Hurst Olds: Aluminum Air Box

(ANNOUNCER)>> TODAY ON DETROIT MUSCLE WE'RE BACK ON OUR HURST TRIBUTE OLDS WITH SOME MORE CUSTOM METAL WORK. THIS TIME IT'LL HAVE BOTH FORM AND FUNCTION. FIRST IT'S AN ALUMINUM RADIATOR COVER THAT'LL SPIFFY UP OUR ENGINE BAY WITH SOME SHINE. AND WE'LL MAKE SOME FORCED AIR INDUCTION TUBES THAT'LL HELP OUR LSX ENGINE BREATHE. ALSO WE'LL EYEBALL A CAMARO WITH A RARE COMBINATION OF PERFORMANCE AND TRIM PACKAGES.

(JOE)>> IT'S BACK, OUR '69 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS HURST TRIBUTE RESTO MOD IS IN THE SHOP. WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON IT WITH A TON OF CUSTOM METAL MODS AND A GNARLY 454 LSX POWER PLANT. WE JUST GOT DONE FIXING THE PANEL GAPS, AND THEN GOT TO WORK PLUGGING THAT LS ENGINE BACK INTO ITS HOME FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE BUILD.

WITH THAT IN PLACE, WE SET OUR CARBON XR INTAKE ON TOP OF IT, AND BOLTED IT DOWN. THEN WE REINSTALLED THE RADIATOR AND OUR CUSTOM BRACKETRY TO HOLD IT IN PLACE, ALL IN PREPARATION FOR TODAY'S PROJECT. WELL TODAY JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING RIGHT HERE UNDER THE HOOD. AND YOU MIGHT SAY IT'S ALL IN THE NAME OF HELPING THIS 454 DELIVER LOTS OF EFFICIENT HORSEPOWER. AND WITH A LOT OF THE PREVIOUS PROJECTS INVOLVED IN THIS CAR, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME IMAGINATION AND CUSTOMIZATION.

(TOMMY)>> ON BOARD FOR TODAY, WE'LL START BY BUILDING AN ALUMINUM COVER FOR THE RADIATOR, WHICH WE'LL THEN MODIFY TO ACCEPT CUSTOM BREATHER TUBES FOR THE INTAKE TO DELIVER COOL AIR TO OUR ENGINE. BUT FIRST WE'VE GOT TO GET THE CAR OVER HERE TO THE FABRICATION CORNER.

FIRST THING WE'RE GONNA DO TODAY IS FAB UP A RADIATOR COVER THAT'S GONNA SERVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT PURPOSES. ONE, IT'S GONNA CAP OFF THIS HUGE OPENING AND LOOK ALL NICE AND PRETTY ONCE YOU POP THE HOOD.

THE SECOND THING IT'S GONNA DO, IT'S GONNA ALLOW

US TO BUILD A FILTRATION SYSTEM FOR AN INTAKE. WE'RE JUST GONNA RUN ACROSS HERE, KINDA DOWN IN THERE, AND WE'LL PUT THE FILTER IN

FRONT OF THE RADIATOR. THAT WAY IT CAN SCOOP UP ALL THAT NICE,

COOLER, DENSER, AIR. THE FIRST THING I'VE GOT TO DO IS DO A TID BIT OF MEASURING.

(JOE)>> FIRST MEASUREMENT, FINDING THE CENTER. THEN AFTER THAT THE WIDTH OF THE COVER WILL BE DETERMINED BY MEASURING TO THE BACK OF THE RADIATOR. IN THIS CASE IT'S 12.25 INCHES. THEN THE WIDTH OF THE RADIATOR ITSELF. THE BACK OF THE COVER WILL BE MORE NARROW THAN THE FRONT, GIVING IT A TRAPEZOIDAL SHAPE.

AS FOR THE FRONT, THE EDGE WILL BE OUT HERE BY THESE BENDS, AND THE COVER ITSELF WILL CONTINUE THESE BENDS, SO WE NEED TO MEASURE THEIR WIDTH.

WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK THAT THEY'RE THE SAME NUMBERS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW.

IN SOME CARS THINGS LIKE THIS MAY

NOT BE SYMMETRICAL. WE'LL ADD THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH TO THE OVERALL WIDTH TO MAKE SURE OUR COVER IS WIDE ENOUGH. THEN WE'RE READY TO START WORKING WITH THE METAL.

