To start up my car after sitting for so many years, I needed a new battery. I also thought I should get a new starter and solenoid just to have in case they were needed.

I bought a group 24 sized battery, but it was too tall. There was no way to get the terminal on top of the post that was closest to the fender, and no way to get a wrench on it. If I would have installed the terminal on the battery and then slid the battery into place, the terminal would have been in contact with the inner fender, which is not good. I looked at the old battery, and it was a group 34, which had the same dimensions length and width wise, but was an inch to 2 inches shorter. I brought the new group 24 back to the store, and exchanged it for a group 34, and problem solved. Anyone else see this?


The starter I bought was for a 289 with the 4 speed, which is what my car had originally, and it still has to this day. I tried putting this starter in, and I just could not get it to fit in the bellhousing. I decided to take some measurements of new and old, and the new starter had a dimension of 4 1/4" for the raised circle portion that fits in the bellhousing. The starter that was in the car had a dimension of 4". I then bench tested the starter that was in the car, and it worked, so I put it back in. I returned the new starter, and asked them to show me a starter for a 289 with an auto tranny, as it had a different part number. The starter for the auto tranny had the same 4" dimension that would have worked on my 4 speed. Has anyone run across this as well?


Thanks, Mike