| What are people doing for battery trays these days? | |
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Sleeperwagon
Posts : 113 Join date : 2019-05-10 Location : Southern Oregon
| Subject: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Sun Jun 21, 2020 2:46 am | |
| Didn't know where else to put this, mods please move if it's in the wrong spot.
I pulled my battery for the first time in a while, and discovered that the rust I didn't think was that big of a deal when I bought the car 8 years ago became a big deal in the meantime. The battery tray is almost completely gone. After looking around I have discovered that this is a common issue with the 90s GM vehicles, but not common enough for Dorman to make replacements. Is there an elegant solution for replacing the battery tray in the '94-96 wagons? I found one on ebay that was corroded, blasted and powdercoated, but the pitting looked significant and it was still 55 bucks. The drag strip won't let me run unless I have a battery hold-down, so I've got to do something. But none of the universal trays look like a good fit without lots of modification. Is there a good solution, or am I gonna have to fab up my own battery tray? | |
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Fix Until Broke
Posts : 251 Join date : 2019-04-05 Location : Southeast Wisconsin
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:23 am | |
| Just go to any junkyard and find a vehicle that uses a 78 series battery (same battery as your car uses) and grab a decent looking tray from there. This series battery was used in so many vehicles - Any B body, G body most 80-90's front wheel drive platforms, you'll find something.
Car-part.com is a handy online resource
Else, search 78 series battery tray and you'll find many "universal" options | |
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Fred Kiehl
Posts : 7146 Join date : 2009-11-13 Age : 75 Location : Largo, FL 33774
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:32 pm | |
| I have a few decent ones. | |
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Sleeperwagon
Posts : 113 Join date : 2019-05-10 Location : Southern Oregon
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:27 am | |
| - Fred Kiehl wrote:
- I have a few decent ones.
Would you care to share one of them with the class, kind sir? I looked at mine again today in the daylight, and any forlorn hope of wire-wheeling it and saving it with a 55 gallon drum of POR was quickly put to rest. The battery retaining lip crumbled off in my fingers. :/ | |
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Fix Until Broke
Posts : 251 Join date : 2019-04-05 Location : Southeast Wisconsin
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:23 am | |
| If the battery tray crumbled in your fingers (which is made from ~1/8" steel), what does the inner fender that the battery tray mounts too look like (which is made from 1/32" steel)? | |
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Sleeperwagon
Posts : 113 Join date : 2019-05-10 Location : Southern Oregon
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:59 pm | |
| - Fix Until Broke wrote:
- If the battery tray crumbled in your fingers (which is made from ~1/8" steel), what does the inner fender that the battery tray mounts too look like (which is made from 1/32" steel)?
That's the odd part. Other than a little surface discoloration on the white paint, the inner fender seems sound. There is some corrosion around the bolts, but not enough to be concerning. I don't live in a road salt state, and there is basically no other rust on the car besides the tray. It's almost like it was never even painted to start with. | |
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94Woody
Posts : 2383 Join date : 2008-12-02 Age : 49 Location : Ocala,FL
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:08 pm | |
| They normally rot out from years of battery acid seeping out of old batteries. The tray soaks it up and slowly falls apart. Mine was also a mess but everything else was spotless. It was still solid enough that sandblasting and painting made it look good enough to have a battery sitting on it | |
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Sprocket
Posts : 6123 Join date : 2008-11-04 Location : Palm Beach County
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:32 pm | |
| Yeah +1 on the JY, Any 91-96 Caprice, roadmaster, FLeetwood, or Olds Custom Cruiser is a direct fit for sure. It being Oregon, I gotta think you should find one in good shape in a yard.
As mentioned, one battery spill will kill one
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Sleeperwagon
Posts : 113 Join date : 2019-05-10 Location : Southern Oregon
| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:43 pm | |
| - Sprocket wrote:
- Yeah +1 on the JY, Any 91-96 Caprice, roadmaster, FLeetwood, or Olds Custom Cruiser is a direct fit for sure. It being Oregon, I gotta think you should find one in good shape in a yard.
As mentioned, one battery spill will kill one
A bunch of the local yards got bought out by a big wrecking company up in Portland, and they liquidated the yards and now they just ship parts to a little warehouse here when you order off the website. No B Bodies at all in the two locally owned yards. The one PNP 40 miles away hasn't had a decent one in 3 or 4 years. If I was in the top half of the state I might be OK, but down here it's scant pickings | |
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| Subject: Re: What are people doing for battery trays these days? | |
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| What are people doing for battery trays these days? | |
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