(TOMMY)>> ALL OF THOSE MEASUREMENTS ARE

TRANSFERRED TO THIS 14 GAUGE 5052 ALUMINUM. THIS IS A GENERAL PURPOSE ALUMINUM BLEND, WHICH WE'LL USE BECAUSE IT'S SOFT ENOUGH TO BE WORKABLE BUT RESILIENT ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN ITS SHAPE ONCE THE PANELS ARE IN PLACE. IT HELPS TO HAVE TWO PEOPLE HANDLE THE SHEET TO GET INTO THE SHEER SO THAT YOU DON'T SCRATCH OR KINK IT.

NOW THAT WE'VE GOT OUR PIECE ALL CHOPPED UP, I JUST NEED TO MAKE A FEW BREAKS IN IT AND WE'LL BE READY TO MOVE ON.

(JOE)>> THE FIRST BEND WILL BE A 90 DEGREE ONE THAT WILL COMPRISE THE FRONT EDGE OF THE PANEL.

(TOMMY)>> OKAY, OUR NEXT STEP, WE'RE GONNA USE THIS LITTLE SNIPS TO MAKE A RELIEF CUT SO THAT I CAN BEND THIS PANEL TO MATCH THE TOP OF

THE RADIATOR SUPPORT.

(JOE)>> IF YOU TRY DOING THIS KIND OF BEND WITHOUT THESE RELIEF CUTS, WELL CHANCES ARE YOU'LL WIND UP KINKING THE METAL AND RUINING YOUR PANEL. A FEW QUICK TAPS WITH A BODY HAMMER WILL HELP GET IT BACK IN SHAPE BEFORE WE MAKE OUR BEND.

(TOMMY)>> WELL I HAVE MY PART CLAMPED INTO PLACE, AND WITH THIS LITTLE BEND IT REQUIRED ME REMOVE ONE OF THE TEETH. BUT THE ADJUSTABILITY OF THIS TOOL IS PRETTY HANDY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE GONNA BE FABRICATING SOMETHING

WITH A LOT OF BREAKS OR BENDS IN IT, OR SOME BEADS IN IT. I'LL DO THIS BEND BY HAND BECAUSE I WANT IT TO TAPER OFF TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE PANEL. USING THE BREAK TO BEND IT, WELL IT'D GIVE IT A HARD LINE ALL THE WAY ACROSS IT.

(JOE)>> LETS SEE WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE. ALRIGHT, NICE FIT, AND A GOOD START TO OUR TIN WORK HERE. WHAT'S NEXT?

(TOMMY)>> WE'LL I'VE GOT TO CUT A HOLE FOR THE RADIATOR CAP AND THEN SHEAR A BAND SO THAT WE

CAN PUT A SIDE ON THIS TOP.

(JOE)>> MAY YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER HERE TALKING TO ME?

(TOMMY)>> WELL I'D GUESS YOU'D SAY I'M JUST ADMIRING MY HERO.

(JOE)>> IT'S AWFULLY DEEP IN HERE FOLKS.

(ANNOUNCER)>> STILL AHEAD WE'LL BUST OUT THE BEAD ROLLER FOR RADIUS WORK, DO A LITTLE TIG WELDING, AND SHOW YOU HOW WE'LL GET OUR INTAKE TUBES PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL. ALSO FIND OUT WHAT MAKES THIS RED ROCKET SO RARE.

IS IT BECAUSE IT'S A Z/28? NO, WELL KINDA, BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.

THEN LATER WE'LL SEE WHAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.

(JOE)>> WELL NOT TO SLOW THINGS DOWN, WE WENT AHEAD AND PUT A HOLE IN THIS TOP PIECE FOR A RADIATOR CAP. PLUS MADE A COUPLE OF SIDE PIECES WITH A NICE BEVEL HERE ON THE EDGE. YOU'LL SEE SOME MORE OF THAT COMING RIGHT.

(TOMMY)>> YEAH, I STILL HAVE TO DO THAT TO THE TOP PIECE HERE, AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. NOW DOING IT TO BOTH OF THEM, WELL IT GIVES

IT A NICE, SOFT BEND. NOW YOU COULD DO IT TO JUST ONE SIDE FOR A LITTLE DIFFERENT LOOK, OR YOU COULD DO IT TO NEITHER ONE AND HAVE A HARD LINE ON IT. NOW ALL THIS STUFF IS PREFERENCE, NEITHER RIGHT OR WRONG, AND I'VE STILL GOT SOME WORK TO DO TO THIS ONE. TO GET THE RADIUS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR TODAY.

