Back in the early 1980s was at a local drive in with my Wife eating supper in the Chevelle. Was a car next to us, I guess they were "done" and guy tried to start his car. It just grunted. He got out, opened the hood, then approached me in my car asking for a jump. Well, I said OK as long as I connected the cables myself and I got out and opened my hood. Then he quickly hooked cables to his car battery, then handed the other end to me. Strike 1. Then I looked at his connections, they were backwards, he had red on negative and black on positive. Strike 2. I gently chastised him for reneging on our agreement. He used some foul language. Strike 3. I handed him his cables back then and turned and shut my Chevelle's hood. He asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was going to get in my car and move it some. He maybe thought I was getting closer, until I moved across the lot. A few minutes later, a friend of his (I guessed as they seemed to know each other) pulled into the spot I vacated. Soon they were connecting cables, then a pop, smoke, and some more cursing as he run inside to wash. We were done by then so we left.

Over the years I've seen and heard of other similar happenings. Some resulted in eye injuries for awhile. I recall a guy at Advance Auto setting a can of battery cleaner spray on his battery in the parking lot. He knocked it over, it shorted, and it made a mess. Another time a guy shorted the battery with a ling wrench, I found him in tears on I-81 with his family in the car. I forget what he was working on, but he paid the wrench on the battery.

Was in 2015 or so I tested my '77's group 24 battery, it was then over 12 years old, it was testing at 400 something CCA, it was showing it's age but was still serviceable. Next few days I found a used group 65. after measuring I decided it would fit. I removed the cheaply made universal battery hold down set up and made a heavier duty one that fit my new to truck group 65. I put a piece of plywood under it, it really fit good. Was maybe a year later I replaced that group 65 with a near brand new group 65 that a customer insisted on replacing just because he did so yearly. I bought it from the store as used, and it lives in my '77 still. I have group 65 batts in my '07 truck, a '01 Mercury, a '95 T-bird, but back then was two more T-birds in the driveway with them. I have two more group 65 batteries in the basement that are kept charged too, one was the original in the '01 Mercury.

So anyway, I had redone my mounting hold down, etc. Recalling the ease with which a tool or metal can can cause a short I made a wooden battery top cover to hide the positive connection. For a few years, it's been secured by round top nuts that don't pose risk to skin. They can be a PITA to remove though, without pliars, etc. Today I made wooden, easy to turn by hand, ***** with metal threads inside.

The group 24 with universay hold down


Current group 65 with my DIY hold down and longer 5/16-18 J-bolts


My top cover but with the round headed closed nuts still.

The block at rear moves the cover up off the positive cable clamp too, and I can remove the negative clamp with the cover in place.

I know there are clamps now with plastic covers too.

 

Was just stretching, walked out for a POV over hood shot, lifted the hood too. Really easy to remove by hand / no wrench or other tools are needed, no sharp threads exposed to cut, no accidental shorts from dropped tools or turned over cans of flammables If need to replace a fuse in a fuse holder, fast easy access.. Actual nuts and washers holding battery in place are next under the plywood plate .... the plywood is simply lifted, then turned a few degrees CW and slid out towards the fender from under the strap.



I promise, those ***** are made of layered plywood. The top hex is a very short bolt. It just catches a few threads into the top of the long insert inside the wood. Wood is wrapped with foil tape over silver paint. I might even add short fence like walls to the flat "plate" so stuff (nuts, bolts. etc) doesn't roll off out of sight.

 

It all depends on the other person and their vehicle whether I attach the jumper cables to their vehicle or if I attach them.
If its obvious that they have no idea what they're doing I will do it for them.

I bought a really nice set of jumper cables back in 1981.
They will easily reach a vehicle parked behind my truck and clear back then I paid about $80 for them and that was below jobber pricing.
Cheap jumper cables are worthless and 9 out of 10 times they are junk.



Nothing special about the 4 year old Walmart Everstart group 24F battery in my truck.


Here's the battery tray that came in the truck. The truck didn't even come with a battery. LOL


I bought a new one including the original style hold down and new hold down bolts and a new + battery cable.

There's an AutoZone and an O'Reilly's here in Richfield and I wont buy a battery from either one of them.
The first time I bought a battery after moving here I went into the O'Reilly's and asked how much and they gave me a price.
The guy at the counter told me if I could find a better price he's match or beat it.
I said OK and left. If I found a better price I'd buy it. Why would I spend my time price shopping and go back and haggle with him??

I have never likes Interstate batteries and will never buy one.
Back in the day when I worked on cars for a living the majority of vehicles that came in with battery issues, dead, sulfated massive corrosion build up on the battery cable and batteries were Interstate because the sweat soo bad.
I'm sure they have improved over the years but some times it pretty hard to get a bad taste out of your mouth for something.

I used to put a dab of wheel bearing grease to hold a penny on top of the customer's batteries close to the +connection because the copper would attract the acid rather than it building up on the cable end.
There's my worthless 2¢ worth of advise. .

Since moving here I have purchased 5 deep cycle RV batteries and 3 for my vehicles and not one single issue so far. (insert hands praying LOL)

As always for everyone, buy what works best for you.

 

Yeah, I knew my truck called for a 24F, but I had put that 24 in because the NAPA place didn't have a 24F that day in 2003 as I recall, and the Legend 75 series was on sale (or maybe Larry or Charlie just made me a good price?), and I needed it then. Once I found it worked, was easy to later see a 65 there.

I do either cover the connections with grease, or a spay. I never heard of the penny deal though.

 

I forgot al about the NAPA store here so there's 3 part stores not just 2.
I have always liked NAPA but not this one.
They searched hi-n low to find buttheads to work there.
I think Bevis works there too.

The penny does work.