On Thu, 24 Sep 1998, Tom O'Malley wrote:
> Do something like what the PO of my car did...line the rusty box with
> aluminum or fiberglass or something that will keep the battery secure
> until you get more ambitious.. He did both!
I didn't like the idea of welding so close to the engine, so I
fiberglassed the battery box. The DPO had shoved a piece of plywood (and
a chunk of carpet runner) in the void.
I used Rust-Mort (a phosporic acid compound) to treat the rusty parts.
Then I painted with black rust paint. Then, the fiberglass got installed
(holes were patched with duct tape so that the resin wouldn't all fall
into the foot wells). I used steel pipe strapping as "re-bar" to
reinforce the 'glass- and sheetmetal screws to hold them in place during
the cure of the resin.
Holds the battery up quite nicely. I was also able to copy the ribs found
in the original sheetmetal (this lends strength to the f/g). Also, I
don't have nearly as much fumage in the engine bay.
I have a TR4, if you're fixing a spitfire it's probably not much
different. Beware of polyester resin fumes if working in a confined
space. (For maximum comfort, get an organic vapor mask)
-Malcolm
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