battery tray

[mikeb]

Hi all, hope the weather hasn't kept all those stylii (sp) trapped in the garage!
I'm looking to drop the battery down onto the chassis rails just behind the engine mount on the LHS. This puts it underneath the exhaust with a Zetec. I've made a tray out of nice thick ali and glued it with sikaflex, to protect the underside from stone damage. What I want to know is how the rest of you keep the battery in place? Mike.

[MattD]

Hi Mike

I originally rivetted a stainless steel plate across the triangle, then mounted a Ford battery tray
on spacers above this, using the std clamp arrangement. Worked fine !

In a moment of weakness I bought a smaller/different shaped car battery, so removed the tray & used a strip of ali-angle to trap the battery ribs at each-end, directly through the stainless sheet. Also works fine, but is more fiddley.

Main problem I really have is getting the battery past the manifold & out through the bonnet opening.
I have to invert the battery to do this, not ideal from a battery acid leak point of view.

I'm planning to change to a red-top shortly, & I believe others have clamped this horizontally through the passenger footwell bulkhead.

Rgds

Matt

[stylussprinter]

My battery doesn't sit on a tray at all , it simply sits neatly across the 25 mm tubes and is strapped against the bulkhead with an alloy 25mm x 3mm flat strap/90 degree bends at each end then drilled and butterfly bolt/nutted to the bulkhead --- job done and been there for years although a redtop is better for the job weight & size wise

[alecmartin19]

mine is mounted on the LHS where i think you describe yours to be. i have 2 long bolts fixed to the passenger footwell bulkhead coming forward either side of the battery, then a plate goes across the front of the battery. as you tighten the nuts onto the bolts, the plate pulls the battery towards the passenger footwell and clamps it tight.

[mikeb]

G'day Matt/Rob,
Do have have a picture Matt? The problem with a normal car battery is that it's bloody heavy.

[stylussprinter]

Sorry Mike , I said mine didn't sit on a tray but actually it does . It's a piece of alloy treadplate bent at 90 degrees then just one bolt through it into the passenger baulkhead , didn't want to drill the 25mm chassis tubes then the alloy strap holds it tight to the baulkhead with two bolts/wingnuts. If you don't want to buy a race battery , I have fitted a bigger battery in the same position previously. After your mod's I think you'll need to fit a VARLEY 680 C.AMPS anyway though . I also have a geared starter to help it when hot which I bought from LUKE MOTORSPORT in Aylesbury who make up whatever you need in their workshop. I paid cash and it was 130 quid --- bargain because it's a small family firm . I put their website on here under our LINKS section

[mikeb]

I have just an ordinary small car battery but it won't fit the same way yours fits Rob. What I'm going to do is replace the flat tray I've glued on and replace it with atray with a high back to it and treat the high back as a mini bulkhead. This will also shield the battery from the exhaust heat. Not quite the lightest weight solution but it give me the option of changing battery sizes in the future without needing to drill the bulkhead any more than it is at the moment.
I've never had to cut off anything sikaflexed on.....

[MattD]

Mike

I'll take some pics of the current setup, but this gives an idea of how it was with the Ford batt tray.
(& I've relocated the FIA cut-out to the dash & replaced the crap wiring ! )


Matt

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[mikeb]

Thanks Matt, hopefully see you at the Links tomorrow night