79 Battery

79FOREVER said:

Can I go with a more powerful battery in my 79.  Current battery is 800 CCA W/ 1000 CA.  I run the car every two weeks.  I have a amp on the radio.  If I run the radio for sure it kills the battery.  I keep a jumper with me always.  Alternator is OEM and has been replaced once.  Will do away w/ amp if needed.  Re-starts have always been an issue w/ my car.

Or are you saying the stereo is killing the battery even after running the car? 

If thats the case you may want to consider beefing up your OEM 63 Amp alternator to at least a 100 Amps.

Remember these car didn't have high out put stereos back then. Now with all these new electronic add ons we all put on our cars, the OEM alternators can have a hard time keeping up with the demand. 

Years ago I had my OEM alternator rebuilt and beefed up from 63 Amps to 100-105 Amps. It handled the upgrades well. Now with the setup I have now I required a 140 Amp alternator to ensure no problems down the road. 

79FOREVER said: If I run the car for any lenght of time using the A/C or just the radio it will not re-start.  I most likely have the 63 amp alternator.  Going to have the battery checked soon and may try a higher CCA / CA battery first.  I can do away with the radio amp, should have never put the dam thing on the car in the first place.  If I have to can I send my alternator to someone to upgrade or do I have to buy a total new setup including brackets  The car will always restart with a jump or jumper box w/ a full charge.

Yeah I would have the battery load tested to rule out the possibility of a bad cell. 

If the battery checks out ok, then I'm wondering if there isn't something causing a small draw on the battery while sitting.

A local auto electric shop that rebuilds starters and alternators should be able to beef up your stock alternator to 100 amps no problem. 

Or if you feel confident enough, you can get a kit like this one and do your own upgrade. Alternators aren't all that hard to take apart and put back together.