Subject: Battery with Side-Mounted Terminals
Model and Year: 1969 Camaro, Corvette and Chevy Van
Source: Chevrolet Service News
Date: April 1969 - Volume 41 - Number 4
A new battery, which features relocated cable attachment terminals, has recently been released as standard equipment for Camaro, Corvette and Chevy Van vehicles. The cable attachment terminals are located on the side of the battery case as shown in figure 41, rather than on top of it, to remove them from the area in which they are most subject to corrosion.
In addition to relocating the cable attaching terminals, the cable attachments themselves have been redesigned. A threaded-type bolt is used in place of the open post spring-type attachment to provide a more positive method of retention. A sealing feature is incorporated into the cable attachment - a raised ring on the cable attachment seats in a shallow groove in the battery terminal.
The cable attachment bolts incorporate a special head design (to permit use of jumper cables) and are of two different sizes to prevent incorrect installation of the cables. The positive cable attaching bolt is 3/8 -16, the negative cable attaching bolt is 5/16 - 18 and both have been released for service. The bolts should be torqued to 6 to 8 ft. lbs. to allow the cable tang to "dig" into the battery terminal to prevent the cables from loosening.
CAUTION: The importance of continued periodic electrolyte level inspection cannot be over-emphasized. The useful life of the battery has been increased by incorporation of the features mentioned above and with a reasonable amount of attention and care, it can be appreciably extended.
Article ID: 920
Created: September 24, 2014
Last Updated: September 24, 2014
Online URL: https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/knowledgebase/article/1969-corvette-service-news-battery-with-side-mounted-terminals-920.html