Thanks to all those who replied. The problem was definitely the battery as
it had been tested and charged before we moved. (One of the symptoms of a
bad battery that I recall from working in the Sears auto department in my
younger days was a swelled battery case which this battery had). The
charging system was working as it should (Lucas low output alternator) and,
according to the amp gauge, charged at 35A after starting the car and
running at 2000 rpm. There were no other electrical problems as far as I
could see.
Then, after reviewing your responses, I stopped by the local NAPA store and
got a quote for a replacement battery, $80.00 - $5.00 core charge and asked
if he knew where they sold Autolite batteries locally, he had no idea. So I
came back home and did some more research. Here are the results of my
inquiries:
After some internet searching, I found that Checker Auto Parts, Schuck's
Auto Supply, Kragen Auto Parts, and Murray's Discount Auto Parts are all
associated with each other in some way but not sure how (see link below).
http://www.partsamerica.com/StoreLocatorData.aspx?chain=CSK
The closest store to me turns out to be in Ohio and not Michigan as I first
suspected but still more than a stones throw away.
So, with this information, I called the Kragen store in CA where I bought
the battery. They told me that the warranty was supplied by the manufacturer
and to call the Kragen corporate office for further assistance. The
corporate office had me call the battery manufacturer which, for Autolite
batteries and, as I found out, other brands as well is Excide Technologies.
Calling Excide corporate yielded the number to one of their local
distribution warehouses in Norwood, MA only 30 miles from my home. Once on
the phone with them, I explained the situation and they told me to bring the
battery in for exchange and they would pro-rate it by the battery date-code
since I could not find the receipt (probably in one of the moving boxes that
hasn't be unpacked yet). As I turns out, the Autolite battery had a 3 year
free replacement warranty and pro-rated up to 7 years, hence the 84 month
warranty. The battery was dated July 2004 which put me just under 3 years
and in the free replacement warranty range. So after all this hard work, I
got a free battery....no core charge, no tax, no shipping fee, no handling
fee, FREE!
Although their battery selector guide lists the Sunbeam using a group 24
battery
http://www.exide.com/batteryselector/batteryselector.asp
they replaced it with the same group type that I had. The replacement
battery was actually better than my original. I say better because it has a
higher CCA rating that the old Autolite I had. Here are the specs:
Exide NASCAR Select Automotive Battery - 84 Month Warranty - 12 Volt
Group 34
Part Number 34-84N
CCA @ 00 F 770
CCA @ 320 F 950
So I would like to say that persistence does pay off sometimes.
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