14 replies to this topic

[Ando]

Just want to know if there's a battery available that's a close match to the original type. 

 

The 2 engine photos here are early '76, LX series & LX - A9X when these cars were pretty much new. 

 

I'm not sure what brand Holden used at the time or if they were an all black case. 

 

The 2 x 3-cell caps appear to be white or could be yellow. 

 

Someone maybe able to share a bit more info..

 

 

Cheers Ando

 

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[Ice]

Could they be Lucas Batteries Ando maybe Brad could shed some light on the subject

[hanra]

I’ve seen little toranas have Lucas batteries. Was never sure what was in the bigger toranas. Everything these days is maintenance free and thus have no vent caps. The Delkor battery that I have, I just took all the labels off it and put that big blue GMH sticker on the side.

Once upon a time I did see the little torana fellas reproduced a vent cap style battery top that is just placed on top of a MF battery. I know the ford guys do that with theirs.

[Ando]

G'day Gene,

 

It looks like Holden used Lucas in the LH-LX series at the time.

 

The parts book indicates this. I'll see what they have in there current range but I'm after the period type.

 

I'm wanting to know the colour of the caps & case then find a battery that's close in appearance.

 

I can then do what Brad suggested with the stickers etc.

 

It was hard enough to find a couple early photos of new engine bays showing the battery in view.

 

Ando

 

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Edited by Ando, 08 July 2019 - 09:28 AM.

[arrimar]

I plan on using a red topped, opaque cased battery if I can. As that's how I remember them. You can see one in the top left of this pic.

Stickers can be bought on ebay although they are just generic red Lucas logos.

There's also older style Lucas batteries with the Lucas embossed on the case available.

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[hanra]

Stolen from fb.

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[Kevrev]

A mate of mine picked this battery out of an old Bedford van. Apparently Lucas 1977 vintage

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[Bigfella237]

Going by the Broadcast Sheets, later LX models had colour-coded battery tops.

 

"YEL" was the code for the standard 50 amp hour battery so I assume it had a yellow top. I believe "RED" was the code for the 62 amp hour heavy duty battery fitted to 5.0L cars. And I think there was a third option, that being a 61 amp hour that was the heavy duty option for all models exc 5.0L, but I don't know what colour that was?

[Ando]

Some more information from Mick McCardle has come to light. Click on pic to rotate image.

 

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[RallyRed]

This 1982 AC Delco book, suggests that the V8 ones ( heavy duty) were Lucas supply,...as replacements.

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Edited by RallyRed, 08 July 2019 - 06:06 PM.

[Shiney005]

I reckon Arrimar is on the money for cars built before June 1976. It is the opaque battery in Ando's pic of the early LX 5000. The few clear shots that I have of batteries in new cars are all LH, and they are all the opaque with red top apart from the one in the L34 prototype which has the red case and black top. Check out the ventilation system on the battery in the Blanchard race car. 

If you want one that looks original for post june '76, you would use the service bulletin as a guide.

 

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[yel327]

Here is your introduction of 11 plate and the reason why. Late 1977.

 

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[Shiney005]

Does that say VB??  12 months away from the launch of the Commodore.

 

The date that this directive was written was 12th Sept 1977?  That would make the only Torana model affected the A9X.  Production of the HX must have been close to being finished by then as well.

[yel327]

Yes. These program change requests apply to all current programs whether they are in production or in design, or in between, All 4 x series listed have 5.0L engines. You can see it says LX, HX effective asap whereas HZ and VB are at SOP (online pilots). HZ online pilots would have been built by 10th October though but would have been started around or just after the date of the request. I don't have a listing of VB online pilots but they will have been built fairly early, the engine number sequence started around May-June 1978 which will be in the offline and online pilots.

 

Sign off is late September, and confirmed on 10th October.

[RallyRed]

wow , never seen one of those docs before.
It must have been a big task to manage so many models, engines etc.
Good stuff.

p.s and I can just hear the average dealer's Service Manager saying tona customer with a hot cranking issue..." wont start when hot eh? ..have not heard of that before"