Battery replacement

[DNFXDLI]

After 6 years and a week of standing idle, the 'ol truck groaned a bit on starting last Monday.

I got a bit of a surprise when I went to replace the batteries, the whole metal side of the battery compartment had self destructed from rust...

It just looked like surface rust...guess not. I will have to order one from Ford....used a piece of plastic as a temporary cover.

Installed 3 new 1060 CCA batteries.

 

[SuperCab]

The amount of rust on that truck is incredible... Thought Canuckistan would be like Montana... Minimal salt use?

 

[DNFXDLI]

They use a shitload of salt here...I am surprised it has rusted this badly though.

 

[fatherdoug]

Are those AGM batteries?

That's a lot of rust for 6 years worth of run time.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Are those AGM batteries?

That's a lot of rust for 6 years worth of run time.

No....just standard flooded units.

Yes, the rust seems insane for the steps, air tanks, fuel tanks and battery box.

New cover came in today......when I ordered it last week, the partswoman didn't want to tell me the price....

"you are not going to believe what they want for that piece of metal"



Putting it on tomorrow.

 

[Big Jim F150]

Father Ford has all of us Ford truck lovers by the old short and curlies, I go through that at times when I need the occasional odd part for my 78 F-150 Ranger Lariat, case in point my tailgate bumpers my lower ones were for a 2000 up Super Duty, but my upper ones were for a 2007 Chevy Colorado, fuel filler door bumpers were for a 2014 Super Duty, but my glovebox door bumpers and under dash courtesy lamps were from a mid 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee, because Ford couldn't get those parts for me at a reasonable price, but those Jeep parts that I had used, I had gotten them for the really NICE PRiCE, a.k.a for free, from a friend who who was parting out a Jeep Grand Cherokee., but I also consider the LMC Truck catalog for the 73-79 Ford trucks rather helpful to me.

 

[Sparky83]

order??? you mean you cant figure out how to build one yourself duncan??

 

[DNFXDLI]

Father Ford has all of us Ford truck lovers by the old short and curlies, I go through that at times when I need the occasional odd part for my 78 F-150 Ranger Lariat, case in point my tailgate bumpers my lower ones were for a 2000 up Super Duty, but my upper ones were for a 2007 Chevy Colorado, fuel filler door bumpers were for a 2014 Super Duty, but my glovebox door bumpers and under dash courtesy lamps were from a mid 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee, because Ford couldn't get those parts for me at a reasonable price, but those Jeep parts that I had used, I had gotten them for the really NICE PRiCE, a.k.a for free, from a friend who who was parting out a Jeep Grand Cherokee., but I also consider the LMC Truck catalog for the 73-79 Ford trucks rather helpful to me.

I could never bring myself to putting other parts on my beloved Ford.

order??? you mean you cant figure out how to build one yourself duncan??

For me to build it to match the original one would be way more in time and tools for what it cost.

 

[Sparky83]

how much was the battery tray from ford?

 

[DNFXDLI]

how much was the battery tray from ford?

Wasn't a tray, just a cover...$140.

 

[Sparky83]

yeah you coulda built it cheaper lol... $30 ish for plate of sheet metal... jig saw or tin snips if your skillfull enough with them.. cutting disk for angle grinder works too... drill bit and pop rivits can make a simple cover.... if you want to use nuts and bolts itd be a little more... but way less han 140...

 

[DNFXDLI]

I disagree....need a press brake, sheet metal flanger, spot welder....and even if I didn't use those tools and butchered something together, it would be a few hours worth of work.

 

[Sparky83]

press brake?? nahh.... same with sheet metal flanger.... spot welders are only good for pinch welding 2 sheets of metal together... and its only a small dot...

if it takes ya a few hrs to do it then ya be slackin... and i said a simple cover not a complicated one lol

 

[Sparky83]

i know you said cover... but they wanted $120 for the tray to go in my s10 i had.. it had a bunch of stupid complicated angles... i simpled it out out...

yes my battery was leaking badly when i pulled it out to take these pics .. little hard to keep acid in a battery when it splits the shell...

little foam to keep it from moving around... made it for a bigger battery when i built it..

something simple... took all of 30 mins.. but yeah i do have a stick welder that helped put it together.. but nuts and bolts would have worked just as well..

 

[DNFXDLI]

Your choice...I want OEM stuff on my vehicles.

 

[Sparky83]

i did too... but wasnt paying them what they wanted for "plastic" replacement.. original was steel.. replacement was plastic...

and see its not the price difference or time that was an issue.. lol it was you wanted original lol...

 

[DNFXDLI]

Arrived and installed..

 

[fatherdoug]

Nice!..............

 

[m78]

No rust neutralizer on the surrounding area while you were at it ?