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So I needed to get a 4 wheel alignment done after putting two new tyres on the car in addition to new wheel bearings and hub refurb all round .
I decided I wanted nice shiny new steering arms and track rod ends because surprise surprise the track rod ends were seized on tight and for the cost of complete new arms from ECP I replaced the whole lot.
Also decided to replace rear tie rods for new as they were the same
As most 3b owners will know access to certain items can be restricted heavily because of that damn battery tray.
So instead of cutting it out completely and because I was p*ssed off with the lack of access in this area ....
I came up with this porthole modification which has made doing the steering arms and other jobs a doddle..
I truly wish I had done it earlier as the replacing the bomb would have also been a piece of cake as will many other jobs that would have been a major PITA before.
This is the centre piece of the tray I cut out to start with .
How to!!:
Fairly simple but here it is for those who are not so sure about hacking their car up!:
Tools Needed:
Telescopic magnetic pick up tool
Jigsaw with new metal cutting blades (the smaller jigsaw the better due to size restrictions)
Hand Hacksaw and decent blade (the type of hacksaw with no frame and just basically a blade holder!)
Metal Files (round and flat)
Use Curust if you have any rust prior to painting
Hammerite paint (colour to suit!)
Measure a similiar area to above bearing in mind the trays re-enforcement curvature as this size accounts for.
Mine measures 180mm long by 100mm wide at it's narrowest point and is centrally located in the battery tray positioning wise.
If you etch at those measurements you will run through a cutout hole already in place near the bulkhead as can be seen in the pictures but just carry the line on through the other side of that to meet the corner marker.
As best you can (before this mod!) cover underneath the tray area with some old sheets or similiar and protect all engine, tranmission and driveline parts from metal dust and fragments. (and there will be a fair bit of filings from this job)
it really is worth taking the time to do this properly.
Remove the battery negative lead (for later painting of the tray)
Cutting it out is a PITA due to space restrictions and also because there are cables/wires and pipes at the back of the tray running parallel to it. You must be careful not to cut any of these of course!!
I used a flat piece of lead and bent it to suit and wedged it under the lower bulkhead which acted as a shield to protect them in case of any mishaps
Drill holes in each corner of the rectangle using small bit like 1/8th first and sizing up to a bit large enough to get a jigsaw blade in. Be sure to drill "inside" the etched corner lines to account for the size the hole will grow to.
*there are already some large OEM holes in the stock battery tray and these can be seen near or on, two of the corners of the window.They are not holes I have drilled!!*
Use metal cutting blades in your jigsaw (new ones are MUCH better and neater I found) and very carefully cut the centre part of the tray out (the piece shown in pic4)
This gives a little more room to work in and then basically carefully cut around the etched lines until you cannot get any more cut distance in due to lack of space meaning the jigsaw wont fit!
From here I used a hacksaw for the really awkward parts...mainly those nearest to wiring or pipes as it is far more controllable.
Once you have a basic hole shape cutout. Neaten it up with the hacksaw or preferably the jigsaw so you have the true rectangle (or nearly true) and then I used metal files to smoothen up the edges of the porthole.
Nearly there!. Clean any metal off the tray with the magnet and then some cleaning fluid. I used 100% alcohol.
Adviseable to do one coat of hammerite rust prevention and then two coats of black (or whatever colour) hammerite to protect those new edges that have appeared in your battery tray. Make sure they are well protected from rust.
Once its dry reconnect the battery negative lead.
Last off...carefully fold your sheets in on themselves to envelop the metal filings and then remove and empty/bin away from the car! Then get your telescopic magnet and run it all around your work area...clean and bin filings off the tip of it..and do it again...and again...until the area is spotless. Then I hoovered with a sucker attachement just to be sure!
On completion. Battery sits like OEM fitment wise, and rigidity wise and the remaining structure still retains a lot of strength so I dont foresee any problems with regards to structural integrity being negatively affected.
For the purists out there or anyone with negative posts ....please dont post and ruin this thread for others.
