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What is the best plan to repair the bottom of my 73 battery compartment fiberglass that was eaten through over the years by old batteries leaking acid?
I had the same issue in my 69 to a smaller degree and I just kind of patched it but the whole bottom side of this is flaky and in rough shape.
I am not too concerned with it looking correct I just want it to be a good long-term repair. Does somebody make a molded piece that I can just cut out the existing one and fiberglass in a new bottom? Thanks, Scott
Happy Leap Day to you too. Who is the moron that thought we should have an extra day of winter anyway? I say lets move Leap Day to July. Yea!
I think your best bet is to find a battery tray in either steel or plastic. Sometimes you find them in boats or tractors and some have side clamps to secure the battery. In your case, you don't need the holders. Instead of installing a tray that fits your battery, I think I would search for one size larger in both length & width. That will keep the battery stable in the compartment.
As far as repair, maybe some fiber-glassing kits in the automotive aisle. But I suspect a resin won't last long judging by your photos. Maybe some re-enforcing screen material for strength. The tray will take the stress of the battery weight and will spread out the load.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Feb 29, 2020 at 05:47 PM.
Not sure on this but if the battery tray on your 73 was made from SMC then polyester resin will not bond to it you will need to use epoxy resin to do your repair. You can buy it from any fiberglass supplier. So make sure you get the correct resin. I would take the suggestion of putting a secondary tray in there pretty seriously and maybe get your charging voltage checked out. Good luck.
I compared the battery compartments on my 64 and 69 to the one I’m working on here the (1973) and it looks like they are made from the same material so I decided to make the repair with old-school polyester resin and fiberglass cloth. I cut out all of the deteriorated fiberglass from the bottom and sanded down smooth inside and out until I got to good fiberglass and then covered a piece of thin plywood with tape and screwed it flush to the bottom.
I have laid in three layers of fiberglass mats and polyester resin from the inside and so far it looks pretty good.
I bought this car as a pile of parts from the children of the original owner that started the restoration ~12 years ago and then promptly had health issues and it sat in a garage for 10+ years. The frame is like new and he had purchased a lot of new parts and I got it very cheap so no complaints, but it does have a few issues such as this.
Battery Compartment Repair
