HDIronman

.....view from inside my battery box....!!!!!

Shortly after I purchased the car the battery fell onto the road, while out crusing one day. Previous owner failed to tell me there might be a problem. So I've had a piece of plywood on the bottom of the box for awhile, attached with "L" brackets.

Now that the interior is completely ripped out, it's time to repair the big gapping hole the right way.

Anyone have an extra battery box sitting on their shelf...?

I've never done any fiberglass work, but it couldn't be too difficult. I'm open to all suggestions or solutions.





[Modified by HDIronman, 4:28 PM 7/5/2004]

jetech

I would start by sanding and slightly feathering the inside of the broken edges, clean up about 3" vertically and all around the diameter inside and out (remove all paint and dirt down to bare glass.

I would then block up a oversize piece of pink Styrofoam to the bottom side of the battery box to form a flat bottom, then press in Styrofoam wedges where there is a radius at the bottom of the pan and sand them to the proper contour.


Next I would laminate a minimum of four layers of glass cloth across the bottom inside the compartment followed by the same number up the sides of the box being sure to overlap onto the bottom by 2 to 3 inches and up the inside of the box the same amount.

When this cures, you can pop the Styrofoam off the bottom side and scuff sand the outside of the bottom followed by a few layers of glass on the outside of the box.

If you glue the wedges to the bottom before sanding, once the Styrofoam is shaped you can drop the repair mold and cover the area that forms the inside of the box with a layer of cellophane to aid in removing the mold later.

What is important here is to be sure your repair is just as strong or stronger than the original glass so the box can take the vertical G load from the battery. If your repair layers are as thick as the damaged glass you should be ok.

I recommend "West system epoxy" and cleaning the bare glass with acetone before applying the repair.

http://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/fiberglass.html has some good info on working with glass.

Red 69

I cleaned and reglassed my box to avoid what you have. This is what I'd do given your situation. First, clean both sides of the fiberglass around the break with a grinding disk and well inside the break. Wash it out with water and baking soda to neutralize any battery acid and rinse thoroughly. It looks like just the bottom broke leaving the sides and a little of the bottom edge. I'd use plywood or some other flat surface with a blastic barrier sandwiched between and screw it to the bottom of the barrery box forming a bottom. The resin will not stick to the plastic and acts like a release agent. With that in place, I'd lay up a couple layers of fiberglass mat followed by fiberglass cloth on the inside. After a few layers and having formed a new bottom, I'd go to the underside and lay another layer of mat followed by a few more layers of cloth. You will need to do this by saturating the material on a plastic sheet, then raising it into position and dabbing it on with a brush and rollong it down to get all bubles out. Be sure to start new glass about 3-4 inches above the broken edge. When you are done you can drill a hole and add the battery drain. If you want the original battery hold down clamp, you will need to work it in when you start laying glass. It really isn't that difficult, just be sure to wear latex gloves as it is a messy affair. It wouldn't hurt to read a book on laying fiberglass. Hope this helped.