What sort of battery was placed in our Mavericks? Were the early Mavs 69-72 different than say the 73 and up? Did they put FoMoCo batteries early and Motorcraft later. Or just all Motorcraft batteries? Anyone? If its the FoMoCo make, where is a good place to order one/pick one up. I imagine any Ford dealer etc will have Motorcraft ones. Also what size was stock?
Correct me if I'm Wrong The Mavericks until the end of the 72 Model year used Autolite batterys. From 73 on it was Motorcraft. According to my 70 model car introduction Shop Tip's, Mavericks used Group 22HF. According to my 73 one, all Mavericks used 24F. I'm waiting on a 70 model year Chek Chart book that'll give more info. My 78 Chek Chart shows 22F for all models, but that is wrong based on the size of the battery tray. 24F are still common, but the closest to 22F is group 35. Group 22F are mostly used for power wheelchairs. Check Ebay for NOS Autolite or Motorcraft dry charged batterys if you want an original. From what I understand dry charged batterys don't deteriorate over time. And battery acid is readily available in larger cities. I don't have any other Shop Tip new model introduction books to look at.
Also, repop battery tops are made now to give new batteries an original look if that is a concern. Back in the day, cold cranking amps were typically matched to be near engine size in cubic inches, V8 Mav might get a 350 CCA battery ... "not very much" by today's standards, but batteries have shrunk and become much more efficient over time. Unless you have added a lot of electronics (big stereo, electic cooling fan, etc.) a battery in the 500-600 CCA range ought to outperform anything that originally came in these cars.
"The Mavericks until the end of the 72 Model year used Autolite batterys. From 73 on it was Motorcraft." I thought the change was made in the late 60s? Or am I thinking more of FoMoCo stuff? Anyway thanks for the info. on that good to know stuff. On the down side, not sure I want to sink $250+ for a battery. Seem a bit steep. So where does one find a cover that says Autolite if I may ask? Never seen such things. Beyond that, will anyone really know the difference? Especially if I go to a Motorcraft? Wow, how deep you can get into all this. I learn something new every day here. Thanks so much!
You posted as I was writing my last. Ah, now that was what I heard from one FORD guy and another said about 68 or late 69 he thought.
I just bought the Autolite cover and repop battery cables ... Unless you are really looking you think it's an original battery. Also .. two different companies make the covers .. one is really crappy. The other one is nice ... even the plastic caps are seperate parts and pop on and off. I have the nice one ...
The Autolite covers look nice are not that expensive (about $30). Just make sure you get a 24F battery that they will fit on. That means one with a flat, sealed top. NAPA & Exide both make batteries that these covers fit nicely on. There may be others, but sadly, Motorcraft is not one of them. That being said, if you are not crazy abou adding the fake top, I would opt for a Motorcraft just because it's a Ford product. Just my 2 cents.
That is what I decided today! Motorcraft Thanks But its been a nice ride finding all this out. And I hope it helps someone else down the road. One of the many things I love about this site.
