Where can I get a vintage style battery for my 1970 280sl?

[eb@bluwil.com]

I am looking for a battery that looks like the original one with the screw caps for water even it they are just for the look. I have seen some in pictures of restored cars…???
Thanks

[mdsalemi]

Not certain that there is universal agreement on, or if one single battery was supplied for the entire production run of the Pagoda.

Bosch has a series of vintage batteries apparently, which may look the part, but I don’t know if these match what was delivered with the car—but they look right.

https://www.bosch-classic.com/de/en/products/range-of-spare-parts/batteries

There are a few antique car battery manufacturers left in the USA, mostly catering to batteries that were delivered with American cars in the 20th century. There are also manufacturers of covers for other batteries, such as these guys:

https://www.tartopper.com/

Those who are creating illusions for car shows sometimes take batteries that look the part, maybe add a topper to it, and or fabricate logos from the period and place on the battery.

[Pawel66]

Bosch sell batteries looking vintage, but they are also the old type, according to their dealer, meaning, they are not service free. I did not want to have this type of battery as the modern ones are much safer.

So I created my own (picture) old looking battery. The sticker is in Technical Manual, I think.

If you use search function on the forum, you will find a lot of information on the question you asked and several ways to make the modern batterty look vintage.

[Peter van Es]

Here are some 3-D parts for printing your own modifications to create a classic looking battery:
https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Restricted/3D-Printed-Parts

See this thread for instructions: https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=31991.msg232040#msg232040

Peter

[mdsalemi]

Bosch sell batteries looking vintage, but they are also the old type, according to their dealer, meaning, they are not service free. I did not want to have this type of battery as the modern ones are much safer.

When my car was restored 1999 to 2000, we simply got a conventional battery to install. This is one with the caps that needs to be filled periodically. What you may forget about these is that when you are not looking and the hood is closed they can and do leak. What they leak is acid and it makes a mess. So several years later, when I was replacing the radiator, I took some of the sheet metal parts out for powder coating and there was a lot of acid damage underneath the battery.

For me, a sealed battery is the only way to go today. There is too much value in the engine bay to suffer any acid damage. If someone wants to make it look like an old battery that’s great. I still would use sealed.

[Pawel66]

Yes, Michael expressed exactly what I tried to put in much too condensed form probably, thank you.

I found the Bosch catalogue, but, as I said, I walked away.

[John Betsch - "SADIE"]

Layman question: what color were then Varta batteries
 installed in 230sl's in 1965?  white or black?

[Pawel66]

This is the only image I have at hand.

Never seen them white, but it does not mean anything. The material used those days for battery fabrication was not the type of plastic we have today. It was black by nature. I doubt there were white batteries those days, but I cannot be sure.

If you Google "varta vintage battery" and go to images - there are plenty of them, black.

Then I found this site and looked through history - in 1966 the type of material box was made of changed. Not sure about the color.

https://www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/why-varta/varta-brand-history/1960-1979

[john.mancini]

Try batterycentralmall.com.  They have repro 24 series batteries for MB and other European cars from the 50's and 60's. I've had one in my 65 230Sl for 4 years and it's been great.

[Pawel66]

Yes, there are, sort of, "no names" available here as well:

https://allegro.pl/oferta/aku-classic-akumulator-ebonitowy-12v-73ah-typ-292-12016062938?utm_feed=aa34192d-eee2-4419-9a9a-de66b9dfae24&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=_mtrzcj_vehicle-parts_moto-acc_pla_pmax&ev_campaign_id=20976694995&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJyyBhCGARIsAK8LVLMZoezg7itmD8xypLXXNH0YSDoAhy42f-Weioq1E_rO4FR5EupGSlEaAi14EALw_wcB

But again, these are not maintenance free batteries. If I chose to use this type, I would go for Bosch.

[djack]

I recently purchased (Dec 2024) a 24F Interstate AGM battery at Costco for $179.  I removed the factory stickers and added a Bosch decal from Authentic Classics.  While it’s certainly not an exact replica of an original, the size and general appearance of this battery meet my desire for an original-ish appearance in a driver car.  Being a sealed AGM type of battery eliminates concern of damage due to venting of acid vapor as is common with standard lead acid batteries.

[john.mancini]

Looks good.