(JOE)>> YOU'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK. YOU'VE BEEN WORKING HARD. I WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN NOW.

(TOMMY)>> I'M GLAD IT LOOKS THAT WAY.

(JOE)>> IF YOU'RE NEW TO BEAD ROLLING, THERE ARE TWO THINGS YOU NEED TO REMEMBER FIRST.

GET COMFORTABLE, WHICH MEANS SITTING DOWN, AND LIKE ANY WORK IN THE SHOP, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. AND THIS IS THE PERFECT LINE OF SIGHT. AND IF YOU'RE WEARING GLASSES, PUT THEM ON. YOU DON'T WANT TO GET IN A HURRY DOING THIS. YOU'LL HAVE BETTER RESULTS IF YOU GO SLOW AND MAKE SEVERAL PASSES, INCREASING THE PRESSURE A LITTLE EACH PASS. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING ALSO YOU'VE GOT TO

WATCH YOUR FINGERS. THE BEAD ROLLER WILL ONLY TAKE US TO WELL WITHIN ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF OF THE EDGE, BUT HERE'S HOW WE'RE GONNA FINISH THAT UP. I'M GONNA CUT RIGHT HERE ON THIS SHARP EDGE JUST THE WIDTH OF THE BEND. AFTER THAT A BODY HAMMER AND DOLLY WILL PUT THE EDGE BACK IN SHAPE, AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON.

(TOMMY)>> NOW THAT JOE'S GOT THIS TOP PIECE ALL LINED OUT, IT'S TIME TO CONNECT ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER. IT'S MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM, SO YOU ALL KNOW WHAT'S NEXT. IT'S TIME FOR THE TIG WELDER. IN THIS CASE I'M GONNA BE USING OUR NEW MILLER SYNCROWAVE WELDER. THIS THING HAS SOME PRETTY COOL FEATURES TO IT THAT I'M SURE YOU GUYS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN. ONE OF THEM IS IT'LL RUN OFF 230 VOLT OR 115 POWER. SO YOU CAN DARN NEAR USE THIS THING ANYWHERE. AND IT HAS A UNIQUE PRO SET FEATURE THAT TAKES ALL THE GUESS WORK OUT OF SETTING UP YOUR MACHINE. IT HAS A CHART SIMILAR TO THE MIG WELDER. JUST GO OFF THE MATERIAL YOU'RE WORKING ON. IT GIVES YOU YOUR HEAT RANGE, DIAL IT IN, YOU'RE READY TO START. NO KIDDING GUYS, THIS HAS TO BE THE EASIEST TO USE TIG WELDER I'VE EVER LAID MY HANDS ON. [ welder buzzing ]

(TOMMY)>> NOW WITH ANY KIND OF WELDING YOU OBVIOUSLY WANT TO TAKE THE PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. AND YES, TIG WELDING PUTS OUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF U/V LIGHT, JUST LIKE MIG WELDING. AS USUAL I'M NOT GONNA BE WELDING THIS THING COMPLETELY UP. I'D RATHER GO ACROSS HERE AND PUT A FEW TACKS JUST

IN CASE WE NEED TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS.

(JOE)>> FOR THE CORNERS WE'LL BUST OUT A BODY DOLLY AGAIN AND USE IT TO MOVE THE METAL INTO PLACE TO GIVE US A NICE SMOOTH CURVE. PLACE A FEW TACKS AS YOU GO AND KEEP MOVING IT UNTIL YOU'RE HAPPY.

(TOMMY)>> WITH OUR RADIATOR COVER ALL FASHIONED UP NICE

AND PRETTY WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STEP.

AND THAT IS RUNNING THE TUBES AND FILTER THAT'S GONNA SUPPLY ALL THE AIR TO OUR THROTTLE BODY. AND OUR PLAN IS TO RUN A TUBE FORWARD DUMPING THROUGH THIS UPPER PLATE AND MOUNT US A FILTER IN THERE SO WE CAN CATCH ALL THE AIR BEING FORCED

THROUGH THE GRILL.

