Just wondering if anyone has come across a battery box with thick fibreglass coating on the outside of the battery box?

My car is a SPO41 car from mid-late 1970 - and has spotlight holes in the front bumper mount panel - so may be a country based car.

The box is original and the coating really thick - not a later repair.

Cheers

Graeme

NZ

Don't know ??? - My 1967 ex police mini just had the battery box heavily bituminised and the normal cardboard cover.

I do know that when we were looking at commodore chasers a few years back the ones to avoid were the ones that had battery acid burns over the bonnet underside and other engine bay walls.

It was also necessary to take a tape measure to measure the distance between the front strut towers. The heavy V8 and hard work tended to pull the towers together.

So its not suprising that rusted out SPO41 battery boxs would be a feature.

Mike

In case he doesn't see this thread, PM "Winnabey", I would be surprised if he doesn't know about it. He has done a LOT of research with his two.

_________________
Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

Battery box protection? Isn't that what the phonebook was for?

_________________
Dave - 64 Nurburg White Morris 850 & 67 Morris Mini Deluxe (Bro's Car)
Previous Rides - 62 Morris 850 (Sold '03 - Now 'Lulu-62') & 76 Clubman S (Sold '99 - SFW-863)
+ Too many other classics

Here a couple of photos. It has a moulded shape around it too. Weird. Inside is original and rust free so not a repair.

Interesting. No drain holes as per factory cars.
I have often wondered if those holes were to let the battery acid run out, or let the water get in (to dilute the acid)

The bigger problem in the second photo is the rust in the rear seat panel/floor pan seam.
Get onto it. Once it eats thru to the underside, it is a real bugger to fix.

_________________
1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

My old Deluxe must have had an ex-police floor, it looked a lot like that.

Tim

_________________
1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Thanks AEG163job,

Yes agreed - I think they would have been better without the holes - They were fitted with rubber bungs but they all seem to disappear.

I wonder if this was some sort a mod for cars on gravel roads? The country based cars had sumpguards too. Or maybe my car was rallied after police use? It has the parcel tray removed and a square tube put there. But no sign of a roll cage being fitted.

I will get on to that seam immediatley! It is actually very sound - just had some rusty water sitting from sitting outside for a few weeks. You are right about trying to fix them there - you can't get to both sides to do a hammer weld. I always look there first when I have looked at cars/shells needing work.

Cheers, Graeme

Graeme and I have been communicating via email about his ex-NSW Police vehicle. To date I haven't seen fibreglass cladding like that on the battery box on any Police Mini. It may have been a local modification if the car was based in a country station with lots of rough roads, otherwise it was applied after its Police life, especially if the car was rallied.

None of the Minis I rallied in the seventies had a roll cage (insufficient funds to buy one and insufficient common sense to realise I needed one).

My Ex-Police GT has a standard battery box. Pete

Can you post a pic please, out of curiosity.

_________________
Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

Here it is. Prob a mod after its life as a police car - but does look very proffessionly done.

Any thoughts?

well I guess that's one way of lowering your steering column

_________________
1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.