Making a Quick & Easy Battery Tray Liner

IN THE PAST, I always had a problem with the durability of battery trays. In fact, mine always used to rust out pretty quickly; no matter how carefully they were painted. Then I found a great source of tough, acid-resistant liners.

Ironically, the product I discovered is not a high-tech, leading-edge component developed for this purpose after years of research. No, it’s much more common than that—I use the bottom of one of those handy storage boxes that you can find in any of the major discount retail stores.

One word of caution…avoid the clear plastic ones as they usually are acrylic and a bit brittle for the weight of a battery.

My favorites are the ones marked with that “5 in a triangle” recycling symbol. They are probably polypropylene and a bit translucent.

These boxes come in a staggering variety of shapes and sizes so make a note of your tray’s inside dimensions as well as the battery’s outside largest dimensions. Then go shopping.

Once you’ve found the right box for your application, set it in the tray, mark it for the desired height and cut it with heavy duty snips. (A couple more words of caution are needed here. Be careful going around the box’s corners so as not to split the plastic from too much stress, and be sure you don’t leave any sharp edges.) Now you’re ready for the installation.

I had one of these in my ’70 Road Runner for about eight years and there was no problem! I’ve also included a few photos to show you exactly what I did.

Yes, there is a visible liner below the battery but it’s very subdued so it should even please the folks who treasure originality so highly.

Bob Swartz, Waterford, Michigan