(JOE)>> SINCE WE'RE DEALING WITH A UNIQUE

DESIGN AND DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF PLUMBING CONFIGURATION WE'RE GONNA NEED, WE ORDERED A VARIETY OF ELBOW SHAPED AND STRAIGHT PIPES FROM SUMMIT RACING, ALONG WITH A PAIR OF SPECTRE HIGH FLOW FILTERS AND THESE RUBBER LINED SHINY BAND CLAMPS TO GO ON THE THROTTLE BODIES.

(TOMMY)>> NOW BEFORE WE GO TO PUNCHING A BUNCH OF HOLES IN THIS THING, WE'VE GOT TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF MEASURING. YOU GUYS DON'T RUN OFF, WE'LL SEE YOU IN JUST A FEW.

(ANNOUNCER)>> AFTER THE BREAK WE'LL GO FOR A RIDE IN A REAR OPTIONED FBODY Z/28 THAT CAN TEAR THE TIRES OFF. THEN WE'LL FORCE SOME COLD AIR INTO OUR LSX WITH A CUSTOM SET OF INTAKE TUBES. AND THEN IT'S SOME NEXT GENERATION BATTERY TECH.

(ANNOUNCER)>> DETROIT MUSCLE SALUTES THE

1970 CAMARO Z/28 RS.

(JOE)>> IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MUSCLE CARS TO POUND THE PAVEMENT, THE CHEVROLET CAMARO Z/28. INTRODUCED FOR '67, IT WAS DESIGNED TO

BE A MUSTANG KILLER. SMALL BLOCK PERFORMANCE WITH ROAD HANDLING AGILITY.

(TOMMY)>> THEN CAME 1970. LONGER, WIDER, AND LOWER THAN PREVIOUS MODELS. ONE REVIEWER EQUATED IT TO RAQUEL WELCH IN ONE OF HER EARLY FILMS. QUIET, QUICK, BEAUTIFUL, AND ALL THE PARTS LOOK AND ACT AS IF THEY ALL BELONG TOGETHER.

IT SHARED THE SAME WHEEL BASE AS THE '69, BUT IT TOOK ITS STYLING CUES FROM EUROPEAN SPORTS CARS LIKE THE FERRARI AND THE ASTON MARTIN.

(JOE)>> FRANK MARULLO PURCHASED HIS OFF EBAY MOTORS. HE AND HIS SON BOTH LIKE THE FIRST YEAR OF THIS SECOND GEN "Z".

(MARK)>> YOU DON'T SEE A LOT OF THEM. USUALLY WERE THE ONLY ONES AT A CAR SHOW.

NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHAT IT IS. SO IT'S KINDA COOL TO HAVE IT.

(FRANK)>> EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A '69 IS AND ALMOST

EVERYONE CAN TELL A '67 FROM A '68. BUT ONCE THEY HIT 1970, IT JUST SEEMED TO FOOL A LOT OF PEOPLE. THAT'S ONE OF THINGS I GET. THE OTHER THING IS BECAUSE THE CAR WAS AROUND FOR MORE OR LESS 11 YEARS, THAT BASIC BODY STYLE. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, OH, I HAD ONE OF THOSE, OR MY GIRLFRIEND HAD ONE OF THOSE, OR MY DAD

HAD ONE OF THOSE. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE REMEMBER THOSE CARS.

(TOMMY)>> THIS TOTAL REDESIGN FEATURED A ROOF THAT WAS MOVED BACK TO EXAGGERATE THE LONG HOOD. THE REAR DECK WAS SHORTENED AND

GIVEN ROUND TAILLIGHTS. THERE ARE A FEW DEAD GIVEAWAYS THAT WERE ONLY OFFERED THIS YEAR. A CHROME "C" AHEAD OF THE HOOD, UNIQUE BADGING ON THE TRUNK, CAMARO BY CHEVROLET WAS SCRATCHED AFTER '70, AS WERE THE LOW BACK BUCKET SEATS WITH ADJUSTABLE HEAD RESTS, AND A GAS PEDAL HINGES AT THE BOTTOM. AND THIS WAS THE ONLY YEAR FOR THE 12 BOLT POSI REAR END.

(JOE)>> THE RALLY SPORT OPTION FEATURED A WIDE GRILL SURROUNDED BY FLEXIBLE ENDURA RUBBER, ALONG WITH ROUND PARKING LIGHTS. BUMPERETTES EXTENDED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GRILL, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS A SPLIT BUMPER.

