Battery Tray (Install) Solutions

[Mike]

Hi all,

Can some of you guys post pictures of your battery install and hold-down ideas? I'm looking into various solutions since my battery tray has been completely removed.

We are considering welding in a stock tray, but, I'm not sure if that's the best idea or not. I'd like to go with an Optima battery and I doubt I'll put it in the car.

I'd like to find photos of any interesting solution out there. Of course, welding the stock tray back in place isn't a bad idea.....

Most cars I've seen are using the stock tray.

[jmortensen]

I don't have a picture for you, but there are some autoxers in Oregon who do a really cool relocation of the battery. They cut out the fender well and put the shelf area for the battery right at the frame rail level, then patch the fenderwell back up. The stock battery location is pretty good and offsets the driver's weight a bit too, but it's too high. Moving it down to the frame level is really a great idea. Sorry no pics though...

[a7dz]

Here's what I did with my stock one. I was not going to weld the trap back under the battery tray. Now I can unbolt it and clean under it. I did weld nuts to the fender well when I was reworking the sheet metal there. I got the idea from some one who has bolts and nuts holding theirs.

[EScanlon]

In the FWIW dept. I think a7dz's solution to be the best solution for you with only a minor modification. Jon's would involve cutting, metal fabrication and welding and re-painting to effect, which at the stage of your restoration may be several steps backward.

Jim's is ideal in that it uses a basically stock tray, that instead of being welded in place is bolted in place. Where he welded the nuts to secure it to the back side of the fender, you could use nut-serts. Nut-serts are like a rivet with a nut on the end. That way you would get the advantage of the removeable tray without the disadvantage of having to re-build your fender well.

2¢

E

[Mike]

I'm not sure if I like the idea of leaving holes (for the screws) through the wheel well. Welding some kind of nut-sert or permanent screw sounds like a good idea. Then I could remove the tray at any time. Hmm...

Where do you find these nut-serts?

I'm definitely not going with the autocross answer. That's too much work.

[Mike]

Here's what I did with my stock one. I was not going to weld the trap back under the battery tray. Now I can unbolt it and clean under it. I did weld nuts to the fender well when I was reworking the sheet metal there. I got the idea from some one who has bolts and nuts holding theirs.

Hey, do you have finished pictures of this install? Or, does the picture relfect it's current state?

-- M

[a7dz]

The engine bay is just short of paint. All other work has been done and I just finished painting the POR 15 over the bay. So, that is the latest picture.

[EScanlon]

Mike here's also another option:

They're called Jack or Well nuts, basicaly a rubber rivet with a nut inside. The additional factor of sealing the wheel well from the engine compartment as well as providing a rubber surface to cushion the tray:

Also look at the top of the second document. Those are the "nut-zerts" (may have been the trade name way back when). Basically the upper portion of the rivet collapses and grips the sheet metal, leaving the lower portion of the rivet tube for the nut. We used to use these all the time to mount mirrors.

E

63jacknut.pdf

64rivet.pdf