Rear battery bracket, rear body pan removal, suspension cleanup

[Scrymerr]

I decided to remove my rear body pan a while back. The only thing it was doing was holding my battery. I decided to move the battery to a better spot behind the rear bumper and remove the rear body pan. This allows me easy access to everything in the rear of the car (differential, swaybar, exhaust etc.) while also allowing me the room I need to fit the rear diffuser. While I was working on all this, I noticed my rear suspension was incredibly filthy, as I had never taken the time to clean it when I did my AWD swap. One thing led to another, and I soon had the rear subframe on the ground, and began cleaning and painting everything in sight. Additionally, I am replacing every bolt in the entire rear of the car. The pictures are poor quality because the only time I had to work on them was when it was dark out. Anyway, hope you get the idea. I will post more on Thursday if I get a chance.

 

[gixxerdrew]

it looks so clean man, awesome job, maintenance back there should be way easier now as well

 

[vinnio]

looks awesome! Just hope you don't get a flat tire (if it's a street car that is). Any weight savings?

 

[alansupra94]

looks awesome! Just hope you don't get a flat tire (if it's a street car that is). Any weight savings?

Its not really a big deal if you have AAA or something. I got that w/ 100 mile towing so its not a problem at all.

 

[Scrymerr]

Weight savings for this work would be a negligible weight increase due to the few pounds of steel added for the battery bracket and 'frame' for removable rear floor. Although I now cannot keep a spare tire in the car, I never did anyway. While slightly risky in case I am in a sticky situation where I have a flat tire I have never worried about it anyway. I do not rely on the car and usually just drive it for fun.

The main point of this work is to free up a ton of space at the rear of the car to facilitate future aerodynamic options, and like Drew said, it just makes working back there a heck of a lot easier!

Here are some more pics I took today. I undercoated the left wheel well and most of the underside of the car. The only spots I didn't do are the area around the rear floor where I plan on putting a few more spotwelds and anything I absolutely couldn't get to because of the gas tank. I will pull the tank eventually to clean that as well, and make everything around it shiny and new!

Also, to anyone considering cleaning up the underside of their car or wheel wells- use bed liner, not the similar stuff called rubberized undercoating. The truck bed liner is much harder and more resilient where the rubberized undercoating turns more brown after time and never gets super solid. I had used some before and it was very hard to tell what was the undercoating and what was prior tar buildup from road dirt.

 

[turbosax2]

Very clean work. I really like this idea but I'm not sure I'm ready to "mutilate" my car yet, haha. Do you have any pictures from inside the car to show you mounted it? Is the battery removed by removing the strap and sliding it out? And is the kill switch accessible there once the bumper is on? What brand bedliner did you use?

 

[Scrymerr]

Very clean work. I really like this idea but I'm not sure I'm ready to "mutilate" my car yet, haha. Do you have any pictures from inside the car to show you mounted it? Is the battery removed by removing the strap and sliding it out? And is the kill switch accessible there once the bumper is on? What brand bedliner did you use?

I was very hesitant to chop into my car as well, but then I looked at what I had done to my roof and asked myself what I was waiting for! I don't have any pictures of the inside right now, but I will take some once I get the underside done and start working topside. The 1/2" angle iron 'frame' that I made around the hole is tapped for 6mm bolts around the outside to bolt the floorpiece down. This allows the floor to be very easily removed for ease of access and what-not. The battery is held into the bracket by the strap. Although I was extremely hesistant to do this, and had fully planned on having a bolt-on retainer the bracket came out so well that the battery very snug inside. I have no doubts that the strap will more than suffice to keep the battery where it belongs. The kill switch is accessible when the bumper is on just by reaching up there. Although it does not meet any requirements necessary for racing organizations or anything, it allows me to very easily cut power to the vehicle without pulling any terminals off. I am using Dupli-Color bedliner and am very happy. Thanks for the compliments, and I will keep this thread updated as I finish cleaning up all the suspension parts and reassemble the car.

 

[Scrymerr]

Nope, everything is still as it is in the pictures. I did paint a few more suspension pieces and the filler neck though. You still want to come over on Sunday?

 

[my2AWDgst]

Yes sir.I'll see you on sunday.

 

[my2AWDgst]

O yeah Im ready for BIG KAHUNA burgers

 

[carfan2000]

Nice work! I saw your car at the Works open house awhile back and thought it looked great. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing for a rear diffuser.

 

[Scrymerr]

Nice work! I saw your car at the Works open house awhile back and thought it looked great. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing for a rear diffuser.

Thanks! It wasn't finished when I was at WORKS and a year later and it still isn't! I need to stop being lazy and finish the car up but I always seem to just find more things I want to do. My plan right now for the diffuser is to make it out of fiberglass. I need to take a few measurements, but mostly I need to track down a 2gb Eclipse rear bumper that I can cut up.

