I need to replace my battery tray and support. See:



So how do I remove the old rusted out support. I've never done any welding or cutting in my life! But doesn't look that tough. What do I use to cut out the old support? Where should I cut? At the base of the support I guess, then file down any rough edges left? Looks like there's a small rust hole to the right of the support, eh? Why is the color of the metal in this area brown? Looks like the PO sprayed on some primer?

Steve

QUOTE (munkmunk @ Jan 15 2005, 10:39 PM)

Why is the color of the metal in this area brown?

use a cutoff wheel to get the larger pieces out, then grind down the rest.
the brown color is RUST! j/k, looks like some sort of primer.

btw. it seems there are at least 2 holes in the top of the long under the tray.
you *need* to fix those as the longs are the spine of your car.

cut out any rust you find, spray out the inside of the long with a rust-prohibitor (like metal-ready), then weld up with patch metal.
the battery tray and support can be bought new from restauration-design.


good luck!
Andy

It's much easier to do this work with the engine out of the way.

Got any plans for a clutch job or something anytime soon?

KT

You could get the battery out of the engine compartment entirely. http://www.renegadehybrids.com/accessories.htm
Look at the bottom of that page for some info on a billet battery hold down tray. I built an 11 foot custom battery cable for it. And it's designed for the best battery on the market...the Optima!

QUOTE (SirAndy @ Jan 15 2005, 11:32 PM)

QUOTE (munkmunk @ Jan 15 2005, 10:39 PM) Why is the color of the metal in this area brown? btw. it seems there are at least 2 holes in the top of the long under the tray. you *need* to fix those as the longs are the spine of your car. cut out any rust you find, spray out the inside of the long with a rust-prohibitor (like metal-ready), then weld up with patch metal. the battery tray and support can be bought new from restauration-design. good luck! Andy

Hi Andy,

What do you mean by 2 holes in the top of the long, under the tray? What is a long? Where are the holes?
I don't see them.

Steve

The first hole is in the bottom right hand corrner of the picture you posted, near the seam where the top of the battery tray should be.

It appears there is a second hole just behind the battery cable end in the picture you posted....

Both should be fixed and the area underneath should be treated for future rust prevention.

The long is the longituduenal (sp) support which is the frame of the car. It runs front to back just under the sheet metal under where your battery tray should be.

The long is what the battery tray welds to (blue lines). That box of metal extends the length of the car and gives it strength. Rust along this part is very bad for the overall strength of the car. Definitely something to be taken care of while you've got the battery tray out. Here is what appears to be rust...