"Filling in" the inner fender where the battery tray used to be...

I want to fill in the inside of the passenger side engine bay so that it has the same triangular slope as the driver side...ie. I want to put in a piece of plate to make it look like it never had a battery tray there.

I have a spare door, and a fender I could use if it is thicker material (I would rather not cut the fender if I don't have to, since it is salvageable). But, when I tap on the inside of the engine bay, it sounds like it is thicker than when I tap on the door panel.

Is this a "audiological" illusion from the folds and reinforcement in the engine bay, or is the bay sheet thicker than the door sheet?

If different, what "gauge" or thickness do I need to use to replace the battery tray area?

I need it to be strong like the stock so I can bolt down my starter solenoid and the ground for my electric fan/fuel pump relay.

 

I believe the outer sheet metal is 22 gauge, for the inner panel I'd go with 20ga or 18 ga. on an area that needs more support.

 

why do that its a perfect spot for a turbo

 

A battery apron is 20 ga. You can buy a 4X8 sheet around here for less than $40. The plain piece would have an oil can effect unless you put some beads down it to stiffen it. The left side has squared off beads and they would probably be hard to match. With a 4x8 sheet you could make a matching pair so it would look factory.

 

If you take out the battery tray, that small shelf that is left behind makes a perfect spot for an MSD or something similar.
Otherwise, couldn't you take a donor apron from the drivers side and put it over there?
The inside would be out, and vise-versa, but if you cleaned the backside up and painted it, it would probably look fine.
Dave

 

Good suggestions...especially for the turbo!!!

I have access to a couple of donors....

 

I have not thought about HOW to get it done, but the idea keeps popping in my head to use that area to build a cold air intake/box with a good K&N filter and figure out how to plumb it to the carb. If I do try to pull it off, it would be WAAAYYY down the road.

Just a thought

 

the '71 i gave M.A.V. had the batt. box removed as you are saying. if i find a pic. i will post it or maybe M.A.V. has one he can post...frank...

 

My dad just took some sheets of aluminum and made panels that bolt on under the fenders and cover the entire sides of the engine compartment so it looked totally smooth.

 

i don't like "totally smooth", it looks too "street rodish".
saw a '65 chevy with everything ran through the wheel wells and the holes filled...looked real "clean" JMO...frank...

 

Well, I guess you could say it was a street rod.

 

Is that a word?

 

That's what I was wondering, and i'm going to meet him (scooper) in a couple of weeks.

 

"audiological" is, in fact, a word. But, I don't think it has ever been used in the manner of an "audiological illusion". So, if you start to hear this on the streets, you can remember that I started it!!!

I could have used "auditory", as in "auditory hallucination"...

 

I new skipping school was a bad thing, guess it's catching up to me now. Or maybe I knew this but I don't remember any of it, hmmm, wonder why... .