There used to be battery "rebuilders" around (there still may be). They typically had a rack that held the battery in an inverted position where they could spray water up into the case to flush the crud that accumulated at the bottom of the plates and caused the battery to short out. When the thing was flushed, they refilled with new acid and charged it....a large majority worked. Where I lived, they charged $10 and a trade in....(in 1976)...not bad if you were trying to get a car going on the cheap.

mike in tucson