Here are a few more pictures, but nothing much has changed. My2AWDgst is coming over and we should get the subframe painted and reinstalled.

 

[lowandsleekDSM]

Im amazed on how everything came out sooooooo nice and very clean looking on your car. Great job!!!!!!

 

[gixrman]

I like the idea but dont like the battery location for safty in a rear end impact. Just a simple one could start a electrical fire. I would box in the battery.

 

[xezerax]

Damn that is clean, nice work.

 

[Scrymerr]

I like the idea but dont like the battery location for safty in a rear end impact. Just a simple one could start a electrical fire. I would box in the battery.

That's a good point, and it did run through my mind when thinking about where I was going to mount the battery. I do feel that it is plenty safe where it is with the factory rear bumper support if something were to happen. Additionally, the battery is mounted outside the vehicle, so if it were to explode the passenger compartment would remain safe.

Update for today, 3-1-09:

Savo came over and we finished prepping out the subframe. We painted the swaybar and a control arm and spent a lot of time cleaning all the rubber bushings that go on the car. Unfortunately my rear differential bushings were shot, so before painting the subframe we blasted them out with an air hammer. A few pictures to enjoy for now. I plan to put the subframe back in next weekend after it dries up enough and I have some time to polish it. I also found out that one of the CV boots on it had a tiny little pinhole in it which made a thin line of grease on my rear subframe. Save brought a new axle down because I can't let any grease get on the fresh paint after I reinstall the subframe!

Thanks to everyone for the compliments, I will try to keep this thread updated with pictures as I make more progress.

 

[gixrman]

That's a good point, and it did run through my mind when thinking about where I was going to mount the battery. I do feel that it is plenty safe where it is with the factory rear bumper support if something were to happen. Additionally, the battery is mounted outside the vehicle, so if it were to explode the passenger compartment would remain safe.

Thats cool, I'm just real leary about electrical mishaps. I had a restored/modded 78 Z28 burn to the ground in a week after a "battery relocation issue".

 

[my2AWDgst]

Dan i got that bushing pressed out for you today so when you get the new ones I will come down to help you.

Also battery is fine wher is at.A lot of Chryslers have them on left or right side of front bumper and it works good for them and it will work great for Dan as well.

 

[Scrymerr]

Dan i got that bushing pressed out for you today so when you get the new ones I will come down to help you.

Also battery is fine wher is at.A lot of Chryslers have them on left or right side of front bumper and it works good for them and it will work great for Dan as well.

Cool, thanks man. And I didn't even realize that but my parents both have Chryslers and you are right- the battery sits right behind the bumper in front of the drive side front tire.

Update-

The subframe is reinstalled, but the underside still needs to be polished. I got my aluminum rear differential bushings in the mail yesterday and began to install the first one and it is being a P.I.T.A.!!!! I polished it first, then greased the hole and went to smack it in with a hammer. After I realized that this was not going to happen I had to get creative! I made the little tool pictured below and stripped the threads on the bolt and it's still not quite all the way in. I wish I had my impact gun to do this! I am taking a break right now and will go tackle it later. As far as the second insert, it is sitting in the freezer. I am hoping that it will make my life a little bit easier. I realize that the amount the diameter will change is at best about a thousandth of an inch but whatever, every bit helps! I also don't plan to polish the second one until it is installed!! Here are some pictures:

 

[Flash]

Looks awesome!
Building a car the way it should have come from the factory is so enjoyable.

 

[beyondspexj]

very niiiice!!

 

[meliketoball]

I wish I had a garage to work in. The Bay Area's rain storms suck.

 

[gixxerdrew]

You already know how I feel about your Dan, keep it up! You know everyone who looks at the paint you did on my bike is blown away.

 

[Scrymerr]

You already know how I feel about your Dan, keep it up! You know everyone who looks at the paint you did on my bike is blown away.

Thanks man! You know if you ever need stuff done you can count on me. BTW now that you are doing time attack, if you ever want to get some of that Bonneville dirt off the bottom of your car you have an extra set of hands!

To everyone else, thanks for the nice words, it is always good to hear.

And meliketoball: I don't know how the weather is where you are, but today it has been 65* and sunny all day. Can't complain!

I don't plan to have any major updates for about a week. I totally destroyed the first tool I made to install the aluminum bushings and a number of bolts. I made another tool out of two 3/16" steel plates and finally pressed the two bushings in the subframe. The last bushing goes in a little bracket that bolts to the rear differential. Savo took this piece to his work to press it out for me and I won't see him until next Sunday. Until then!

 

[my2AWDgst]

Looks good Dan I can't wait for the cruise day