Battery replacement for 5.0

[gr79]

Took the 10 year old Exide out of the Mustang. Weather good. Took 20 minutes.
New battery from dealer was on the list.
They had one in stock. Am using 96Rs.
158.00 for a Plus not a Max. Plus is 2 year Max is 3.
Before loading in in the Ranger bed, decided to check the voltage
DVM read 12.1v. Round date sticker on side said 11/21. Heck that is old stock.
Hauled it back in told them i want my money back and got it.
Was told they are all like that you have to drive to charge it back up.
BS.
I said the car sits a lot, not driven much, needs a battery that holds a good charge.

Wound up wasting an hour. Did get a very good free cup of French Vanilla coffee.
However, was a 'blessing' in disguise.

Wound up going to Menards and picked up an AC Delco. Yup. 111.00 with rebate.
Tested 12.7v on the shelf now that is more like it. Got some terminal donuts for it too.
No date sticker made in S Korea. SDS sheet lists mfr as (Hankook) ATLASBX CO.,LTD.
96RSA 36 mo 590 cca. Specs match a Max, Heck, paid less got more.
Has a nice built-in carry handle. Is about 30#.
Is none-show weekly driver and can always slap a Motorcraft sticker on it.
Now to clean up the tray and install new ss j-hook and nut maybe the hold down too.

Most chains want 50% more for the exact same battery and double the core charge.
Only business' that charge fair prices get my business, more now than ever.

[mcb82gt]

AC Delco!!! NO dude lol.

At least pull the sticker off.

[gr79]

Am ducking.. posted story anyway. Crossing over to a very very visual brand line. Ford vs GM.
Have bought many batteries. It is exactly what was looking for minus paying xtra for the MC halo.
Advertising. A curse? Car will not know nor am I brand biased. Delco battery is likely OEM quality like MC.
Of course, ad sticker would have to be on the side that shows. The small warranty sticker is on top.
On the Delco's side ad sticker there is another sticker overlay stating Menard's exclusive 36 mo warranty.

Am true blue enough to remove or repaste ad sticker on fender side of battery so the motor wont see it.
Found an old 4x7 Motorcraft sticker. Get everyone to incorrectly assume its a MC until they looked closer.
Or leave it as a conversation point for a bit. At shows, engine bay brand names compete for attention like chrome.
Optima in a trunk is ok vs Everstart with battery repair terminals. Part of the overall look and clue of vehicle use.

In this case, MC battery was not chosen. However my Ranger has a MC Max. Prefer MC spark plugs, wires, oil filters.
A desire and challenge to keep car and truck Ford tough while not necessarily limited to using strictly 100% oem.
Global sourcing and brand name mergers keep changing current product quality vs costs.
OE brand parts have consistent EZ pick quality. Its all about new car parts warranty.
Doing homework, many other brands are ok one big item to factor in is warranty from none to lifetime.

Quite a few parts interchange among all makes, like tires, drive belts. Vendors may add oem name, same parts.
Ford has sourced GM mfg parts in the past..Q-jet carbs, Saginaw ps pumps.
A Purolator 1 oil filter L3001 is a FL-!A. Diff color and gasket. Purolator is an oe vendor for Ford. Fuel filters too.
For the first time, am running a Wells dist cap and rotor. Looks to be of oem or better quality.
I go for quality vs cost, area of function and criticality, look. Noting past and current brand name history first.

[gr79]

The dual duty folding carry handle is designed more special than usual on this size battery.
Most batteries have thin strap handles or no handle at all. Batteries can have acid on the case.
Have to accept whatever is on one the comes the fact being how many times will it be used anyway.

For one, handle is easy to grip and balance the weight. Battery is medium to large size with a lower profile.
Heavy duty handle is perfect. No worry yanking battery in and out of the tray.
For two, someone thought of a clever and useful battery custom design detail that has turned into reality.
When the carry handle is pulled open, it flips up the attached the red + post cover.

Pic shows 18 mo on the silver side ad sticker. Menard's pasted a custom 36 mo vinyl sticker over the 18.
A silver series battery with a gold series warranty. Sticker magic.



I have this GT40 version (minus the for sure comment) fits over entire sticker currently on the battery: