...in a '69 F250 CS:

If the battery were sitting on a bench in front of me with the terminals closest to me, one on the left and one on the right, which one should be (+) and which one should be (-)?

I have to go pick up an F250 that the trucker says has a dead battery, and I need to get the battery on the way there before looking at the truck. Trucker is not currently at the truck, and speaks really bad english.

Don't want to buy one where the cables won't reach the terminals 'cause they're on the wrong side!

Thanks!

 

batteries have+ and - on them if not marked use a multimeter to test as they come with terminals reversed

plus side should be a bigger post too

 

Make SURE the battery you buy is for a 1965/79 FoMoCo vehicle.

GM & ChryCo batteries have the terminals reversed. If you don't notice this and attach the battery cables, the amp gauge will show a discharge (or the idiot light will glow), the battery will be as dead as Julius Caesar within a short time.

The short battery cable goes to the starter relay, the longer battery cable is a ground cable. On V8's, was original bolted at the front of the right exhaust manifold, using the same bolt that retained the manifold to the head.

At one time the short battery cable was red, while the ground cable was black. The idiots at Ford replaced both these cables in the mid 1970's with blue cables.

And: All 1956 and later FoMoCo vehicles are 12V, negative ground.

 

Thanks, all, but what I need is for someone to look under their hood (unless they remember without looking) and tell me WHICH SIDE the + and - terminals are on AS IF THE BATTERY WAS PLACED ON A BENCH IN FRONT OF THEM, WITH THE LONG SIDE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE BENCH AND THE TERMINALS CLOSEST TO THE EDGE. I don't trust Pep Boys to be able to look up a battery for a '79, and If I buy the wrong "configuration", I may not be able to reach one of the terminals with the existing battery cables.

For example: In my '66 F250, the battery is on the passenger side with the - closest to the engine AND THE TERMINALS ON THE LONG SIDE FARTHEST FROM THE GRILLE. If I tried to install a battery that had the terminals reversed (+ where the - is now, etc), I'd have to rotate the battery 180 deg to get the - closest to the engine, but the posts would be on the long side CLOSEST TO THE GRILLE, and the - cable wouldn't reach. Dead in the water, I've tried it.

 

Since the short battery cable goes to the relay, that's the positive (+) side / The longer ground cable is the negative (-) side.

I haven't seen a battery in decades that didn't have + & - symbols marked on the top, adjacent to the terminals.

 

Using your criteria above: the positive post will be on the right. This has worked for most of the Ford vehicles I have ever seen.

Don't forget a battery hold down device; it isn't a whole lot of fun when a battery tips and starts to arcweld whatever it falls onto.

Robert

 

The previous poster is correct. I just looked at my '68 F250. The battery is a group 24F or 27F. The "F" says which side the terminals are on.

 

On a second thought why don't you bring a jumper box, or another battery and cables, and if you don't buy it you're not out anything.

 

1965/79 FoMoCo vehicles, as original:

R-24F is a 55 amp battery / R-27F is a 70 amp battery / R-27FA is an 80 amp battery.

There's also an R-22F 45 amp battery, but it's too weak for these trucks. These batteries were installed in all FoMoCo vehicles, not just F100/350's.

The GM/ChryCo batteries have a G suffix.