What Battery - to Suit Motor or Body?
	
	
		Hello All,
I am just wondering do you buy a battery to match the engine: a 302  Cleveland Ford Falcon XA motor. Or cater for the possible load from the  body of the truck itself and all its supported current demands? I would like to know which motor and vehicle to look up in the battery book to select the correct battery. The joy of transplants in motor vehicles! I also want to check that the battery that is currently fitted is actually the correct one. Yes, I have been caught out before.
The van was moved on after the second to me previous owner could  not get the engine started. The immediately previous owner to me did manage to get the engine to  start. However, no doubt it had a lot of cranking load on the  battery in the process to get the engine started. 
The battery was cranked on the van quite a bit to get it on and off the transport vehicles - so I went to recharge it. That was yesterday morning and three different battery chargers later. Two of which are charge then maintenance to trickle charge cycle. I just tried the dedicated recharger - without trickle. None of the three has moved beyond the "charging" stage. It does appear to indeed be a recently purchased new battery as stated by the previous owner.
However, the battery was not clamped down. I noticed this morning that it is a sealed battery and there is a clear liquid leaking out at the base of the positive battery terminal. Bouncing around on the back of an earth moving float from Sydney to Brisbane and then a car trailer to Bundaberg with the battery unsecured might not have done it much good.
I will take the battery to get tested. However I am assuming the worse. A new battery should recharge in over 24 hours. At least it should be in the flashing amber light cycle of being half charged. The lights on each of the three charges - which have all been tested remain fix on red.
So which battery: to suit engine only? Or to suit vehicle manufacturer's recommendation?  In the past I have matched battery to engine.
Kind regards
Lionel