I will get a relay and replace the starter bushing soon, but I want a strong battery I can trust.

The solution I chose was to move up to a Group 1 size battery.  Fits nicely in the battery area of the T6 battery box, and after removing the modern stickers and attaching a Varta plaque to make it look a bit more like a battery of the period, I'm happy.  It's much stronger (50%).  I could have chosen an Optima battery (this car came with one) and put it in a plastic box that is made to house them and gotten even better CCA, but I did not want to alter the original plastic battery cover or make any other changes.

Photos of my nice strong new battery below.  Quite cranky!