GONE WAS THE 302 CUBIC INCH VEIGHT. IN ITS PLACE THE BIG, BAD 350 L/T ONE STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CORVETTE. BIG PORT HEADS, SOLID LIFTERS, RUGGED FOUR BOLT MAIN CAPS, AND A FORGED STEEL CRANK SQUEEZED THE AIR/FUEL MIXTURE AT 11 TO ONE COMPRESSION RATIO.

THIS TRANSLATED TO 360 PLUS HORSEPOWER AND 380 FOOT POUNDS OF TORQUE. PROVIDING RESPONSIVE FULL THROTTLE BURST AND COMFORTABLE SMOOTH CRUISING.

(FRANK)>> OH THE CAR'S GREAT TO DRIVE. IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A WEAKNESS. IT'S GOT A LOT OF POWER, IT'S GOT GREAT BRAKES, AND IT HANDLES REALLY WELL. SO THERE JUST REALLY ISN'T ANY DOWN SIDE TO IT. IT JUST DOES EVERYTHING SO WELL, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE CAR.

(TOMMY)>> SECOND GEN CAMAROS ARE GAINING GROUND

IN THE COLLECTOR MARKET. NUMBER ONE, THERE'S MORE OF THEM AROUND. AND NUMBER TWO, IF YOU LOOK AT A FIRST GEN, WELL THE PRICE CAN BE OUT OF REACH FOR MOST. FRANK'S SON MARK IS HOPING HIS DAD'S CRANBERRY RED RACE READY "Z" ISN'T OUT OF HIS REACH SOME DAY.

(MARK)>> I HOPE HE'LL LET ME DRIVE IT WHEN I GET MY DRIVER'S LICENSE, IF HE STILL HAS IT.

(FRANK)>> WE'LL LET HIM.

(ANNOUNCER)>> STILL AHEAD, WE'LL FINISH OUR RADIATOR COVER AND AIR BOX COMBO TO GET THE OLDS ONE STEP CLOSER TO HITTING THE STREET, STICK AROUND.

(TOMMY)>> WHILE YOU GUYS WERE GONE I KEPT PLUCKING AWAY AT THE OLDSMOBILE TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS GONNA TAKE TO GET THIS TUBE THROUGH THE PANEL. AND REALLY AND TRUTHFULLY, IT'S NOT ALL THAT DIFFICULT.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE. NOW WHENEVER YOU SIT THIS PIECE INTO PLACE YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY SEE IT'S SITTING UP TOO HIGH BECAUSE THERE NEEDS TO BE A HOLE CUT ON HERE. WELL ON THIS SIDE I JUST MADE A NOTCH AND STARTED WHITTLING AWAY TO GET THE PERFECT LITTLE HOLE. SO I'M GONNA TAKE A TEMPLATE OF THIS SIDE AND TRANSFER IT TO THIS ONE TO SAVE A LITTLE TIME. USING A SPEED SQUARE ALLOWS ME TO DRAW A PERPENDICULAR LINE FROM THE THROTTLE BODY THAT GIVES ME A REFERENCE POINT FOR MY NEXT LINE, WHICH BISECTS THE HOLE EVENLY. THIS CARDBOARD WILL BE A TEMPLATE THAT I WILL USE TO MAKE AN IDENTICAL HOLE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

AND I'LL MEASURE FROM THE THROTTLE BODY TO SEE HOW FAR FORWARD THE EDGE OF THE HOLE IS. THEN THE TEMPLATE GETS A CENTER LINE AS WELL. AND AFTER THAT, I'LL CUT IT OUT WITH SOME HANDY DANDY TIN SNIPS. THEN WE'LL REPEAT THE MEASUREMENT MADE AND TRANSFER THEM TO THE PASSENGER SIDE. USING OUR TEMPLATE WE'LL DRAW OUT WHERE OUR NEW HOLE NEEDS TO GO, AND THEN A HOLE SAW WILL MAKE SOME CHIPS FLY. THEY DON'T MAKE OVAL SHAPED HOLE SAWS. SO I WHITTLE THE REST OUT WITH A CARBIDE BIT. WITH THE TUBE IN PLACE, IT'S EASY TO SEE THAT IT'S TOO SHORT. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO EXTEND IT A BIT. FOUR INCHES OR SO SHOULD DO IT. YOU JUST WANT TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU DO EXTEND IT

THAT YOU DON'T RUN INTO ANY KIND OF INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE FILTER. THE BIGGEST TRICK TO WELDING A TUBE LIKE THIS IS KEEPING IT FROM WALLOWING AROUND WHILE

YOU'RE TRYING TO WELD IT.

