"All I need (and have needed for 46 years) is reliable cranking speed when the engine is warm. I will first attack by getting an Optima battery and new super gauge cables, who knows maybe thats all it needs and I can start parking at the bottom of a hill?"
The Optima 6v battery is excellent.
It holds a charge a long time, but keep it charged up.
Get a 6v automatic battery tender (~$30), if you want "insurance/assurance" of a full charge.
If the Optima unit goes/drains to dead, follow the charging procedure shown on the Optima website. The re-charge-from-dead process is completely different from wet-cell lead-acid batteries. People who report poor service (short life) from Optima batteries most likely ran them to dead but did not know how to recharge them. Many battery dealers/sellers and repair shops do not know about the simple and safe charging procedure (and, they bad-mouth Optima 6v batteries).
https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/support/charging/resuscitate-deeply-discharged-battery
