My recent acquisition has neither a battery nor a battery tray. That's not entirely true since there was a rusty, hand-made tray held in with a few bolts, one sheet metal screw, and a small piece of 2x4 that rested in the inner fender!

I've read (here I think) that a 34R fits. Looks like a pretty tall battery. What's the orientation of the terminals? I'm assuming the NEG terminal is toward the firewall not the rear trunk. Is the NEG terminal in close to the fender sheet metal or toward the engine?

Does it still have a non-rusty suspension console underneath where the battery tray used to be? Poked that area with a screwdriver, yet? Any rust there is a very bad thing, and needs to be fixed before you worry about a battery.

The Optima 34 or 34R will fit the stock battery tray. The R posts will make it fit a bit easier, but stretching the cables a tad will make the 34 fit, too. The 34 is usually easier to find locally. There are lots of other alternatives, some of which are a lot lighter than the Optima 34. Do a search on battery to get way more information that you need.

THanks about the battery size. Yes, I checked out the rust situation before buying but as everyone knows, there's always more than meets the eye... in my case a partly rusted-through passenger-side engine mount ear that I someone weld back together. The fender and the longs are okay. Trying to find a "real" battery tray. In pictures I've found recently, the NEG terminal is closest to the engine and not the inner fender. Can't remember if that's a 34 or 34R... I'll take a look at them first.

A group 42 battery is what the car came with (I believe).

just my $0.02

restoration design makes them ...

you'll need items #P315, #P316 and P317 (clamp, tray and support)

as for the optima, both will fit, and yes, negative is usually towards the front firewall (34R) but you can also use the 34 and flip it 180deg. that will move the terminals away from the fender, all you need to do is stretch the cables a bit ...

see pic below ...
Andy

Just had to show those raincaps again huh.

damm, you blew my (rain)cover!

Andy