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Battery Tray Restoration

Save it before it's gone forever

Every vehicle has a battery tray of some kind. That heavy power source is usually secured to the tray with bolts, preventing it from shifting or falling over. The inherent problem with these trays is that they rust from water sitting in the bottom or are eaten alive by battery acid. Some trays are so far gone that the only thing holding them in the car is the weight of the battery they are suppose to support.

However, if you have a salvageable tray, then restoration is the quick and most economical method of saving the part. Using a combination of resto techniques and products, most trays can be resurrected from a rusty, acid-eaten engine compartment and returned to useful lives once again. This rather pitiful tray resides in a '69 Buick GS and has seen much better days. With a little TLC, we can save it!

Rusting

This sorrowful sight is a once-proud Buick battery tray. Over the last three decades it has carried the weight of several old-style (add distilled water) and totally sealed batteries without complaining. Now time, rust and acid have taken their toll. This will be a restoration adventure! The first step is to remove the three 1/2-inch bolts that secure the tray to the car. These are rust-welded to the tray and will have to be heated and soaked with lubricant to be removed. We will prevail!

Blasting

After much coaxing, this original tray (with part number) has been removed from the car. Rust has flaked away much of its former weight, but with a quick treatment in the media blaster, we will find out how much damage has been done. If it's full of holes or damaged beyond being able to support the battery, then a replacement will have to be found. We are using 60-grit aluminum oxide to cut this rust to the metal. We will make several light passes over the surface and not concentrate on one area for fear of burning through the metal plate.

Painting

The clean metal is now coated with a rust-inhibiting primer. Since rust never sleeps, this primer will stop it in its tracks and provide a good base for the black topcoat. To be correct, this tray should be painted 60% semi-gloss black, as it came from the factory. The primer should be applied in several light coats and allowed to dry for 15 minutes between coats. Once completely dry, scuff the surface with an abrasive pad to give the black topcoat a surface to adhere to and spray on the final color coats. While not a beauty-contest winner, this original tray has been saved and will function for many more years to come. If your tray is in any worse condition than this was when we started, contact your restoration parts supplier and spring for a new tray. There is a limit to how far you need to go to save an original part. This was about the limit of the limit.