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Sterling #130 (aka American V8 ~ Chapter 2)

nbb350

nbb350

Active member
Thinking some more, I doubt it's the starter or "heat soak" of the battery or something. Why? Because when I got stuck in the car October 19th and had to Duke-Boys it out the window, the car fired right up after a jump start and it had only been sitting a few minutes - not enough time for stuff to cool off.
 
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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
I may have missed it but I didn't see if you check the voltage after the no start.

I checked what the manufacturer recommends for a battery. The recommended battery has 750 CCA. reserve capacity is 140.

The battery you have is rated at 475 CCA with a reserve capacity of 23.

The odyssey battery is rated at 350 CCA with a reserve capacity of 53

My guess is the battery is to small for the application and if possible put a smaller pulley on the alternator so it spins faster.
 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
Recommended by what Manufacturer? The engine turns over fine and starts within seconds when the battery charge is fresh.
I wish I could find a Long and Wide but Short battery...they all get Taller as power increases. I gotta keep the height down...
Changing alternator speed isn't an option due to physical interferences of the jackshaft system.
 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
Looking online, it appears that Menards carries an AC Delco Group 40R battery with 610 CCA & 105 minute Reserve for only $114 on sale. 6.8" tall. I'll have to make a new hold-down bracket, but I'll have all winter to do so! (we got our first inch of snow today...sigh)
 
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farfegnubbin

Site Owner
Staff member
Reading over all of this I think the battery is going to fix everything. And having a new alternator is a nice bonus even if it wasn’t the primary problem.
 
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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
nbb350 said:
Recommended by what Manufacturer? The engine turns over fine and starts within seconds when the battery charge is fresh.
I wish I could find a Long and Wide but Short battery...they all get Taller as power increases. I gotta keep the height down...
Click to expand...
I did a search for a battery for a 1963 Buick 215 engine and thats the results I got.
Group 24, 34 Battery with 700-750 CCA. RC 120-140.

I can see the engine starting with no issues with a fresh charge but the reserve capacity of the battery your using is very low and probably will take some time to fully charge.

Wiring 2 low profile batteries in parallel would increase the reserve capacity and keep the voltage the same if that would help.

Have you checked the voltage output of the alternator at idle?? with a load applied to the system??

I use to live in Wisconsin as a kid and always looked forward to the first snow of the season.
 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
The video from a few weeks ago when I stupidly shut off the Sterling away from home and it wouldn't restart. I knew I didn't have much battery left and my canopy is electric, so would I have enough power to Open the canopy, get out, then Close the canopy so I could then open the hood to access the battery? Or just crawl out and open the hood?

FYI, I'm 6'-3" / 195# (and now you know what I look like! :cool:)

 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
With nothing above 50F in the forecast for the next week (and Minnesota Winter fast approaching), I decided to pull the battery and tuck the car away for the winter...I also don't want to damage the new alternator by running it in cold weather with a less-than-capable battery. Speaking of, I physically measured batteries this week and I think I can fit a Group 78S with 670 CCA under the hood. $125 plus I'll have to fabricate a new mount. It'll use the same cables though!

I also finally opened the box from July 2008 and unfolded my Sterling GT custom-fit cover from California Car Covers! It fits PERFECTLY! I also added a couple of lightweight tarps over the top to keep the sawdust off of it as I work on other projects in the Shop over the winter since the cover material is "breathable". And if anyone wonders why it looks a little "saggy" in the back, I kept the cover up above the exhaust tips becaue the jackshaft housing leaks a bit of oil and I didn't want the cover to get oil stains. The cover could be pulled down under the "butt" to pull the material tight over the car.
 

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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
Got a reply back.

The cover is still available but you have to call in the order.

They didn't give me a price so I sent them another email requesting that, plus what is the shipping cost.
 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
Santa left a Disc Brake Conversion Kit under my tree! lol

This kit is supposed to work with stock drum brake spindles, so pretty much bolt-on. Still VW bolt pattern, so I'll keep using my VW-Chevy adapters. At least until that new guy from Wisconsin wants to sell me his Turbines with the VW bolt pattern! ;)

Has anyone else bought calipers from cip1.com? Those pads are like 1.25"x2". Yeah, the car is lightweight, but those seem TINY! Only 1 cylinder piston too.

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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
I bought that kit a long time ago and not till recently have I been able to test it out.

So far I've had no problems with it. They're still not broken in and I hope the stopping power will increase a little as they break in.

Yes the pads are small (rear are smaller than front if I remember right) but you have one on each side of the disc so I guess that means your doubling the surface area.

I did a disc swap a long time ago using the discs from a Ghia and these look like copies of those.
 
nbb350

nbb350

Active member
March is here and my Hibernation is over! Time to start working on the car again...

I bought an Interstate battery (800CCA) for the car - because the top is GREEN! lol
I was hoping it might fit, but - surprise, surprise - it doesn't. Ugh. It's about 3/4" too tall, and no one makes a battery that much shorter.

I'm going to have to build a tray and then notch out the green shelf so the tray can sit down just in front of the front beam. I'll see how much I can drop it down - I'm hoping for 2" or so - the more the better for hood clearance and airflow.

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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
What group size battery is that.
Maybe there's a lower profile battery that will fit

I made a tray that sits on the outside edge of that notch to get more clearance for my battery.

I'll post a picture of it later today.
You might want to go that route and not cut anything out.
 
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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
Maybe modify the hood in that area

Add a blister or an extractor vent in that area. Make the vent functional. That would help getting the air out from the radiator

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