Battery Tray Rust Options

[Joel Simmons]

Hello,

I know that a lot of 914's have a rusted-out battery tray and that the rust can work its way down through the engine compartment and onto the rear suspension. My question: is rust in the engine compartment beneath the battery tray a structural concern? There just seems to be one area of it on a car I'm looking at and it hasn't made its way down to the suspension. Is this acceptable? Should I plan to cut it out and weld-in a replacement sheet metal section?

Also, can the batteries be relocated on these cars?

Thanks,
Joel (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[lapuwali]

Yes, the area beneath the battery is very much structural. In the photo in Trekkor's post, the lowest area, against the inner fender and the firewall, is where dirt, leaves, water, and battery acid all combine to make a big rust trap. This area ties the main structural beams beneath the doors to the rear suspension and engine mounts. It is frequently referred to as the hell hole on this board. If this area rots out, the car will eventually snap in half. Typically, the rust doesn't actually go down to the suspension itself (unless the problem is VERY bad).

Cars with lots of rust in this area CAN be saved, but it's a great deal of work. Poke down in the area firmly with a screwdriver. If it's solid there, you're good, and all you'll need to replace is the battery tray (and maybe the support) itself. If you can poke holes in the metal there, you'll looking at pretty major work to fix it. You also need to check the main structural beam (aka "the longs", as in longitudinal beams) that the jacking point connects to. This is behind the thin cosmetic valance under the doors.