removing battery tray

[CoasTek240]

I have already relocated my battery to the trunk. i was looking to start cleaning up the engine bay. Plus my new short-ram intake doesnt fit quite right with out an extra 1/4" of clearance.
I need a feasible plan. i cant use a plasma cutter or anything like that.
i've tried using muscle and a crowbar and also a dremel.
any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks

[andrewmp6]

air chisel or a hand one will cut the welds on it or drill alot of holes in it

[Irukandji]

the tray is spot welded... if you can find the welds, then just drill through them and wala! Mine is so beyond rusted I considered just cutting out the bottom and welding in a new piece of sheet metal.

[the head]

go buy a unibit and drill out the spot welds then it comes right out

[CoasTek240]

how many spot welds are there.. i can count 3 i think.. maybe its only 2....?

[the head]

no IIRC there are about 7-10 there is one in almost every section that touches metal on the flat and 3 or 4 along the edge by the frame rail

[projectRDM]

Sixteen spotwelds. I've had better luck with a sawzall, cut the section off that overhangs the framerail, then work underneath it from the rail side, slowly pulling up as you go. A second set of hands will help a lot.

[Irukandji]

how many spot welds are there.. i can count 3 i think.. maybe its only 2....?

I don't remember exactly how many I had but it was well over 10 welds. A LOT of drilling. A realy skinny chisel works too but its harder.

[nsn240]

look on freshalloy and sr20forum, a member did a really nice s13 build up, there are a bunch of pics on how he removed the tray

[NemeGuero]

Sixteen spotwelds. I've had better luck with a sawzall, cut the section off that overhangs the framerail, then work underneath it from the rail side, slowly pulling up as you go. A second set of hands will help a lot.


'Nuff said...

[ryan hagen]

i drilled all mine, it also had some glue, so after i drilled all of them i put a larger mechanics pry bar under and hammered it untill it all broke free, took 2 hours but it was worth it.

[CoasTek240]

what type of blade should i buy for the sawzall?
i have one that runs off a 19v battery i think? is that enough?

[Tweaker]

There is atleast 10 or more spot welds on the battery tray. I just used a regular drill bit slightly larger than the spot welds and carefully drill through the weld. Try not to drill all the way through but just enough till you get through the first sheet of metal. Make sure you are using the right size drill bit. As you are drill out the welds, use a pry bar or lever to break the welds so you do not have to drill as far. Holes are a bit* to fix so take your time.

They make drill bits specifically for drilling out spot welds. Here is a link to some that I found:

http://www.htpweld.com/products/auto_body_tools/#HTP%20Spot%20Weld

Here are some pics of when I removed mine:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/TweakerCs/797666_62_full.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/TweakerCs/797666_63_full.jpg

You can see how I removed my tray at:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/797666/5

[CoasTek240]

tweaker, that may be one of the most helpful responces ive ever gotten on here. i appreciate your efforts.
thanx

[Tweaker]

no problem, glad to be of service.

[DTS]

one experiance i never want to do again, its a pain in the ass to remove thats for sure

[CoasTek240]

one experiance i never want to do again, its a pain in the ass to remove thats for sure
agreed. took me roughly 4 hours... i was not able to drill out the welds... so i ended up taking a sawzall to it. now im worried bout sucking water into the intake.
ill post pics tommarrow of my masterpeice. lol

[zero.counter]

agreed. took me roughly 4 hours... i was not able to drill out the welds... so i ended up taking a sawzall to it. now im worried bout sucking water into the intake.
ill post pics tommarrow of my masterpeice. lol
I am rather curious as to why you would be worried about water being sucked up. Is it because you cut too far, so bad that you can see the tire clearly? Or because you have never had a CAI sit that low, based on its location?

The reason I am bringing this up is because my 89 coupe has a completely rusted out tray location, and I can see right into the fender well. I am going to be glassing that section within the next couple of days. I can't wait to see your pics.

[nsn240]

here are those pics i was reffering too
http://www.mysportscar.com/andy/FA/79.jpg
http://www.mysportscar.com/andy/fa/87.jpg
http://www.mysportscar.com/andy/fa/88.jpg
http://www.mysportscar.com/andy/fa/89.jpg

[zero.counter]

Wow! Clean removal FTW!!!

[TheTimanator]

half of mine is out....only to discover that most of the metal underneath the tray has rusted out leaving a hole about the size of a cd!

[NemeGuero]

sexy.. makes me want to cut mine out. Thanks for the pics.