repair for rotten battery tray....who's done what?

[dgsmooth]

cheers again mates - wondering what people have been doing to repair rotten battery trays? i dont have my car (86 gt) in my shop at moment but i don't think the tray un-bolts and comes out. so is the common repair to carefully cut it out, fab something and tack it into place? i was wondering about cutting one out of another car but seems this a common problem, doubting i could ever find a good one. hoping maybe some folks have pictures of what they have built maybe....i was thinking of fabricatinga frame then using stretched metal type thing to make the tray, that way no water (or snow for me here) will get trapped and sit under battery.... any thoughts from others greatly appreciated

[GrannyLinda]

Having Grown Up In Chicago, We Just Placed A Piece Of Wood On Top
Of The Old Battery Tray Put The Battery On Top Of The Wooden Board And Strap It Down.           

[Fiero GTB]

Might be a good opportunity to relocate the battery and tray to the spare tire well in front, to improve weight balance.

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/126944.html

Or, go the original route:

http://fierostore.com/Product/Detail.aspx?s=50254

Fiero GTB

[Fierofool]

Aerodonamic did a replacement in my 86SE when it was property of a previous owner.  He got the replacement tray from The Fiero Store.  He said was a big of a booger to replace, but I would bet that it's much easier while you have the engine out of the car.  Mine is held in place in some areas by stainless steel screws.  I can see those when I remove the battery, but I don't know how other anchor points are secured.  Contact Aerodonamic to get his take on the replacement. 

BTW, tradition is that when you have the engine out, you must take a picture of "Standing In The Engine Bay" and post it on the forum.

[CowsPatoot]

The price for the battery tray is actually less to switch to a front mount than to go with a Fiero Store replacement...but with a front mount you need cables also, and those add up fast (remember that you need to run both a positive AND a ground to the back).  I went with the front mount in the convertible to give more room in the back for a future engine swap.  I really like the front mount.  I am amazed at how much easier working on the engine is from that side...and the front mount gives much easier access to the battery for jumping or disconnecting.  I sacrificed the spare tire when I did it...keeping the spare tire would negate the easy access to the battery.