Okay - at the risk of sounding dumb... I just got my daughter a '76 4-door Comet (will be her first car) - we'll be working on it pretty-much non-stop until she turns 16 in July. She's pretty jazzed. As I'm pacing & planning my way through this, I find that at some point in it's life, the battery leaked for a long, long time - not only is there no tray left, but the section of panel that the tray sat on is now a point of ventilation as well. With everything pulled out (battery, wood, etc.), I'm seeing a lot of overlapping-edges and bolt-heads all around this area. ... ... Am I looking at a panel section that will unbolt and come out? I'm already looking at a lot of cutting & welding in my future - no big deal, but even I know that replacing a piece is better than welding something into it... Anyone?
The battery mounting area is part of the apron which is a structural member welded to the car. Lots of people have the same issue as you. There are no replacement panels made for this area. You have to make your own or find a car to cut one out of. The battery support mounting plate, which is on the tire side of the apron, can be substituted with one from a Mustang. The batery tray itself is remade but you have to graft on the side support from the original tray. Micah
Holy Crap! That's all so pretty & CLEAN! Thanks guys - That's what I needed to know - Commencing metal fabrication. (I really do love metal fabrication....)
Here is what I started with and how I patched it first time welding. If your dog leg brace on your battery tray is still good you can buy just the tray (66-67 Fairlane) and plug-weld your brace to the tray. I used a 68 Mustang reinforcement plate on the under side.
I repaired the hole (looked a lot like Jeffs) and installed a $17 mustang battery tray with a Maverick brace on it. http://www.cjponyparts.com/battery-...ign=shopping&gclid=CKeOq8fBzcQCFdckgQodAjEADQ
Ha ha! That's why it isn't bolted to the fender apron in that picture. I took the picture when I was in the middle of re-installing my wiring harness. I left the solenoid connected to the wires so I knew which wires went where. I will be ordering a reproduction Autolite one shortly.
As a rule of thumb, what gauge of steel are you using for these rebuilds? Someone told me I 'can't go wrong' w/14, but I want to get some opinions here...
I used 18 gauge sheet metal because that was already on hand. I don't think there's 14 gauge metal anywhere on a car unless it's a structural brace...16 at the most.
