In a message dated 2/11/01 2:02:01 AM Eastern Standard Time, jhuckins@xxxx writes: << Is the Delco maintenance free battery 78A72 the exact replacement for the original Delco freedom battery? By measurement and post location it looks to be. >> I didn't have an answer last week but now maybe I can shed some light on this. We've established since that e-mail that the exact model may not be critical for judging purposes and that the current Optima is a better choice. But if you still want to know if it's a match, you need to know what exactly the original was, and I doubt there are many out there still installed to look at! But here's some info on the original. I came across it today looking through some of my reference materials for the New DeLorean Manuals Project. From the handwritten (unpublished) classroom notes of a technician during factory training: "AC Delco Freedom Battery, Maintenance Free approx. 75 Ah, Model 071-89 MF4 Group size BCI-74 12 v Weight 19.5 Kg Performance rating: SAE J537 Reserve capacity at 27 deg. C. - 125 mins. at 25 amp discharge Cold cranking amps at - 18 deg. C. 500 amps to 7.2 v (30 sec) Cold cranking amps at - 29 deg. C. 395 amps to 7.2 v (30 sec)" I would think that info would allow a Delco dealer to find a match. If not, the passage of time, (a local Delco guy here couldn't find it,) or the fact that the batteries apparently came from AC Delco Europe may be the reason. I don't know if that model was used in the US or not. -Wayne A. Ernst The New DeLorean Manuals Project