Hopefully it will help a few 3b owners out there anyway
**Endnote// I am currently looking for some edging trim to fit around the edges of the porthole. When I locate some suitable for the job I will post its source and a picture or alternatively if anyone knows where I can get some please let me know.Thanks**
I decided I wanted nice shiny new steering arms and track rod ends because surprise surprise the track rod ends were seized on tight and for the cost of complete new arms from ECP I replaced the whole lot.
Also decided to replace rear tie rods for new as they were the same
As most 3b owners will know access to certain items can be restricted heavily because of that damn battery tray.
So instead of cutting it out completely and because I was p*ssed off with the lack of access in this area ....
I came up with this porthole modification which has made doing the steering arms and other jobs a doddle..
I truly wish I had done it earlier as the replacing the bomb would have also been a piece of cake as will many other jobs that would have been a major PITA before.
This is the centre piece of the tray I cut out to start with .
How to!!:
Fairly simple but here it is for those who are not so sure about hacking their car up!:
Tools Needed:
Telescopic magnetic pick up tool
Jigsaw with new metal cutting blades (the smaller jigsaw the better due to size restrictions)
Hand Hacksaw and decent blade (the type of hacksaw with no frame and just basically a blade holder!)
Metal Files (round and flat)
Use Curust if you have any rust prior to painting
Hammerite paint (colour to suit!)
Measure a similiar area to above bearing in mind the trays re-enforcement curvature as this size accounts for.
Mine measures 180mm long by 100mm wide at it's narrowest point and is centrally located in the battery tray positioning wise.
If you etch at those measurements you will run through a cutout hole already in place near the bulkhead as can be seen in the pictures but just carry the line on through the other side of that to meet the corner marker.
As best you can (before this mod!) cover underneath the tray area with some old sheets or similiar and protect all engine, tranmission and driveline parts from metal dust and fragments. (and there will be a fair bit of filings from this job)
it really is worth taking the time to do this properly.
Remove the battery negative lead (for later painting of the tray)
Cutting it out is a PITA due to space restrictions and also because there are cables/wires and pipes at the back of the tray running parallel to it. You must be careful not to cut any of these of course!!
I used a flat piece of lead and bent it to suit and wedged it under the lower bulkhead which acted as a shield to protect them in case of any mishaps
Drill holes in each corner of the rectangle using small bit like 1/8th first and sizing up to a bit large enough to get a jigsaw blade in. Be sure to drill "inside" the etched corner lines to account for the size the hole will grow to.
*there are already some large OEM holes in the stock battery tray and these can be seen near or on, two of the corners of the window.They are not holes I have drilled!!*
Use metal cutting blades in your jigsaw (new ones are MUCH better and neater I found) and very carefully cut the centre part of the tray out (the piece shown in pic4)
This gives a little more room to work in and then basically carefully cut around the etched lines until you cannot get any more cut distance in due to lack of space meaning the jigsaw wont fit!
From here I used a hacksaw for the really awkward parts...mainly those nearest to wiring or pipes as it is far more controllable.
Once you have a basic hole shape cutout. Neaten it up with the hacksaw or preferably the jigsaw so you have the true rectangle (or nearly true) and then I used metal files to smoothen up the edges of the porthole.
Nearly there!. Clean any metal off the tray with the magnet and then some cleaning fluid. I used 100% alcohol.
Adviseable to do one coat of hammerite rust prevention and then two coats of black (or whatever colour) hammerite to protect those new edges that have appeared in your battery tray. Make sure they are well protected from rust.
Once its dry reconnect the battery negative lead.
Last off...carefully fold your sheets in on themselves to envelop the metal filings and then remove and empty/bin away from the car! Then get your telescopic magnet and run it all around your work area...clean and bin filings off the tip of it..and do it again...and again...until the area is spotless. Then I hoovered with a sucker attachement just to be sure!
On completion. Battery sits like OEM fitment wise, and rigidity wise and the remaining structure still retains a lot of strength so I dont foresee any problems with regards to structural integrity being negatively affected.
For the purists out there or anyone with negative posts ....please dont post and ruin this thread for others.
Hopefully it will help a few 3b owners out there anyway
**Endnote// I am currently looking for some edging trim to fit around the edges of the porthole. When I locate some suitable for the job I will post its source and a picture or alternatively if anyone knows where I can get some please let me know.Thanks**
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