Hi David,
I have just started working on this project myself. I think it comes down to how much risk / inconvenience are you willing to live with for the sake of authenticity – kind of like the Goodyear Billboard discussion…
I will also be mounting my batteries behind the rear seat so I certainly didn’t want to have a standard or even sealed lead acid battery. I looked at the Odyssey and Optima AGM style batteries which are a safer alternative but they don’t have the right shape.
As you probably know, the original Rebat batteries used in the Cobra were G-35 style aircraft batteries. You can get a battery today from Gill that looks almost exactly like the original Rebat battery:
GILL G-35 BATTERY from Aircraft Spruce
With a little paint, some Tiltite leak-proof battery caps and a reproduction label (there are a few people on Club Cobra who sell these) you have a great clone. The only downside is that you have to add electrolyte to these batteries which can leak and splash acid inside of your car and from what I have read, these types of batteries don’t seem to last that long.
The Gill G-35S looked like a decent choice that with a little work could be made to look like an old Rebat. This battery is sealed but it is still a lead acid battery and if it ever broke open, it would leak acid. Also, I could not find anyone who was carrying this battery so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t buy one.
I ended up going with a Concord G-35A battery:
CONCORDE RG-35A SEALED LEAD ACID AIRCRAFT BATTERY from Aircraft Spruce
This is a sealed and AGM type battery with the correct G-35 footprint. I swapped the terminal bolts to terminal studs and went to a local airport to get the original style wingnuts from the depleted Gil batteries they have out back. I had to re-tap the standard threads on the wingnuts to mount to the metric studs. The center section of this battery has a small removable plastic strip. I am going to make this a little bit thicker so that I can attach my Tiltite battery caps. Once I paint this battery, add the rope carrying strap, decals, caps, wingnuts, etc., it will look close enough for me and I will feel a little better knowing that I have AGM batteries in the car. I plan on posting pictures of this project as it progresses this fall.
I hope this helps on the battery part as I spent a lot of time researching this and drove myself crazy trying to choose a direction.