The Supercar Registry - R79 Battery 1969-70

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R79 Battery 1969-70

The R79 E-5000 Battery is a very difficult if not impossible battery to find today..This is the first smooth top,side terminal battery with Delco eye sides that Chevrolet put next to a Big Block engine.Also known as the R79S,it saw very limited vehicle useage with a short production window beginning with April/May 1969 built vehicles,up into late 1970 assemblies,before being swiftly superceded by the R89 series for 1971 model production.
This battery is unique in that it has two different terminal sizes.
A 3/8” Positive & 5/16” Negative side terminals.
I can help anyone acquire a 5/16" terminal bolt if need be.
This was to prevent safety & crossing the cables,but turned out to be more trouble then it was worth and was not cost effective.The later R89 series that replaced it was released with both 3/8” terminals for this very reason.

This battery was just opened for the first time by me,in it’s original box and is still holding it’s original two sided warranty card with matching date,and original Delco Eye caps sealed in the bag.The battery itself is dry and has never had any electrolyte added to it ever.The top cover shows it’s assembly date still melted into it of July 30th,1969 from the Anderson,Indiana plant.

This was the Standard assembly line battery,replacing the R59 top post battery for the following vehicles:
-*1969 Camaro w/327-350-396-427cid engines built in late April early May 1969 at both Norwood & Van Nuys assembly plants to the end of overlapping model production. -*1970 Camaro w/350-402cid engines from beginning to near end of model production.

-*1969 Corvette w/350-427cid engines built in May 1969 to end of overlapping model production.
-*1970 Corvette w/350cid,up to and including serial #411000.

While talking to a few original owners,a few odd vehicles did receive this battery when they shouldn't have such as a limited number of 1970 L-34,L-78 & L-89 Chevelle/Elcaminos/Novas and LS-6 Chevelles.I believe it to be a miscommunication between assembler & manufacturer.
If you want to know if your vehicle came with this,one way this can be documented is by looking at box #49 of your buildsheet for R79,(sometimes included with an S),but understand this was not the recommended battery if the optional T-60 was checked off on those vehicles.That would have been the R79W side terminal battery.

The reproduction battery of this today is in all actuality, a 1971 released R89S which has slightly larger case dimensions with a recommended replacement decal attached to it’s top cover,then "R89" molded into the cases side..The date coding fonts the reproduction houses use today are not authentic or unique as the original style font was used back then.
The R89 series saw a much broader & longer period of vehicle useage well into the late 1970’s,so it is the more popular preferred battery to reproduce today.
The R79 series battery has never been reproduced due to it’s limited vehicle applications and brief time period of barely 14 months.
GM will not issue the license for it,nor will any manufacturerer pay for it based on these very same reasons.

It weighs 35lbs. dry & was rated at 61Ahr with 2900watts @ 0° F, and measures 10-1/8" long,7-15/16"high and 6-11/16' deep.This would be the crowning achievement to any vehicle that was originally built with one,either displayed in the trunk,or installed dry on it's battery tray.

I am asking $2000.00 [email protected]
Pictures to follow..

Re: R79 Battery 1969-70

Rick
You have a PM.
Ken

Re: R79 Battery 1969-70

Rick,
Maybe I'm reading your post wrong, but it seems you are referencing that the R79 and R79S are both the same battery? There are 3 distinct models of R79 batteries. If yours is the straight R79 you are correct in saying it is a 2900 watt version.
The R79S was a 3250 watt battery and the R79W was a 3750 watt battery.
I've never witnessed any LS6 cars with anything other than the R79W with the exception of of 1 LS6 built in July of 70 that had the R89W battery on it's buildsheet which is a plastic case style battery like the R89W that has been reproduced. It's a cool piece regardless, good luck with your sale.
Chris

Re: R79 Battery 1969-70

$2,000.....Holy electrolyte Batman!!!!

Our July 70 L78 Nova came with the HD Battery option....window sticker lists it as T60 Heavy-Duty Battery...sales documnents say it was a 70amp unit...so what model number would I need to be correct..???

Good luck with the sale https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/drool.gif

Re: R79 Battery 1969-70

Hi Ken
Your LS-6 buildsheet shows R79W.That is NOT the same battery as the one here.Yours is different.Both are side terminal yes,but as Chris mentioned the W had a higher wattage & cold cranking amp and a much more noticeably different plastic case with an "elephant skin" grain like sides & top.

Hi Chris
Your right in that the R79S was a different rated series battery.I stand corrected in saying the R79 was the same,it isn't.I think the S also had a CCa of 410?
I should have said they are the same in appearance only.
The few anamoly vehicles I referenced earlier,have owners still having in there garage,and or paperwork showing R79 in box #49,very much like the R89W LS-6's at the end of the run.
Keith A. in Minn. has an L-78 Elco for one,as well as well as Steve M. w/an LS-6 in NC. to name another.Jamie says his is too but I haven't seen it yet,and there was also one very early built Special LS-6 assembled with an R59S top post.

Hi Tom
Yours is the optional T-60 R79W.
Not the same as the one for sale here.This was the Standard battery that actually saw less useage compared to those that were available with the optional RPO T-60.
This is a very significant battery in that it was the first delco side post battery Chevrolet tapped to be saddled up next to a Big Block with it's debut being assembled with the 1969/70 Camaro & Corvette.
Here are the pics..

Re: R79 Battery 1969-70