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I bought a new Duralast Gold battery (H8-DLG), which fits in the well but the cables are not long enough to reach the posts. The terminals would also have to be changed to the right-angle type seen in the image for them to fit.
Are there any reasons not to use slightly longer cables (of the same gauge) or the right-angle terminals?
It would obviously be easier to return the battery, but I'm not sure I can and my original cables and terminals are not in great condition. Is replacing the two positive cables difficult?
Not sure why you would need right angle terminals. H8 is a top post battery which is correct for the Disco.
My SuperStart (Oreilly) battery came with a spacer for the bottom of the battery. Without this the battery sits too low for the cables to connect very well. If you don't have this spacer, a piece of wood or something about 1in thick would be fine.
All that said, if your cables are in rough shape, they should be replaced. It's not a hard job, if you can change the oil you should be fine.
I recommend returning the battery for one that fits and takes up as much space as possible. I have the NAPA 8424 https://www.napaonline.com/p/NBD8424
If you want to take it a step further, here's what I did
1. Replace the negative earth cable w/ 0 gauge welding cable + eyelets
2. Cut off the positive lugs and replaced with eyelets
3. Installed mil spec terminals
I bought an Optima red top which turned out to be much smaller in dimensions than the old battery I was replacing, luckily Optimas come with a top cover that can be flipped onto the bottom like a booster seat to push the posts up higher. I still had a bit of room along the sides so I took some big chunks of rubber cut from some old F150 radiator hoses and wedged them on both sides of the battery. Nice and snug now.
I recommend returning the battery for one that fits and takes up as much space as possible. I have the NAPA 8424 https://www.napaonline.com/p/NBD8424
If you want to take it a step further, here's what I did
1. Replace the negative earth cable w/ 0 gauge welding cable + eyelets
2. Cut off the positive lugs and replaced with eyelets
3. Installed mil spec terminals
Jeff, your engine bay is cleaner than the plate I just used for dinner. Bravo!!!
I'm going this route when I do my Big 4 cable conversions on my 2001 Disco. I am so used to the Mil Spec battery connectors since being prior military maintenance mechanic that this is the best way to go.
Battery Cablr
