Before I get too wild looking at these, can you have too big of a battery? I mean power wise, not physical size. Just wondering because I found an Interstate 1400CCA/1750CA heavy equipment battery. I'm pretty sure that will start my truck at -30* but will it hurt the electrical system at all?

Commercial Equip Batteries - Workaholic - 1400 CCA

I'm not worried about physical size because with the motor swap I'm planning even group 31s won't fit under the hood without major modification. I was expecting to spend $200+ on regular batteries, then read about Group 31s, then while looking for some, saw this big guy. Its about the same price for 2 regular batteries and I know I'll have to spend more to upgrade the cables to run Group 31s anyway. I just want the most power for my buck.

 

That there's good stuff. Do you know if they have a starting battery of this type, as opposed to the marine deep-cycle?

 

Good info as always

 

I thought about going to a single big battery for some time as well. Was going to go with a big Oddessy but it was more $ than two Optimas

 

The dual batt upgrade seems to be a popular mod for 1st genners. They came equipped with one monster 1100CCA gp31. They are expensive even in conventional form, so many just throw in a standard-issue 850CCA of whatever is cheapest or on sale at Walmart when battery time rolls around and have no problems. But that is a recipe for failure in cold climates after it's been sitting outside at 20 below all night and the grid heaters kick on.

I'm going for the "big Odyssey" next time around "if" I can afford it at the time.

...after I re-paint the battery tray for the 3rd time.

 

Unfortunately, last I checked, they did not offer an automotive application battery in this size. I figured I would roll the dice and try the marine battery (shorter warranty period), and haven't had any complaints thus far. If anything changes I will be the first to post about it.

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Here are a couple of pics of how I had to modify the trays to make them fit:
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Truck086.jpg?t=1283360750

 

For that 1400CCA monster, it looks like it would cost just a little bit more than 2 batteries and probably close to the same depending on what I were to get and where I get it from so I just kinda figured why not? It would take a little bit more space and since its 130 pounds, I don't think my toolbox will hold it.

I think POR-15 has a battery try paint kit that's supposed to hold up better.

The thing about deep cycle batteries I worry about is that they don't have the same cranking power as a regular one. Although, they might be better for me seeing as I quite often run auxiliary lights or the radio or both for extended periods of time. Plus I can't tell you how many times I've gone to our local drive in theater and had to get a jump because the battery didn't have enough juice to crank the motor. Instead of having the little speakers you hook on your car like back in the day, you just tune the radio into a station setup just for the movie, so it always ran my batteries down, even with occasional running of the truck to attempt to charge it.

Thanks for all the input guys. Like I said before, I want the most power for my buck on this.

 

I checked the specs closely at Odyssey before I got my batteries, and the specs are the exact same as far as I can tell. The only difference as far as I was told was the fact that the marine battery has the extra tabs for power connections (you can see them in my pictures).
Good luck in your choice!

 

AGM Batteries are nice for the simple fact that you dont get corroded cable clamps and really never have to clean the clamps. That right there is enough to make a sale to some people.

 

It most certainly was the case for me!