I was cleaning my inner fenders this week when I noticed some surface rust under the battery.Anyone know of a way of preventing this.Short of taking the battery out when I'm not driving it.
Railguy

 

I would definitely sandblast the battery tray and either powdercoat it or use POR-15 or equivalent. There is a protective mat that you can buy to put under the battery to help.

 

Is there any kind of plastic tray to line the metal one?How about a bed liner coating?I mean... man on the moon and everything.
railguy

 

Yeah, I think I have seen plastic battery trays.........aftermarket. You won't find OEM replacement trays or liners.

 

Try a mouse pad between the battery and the tray. That might help.

 

What he said.

I'd just order a new one if the cancer is too bad and PC it.

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/battery_tra...BC00029/328127

 

Is this the original style as stated and will work for a 1970 A-body?

 

I've also seen plastic ones available at the auto parts store; however, they aren't OE. As Joe said, powder coating or POR 15 would work well on a battery tray.

 

I saw your profile had an album for a 74 Omega, so I assumed that was the car in question.

If I was wrong, then go to www.thepartsplaceinc.com and look for the 1970 A-body one.
They have them. If you want anything to last damn near forever......powder coat it.

 

The rust you've got may be from previous batteries.

Older batteries were very open to the air, and liquid and gaseous acid would make its way out of them, eating through paint and causing corrosion.

Most of us (except for a few criminally insane purists), use modern batteries that are nearly sealed to the environment, emit essentially no acidic fumes, and NEVER leak liquid acid.

I'd say, clean it up properly (sandblast), put a good coat of paint on it (and, yes, POR is tough as nails, but may not be necessary), and forget it. The battery you are using now will probably never cause you a problem. If it's an Optima or similar, it will definitely never cause you a problem. The battery you have in the future will be even better.

- Eric

 

I had the same experience with mine, got a new battery, and the correct tray. (btw, there is a difference between a 350 and a 455 tray) Cleaned as much crud as I could and repainted the area. Don't let it go too far since it sits on the core support.

 

POR15.

Prep the surface correctly, follow directions and apply 2-3 coats. Wait a few days to dry and cure and do not worry again about it.

 

IF you don't want to spend money on POR 15 you could buy Rust-O-Leum from the hardware store. They have paints that are similar to POR 15 for a fraction of the price.