WELL THERE WE GO GUYS. WE'VE HAD A PRETTY GOOD DAY TODAY AND WE DID A LITTLE METAL BENDING, SOME WELDING, AND SOME TUBE WORK, AND WE HAVE OURSELVES NOW A CUSTOM FANCY PANTS AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM.

(JOE)>> WE'VE USED OPTIMA BATTERIES IN OUR SHOPS FOR YEARS. NUMBER ONE, YOU CAN MOUNT THEM UPSIDE DOWN, SIDEWAYS, HOWEVER YOU WANT, AND THEY CAN WITHSTAND EXTREME VIBRATION IN ANY APPLICATION, WHETHER IT BE ON A HARDCORE HILL CLIMB OR LAUNCHING ON THE DRAG STRIP. WELL HERE TO BRING US UP TO SPEED ON BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IS OPTIMA SPOKESMAN CAM DOUGLASS. AND CAM I'VE GOT TO ASK YOU, WHAT'S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT GUYS MAKE WHEN IT COMES TO BATTERY MAINTENANCE?

(CAM)>> WELL REALLY MOST MODERN BATTERIES TODAY ARE PRETTY MUCH MAINTENANCE FREE. BUT IT'S STILL VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP THE BATTERY FULLY CHARGED.

(JOE)>> OKAY CAM, I WENT TO THE AUTOZONE STORE,

PICKED UP TWO BATTERIES. TRADITIONAL LEAD ACID BATTERY HERE AND ONE OF THE OPTIMA RED TOP AGM'S. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

(CAM)>> WELL THE MAIN DIFFERENCES ARE THE AUTOZONE BATTERY HERE IS A TRADITIONAL FLAT PLATE WET LEAD ACID BATTERY. WONDERFUL STARTING BATTERY FOR DAILY DRIVEN VEHICLES. SOMETHING LIKE YOUR LEASED FORD TAURUS. AN OPTIMA BATTERY THOUGH IS AN AGM BATTERY, ABSORB GLASS MAT, WHICH ACTUALLY HAS TOW LONG LEAD PLATES, ONE NEGATIVE, ONE POSITIVE SANDWICHED BETWEEN THAT ABSORBED GLASS MAT. THOSE LONG LEAD PLATES ACTUALLY HAVE MORE SURFACE AREA THAN ALL THOSE FLAT PLATES THAT ARE IN THE TRADITIONAL BATTERY. SO IT PUTS OUT A LITTLE MORE CRANKING POWER PER POUND. THOSE LEAD PLATES WITH THAT FIBERGLASS MAT MATERIAL HAVE BEEN ROLLED UP INTO A SPIRAL CELL, AND THEN TIGHTLY COMPRESSED INTO THE CASE.

(JOE)>> IF BY CHANCE THE OPTIMA IN MY PRIZED RIDE SHOULD FULLY DISCHARGE, WHAT AM I GONNA DO ABOUT IT?

(CAM)>> WELL IF YOU'VE GOT AN OPTIMA BATTERY THAT'S DEEPLY DISCHARGED, WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET A MORE MODERN BATTERY CHARGER LIKE THIS OPTIMA DIGITAL 1,200. IT'S MICRO PROCESSOR CONTROLLED AND WILL RECOGNIZE A DEEPLY DISCHARGED BATTERY, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ONE POINT TWOFIVE VOLTS. TRADITIONAL BATTERY CHARGERS WON'T LIKE THAT. THEY'LL ONLY RECOGNIZE A BATTERY THAT'S NINE VOLTS OR HIGHER. SO THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

(JOE)>> WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO MAINTAIN YOUR CAR WHEN YOU'RE GONNA SET UP FOR A WHILE BUT YOU WANT TO HAVE IT READY TO GO?

(CAM)>> WELL THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS WITH A SIMPLY BATTERY MAINTAINER, LIKE THIS OPTIMA DIGITAL 400. THE DIGITAL 400 HAS ALL THE COOL FEATURES OF THE 1,200 IN A SMALLER PACKAGE, A LITTLE LESS AMPERAGE. BUT THE KEY THING FOR YOU WHEN YOU STORE YOUR CAR, SEASONAL USE, OVER THE WINTER, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED AND MONITORED BY A MAINTAINER.

(JOE)>> MAKES SENSE, THANKS FOR JOINING US, AND THANK YOU, WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.