Carpokes

AGM Battery - won't leak acid. At least that's what people say.

As mentioned above it is a very tedious repair. Mine looked similar to yours. I got a good cut out from Elliott at 944 Barn. I was able to drill spot welds on the good cut out to separate the pieces and use all of the pieces to repair the rust areas. I read some people say that you need two cut outs to complete the job. I had to remove the dash and HVAC to complete the repair, the engine was also out which helped getting access to areas to cut and weld. I am also by no means a body man and this was my intro to welding. The grinder made me the welder I wasn’t and it is covered by seal sealer anyway. I painted it with Krylon Fusion Red which is a pretty close match to gaurds red.

Thx @speedy951
getting a cutout from Elliot at 944 barn as well
did you separate the battery hold down on the new piece and reseal/weld it back in place?
looks like @Tom 's had corrosion underneath
wondering if that is necessary on the donor/new piece

Sleepy wrote: Wed Nov 26, 2025 8:36 pm Thx @speedy951
getting a cutout from Elliot at 944 barn as well
did you separate the battery hold down on the new piece and reseal/weld it back in place?
looks like @Tom 's had corrosion underneath
wondering if that is necessary on the donor/new piece

I was actually quite perplexed how the water was getting in. When it rained, the DME would short out and I'd be stuck in the rain. You can see my over-done snorkel grommets I did originally, thinking the water was getting in through those holes, because the box itself 'looked' rust free and water tight from the top side. I ended up filling the battery tray with water to see if I could figure out where the water was getting in, and it was immediately obvious. It was all hiding under the battery bracket. Once I get under the dash and looked up, it was pretty obvious. With the cut-out piece, you can just inspect the bottom side and it should be pretty obvious whether there's any rust. Or fill it with water and see if anything leaks out...

Sleepy wrote: Mon Nov 24, 2025 12:47 pm For people that have had to do this repair more than once - what was the reason? What is necessary for a successful long term repair?

Identify rust areas
Cut out to good metal
Patch, weld
Seam sealer
Paint

Any other tips to make sure it’s done correctly?

Some brands of seam sealer can be softened by battery acid, then that allows the acid to corrode the metal again, drilling a hole for a drain tube or using a AGM battery seems to be the only permanent solution.

Sleepy wrote: Wed Nov 26, 2025 8:36 pm Thx @speedy951
getting a cutout from Elliot at 944 barn as well
did you separate the battery hold down on the new piece and reseal/weld it back in place?
looks like @Tom 's had corrosion underneath
wondering if that is necessary on the donor/new piece

Yes I separated/drilled the spot welds holding the battery hold down and then welded it back in place. It is spot welded in quite a few spots and has alot of sealer underneath it. Where my rust was and with where the brackets are underneath it made the most sense.

preparing to have the tray fixed
finding someone willing to cut out/weld in a new tray was not easy!
I want to learn how to weld, but buying all the equipment just didn't make sense for me right now

unbolted ecu tray so can position out of the way
removed glove box
removing bits underneath the battery tray

any advice on how to remove these plugs from the mount?
I'm thinking they slide one way or another to unlock from the mount, but don't want to break them

Your picture does not show this well, but I have highlighted the area on the back side of the connector that has a little ramp which locks the connector in place. The ramp is able to be depressed, allowing the connector to slide forward and release.

perfect - just what I needed!
thx!