Re: Original Delco specs (was Hello List!)

[deloreanernst@xxxx]

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 From the handwritten (unpublished) classroom notes of a technician 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