I need some advice please. My battery went dead over the winter so I order a Autolite Replica AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) technology battery. I’ve been waiting two months for it so I called the seller, who told me that the manufacturer had not made them yet, something about waiting for more requests to make them. So I started to look around on the internet for another seller and found the same battery but noticed that the lettering and caps on the battery this new seller had were a red color. I went back to the site I brought the battery from and the lettering and the caps were an orange color.
The battery is for a 1969 Mercury Cougar Coupe. Can anyone tell me what the original color was?
RED
If you are buying from antique battery company they’ve got a reputation for long wait times and poor customer service.
I herd they may not be made again, you may have to get a new Motorcraft.
NPD stopped handling them last year. Way to many returns from premature failures. They didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=11672.0
You can do the wheelchair battery conversion if you have a 24F case to work with.
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/647191-best-battery-use-autolite-24f-case.html
IF you do get your battery, be sure to take good care of it to reduce the chance of premature failure. Do not let it drain all the way down, or it is most likely toast after that, or will have a significantly shortened life. During “storage times”, be sure to keep it on a trickle charger.
If / when it does start to show signs of shortened life (probably around the 2 year time), you can consider adding a small amount of distilled water to each cell - just enough to re-wet the glass mats. I used a soda-straw as a dropper, and put a straw’s worth of water into each cell. Like I said, just enough to re-wet the mats. I ended up repeating this about a month later ~ so about 2 straw’s worth in each cell total, and that had the desired effect (trickle charger now brings the battery up to “float voltage” properly).
The fake cover on a new Walmart (or your choice of) battery works very well and the battery lasts a good long time! Just sayin’
Thanks to everyone for your help. I’m beginning to believe Preaction, I ordered my battery on Jan 11, so it’s over 10 weeks I’m waiting. I’m just about at the Motorcraft way with a fake cover. My one more question is to BossElim69, What’s a wheelchair battery conversion?
I just went to the site BossElim69 pointed to about the wheelchair battery conversion. I have a 24F case Autolite Replica AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) so I guess that’s a start. I don’t know if the AGM battery makes a difference. I’ll have to do some more research on it.
So thanks everybody for your help.
You can also take a battery made for a mazda Miata and that will fit into a 24F replica case when you cut the bottom off and run the wire connections to to the terminals of the repro battery. This battery will have more capacity than a battery made for a wheelchair, though both will work.
The wheelchair mod is very cool. 
Steven
The Miata battery looks like a better option then a wheelchair battery.
While neato and all that, I will take the battery cover all day long. However, I am speaking from a non-concours (but with a nod to) point of view. True concours takes things to a whole 'nother level I guess…
Yes, I would only do the Autolite battery case mod for a true concours car being judged. Otherwise, do the battery cover. Another nice addition to further hide the battery with a cover is to add a heat shield. That will cover the two sides that are exposed.
Agreed. That’s the route I took. When the time comes to change the battery, you still have the cover. Link
Don’t forget to paint the battery if it is one of those white ones. No good having a nice top and cover if the white battery is still visible through the radiator support