October 2004

This shows the frame rail that I've painted with weldable primer (zinc-phosphate).

I also applied the weldable primer to the inside of the ear.

This shows the ear welded into place. The suspension console almost fits exactly in place. The only dimension that I used was the distance from the center of the 'dimple' in the firewall to the center of the hole, 545mm or 21 3/8".

This shows the ear welded on from underneath the car. I will grind the welds down to make them more presentable.

The factory added this reinforcing plate to the ear. This also shows the final welding and grinding.

This shows the reinforcing plate from underneath.

This shows the fitting of the new engine shelf, on the passenger's side. I'll weld this in next weekend.

This shows the fitting of the new engine shelf, on the passenger's side.

Well, the new engine shelf is tack-welded in. This is a shot from the top, looking down. I spent 4-5 hours cutting, bending and shaping the shelf and 20-30 minutes welding it in.

Here's a shot into the 'hell' hole.

This shows the coat-hanger I used to pull the engine shelf down to the side rail. I didn't have a C-clamp large enough to hold this end.

Here's the shelf attached at the rear.

This shows the placement of the battery tray and shelf.

Here's a close up of the material that I'll need to remove from the tray to make it fit properly.

This shows the battery shelf from above.

I painted the inside of the stand and underneath the tray with black paint so that in the future, if I ever decided to repaint the engine compartment a different color, I wouldn't have any contrasting colors.

After I let the paint dry, I refitted the stand and tray and removed the paint where I will be welding.

After placing the stand and tray into place I tacked welded the stand, then did a complete weld around the outside tabs that connect to the frame rail.

I undid the bolt and removed the tray. This allowed me to weld the tab inside the stand.

Next I bolted the tray back on and clamped the outside tabs, on the stand, to the tray then welded these tabs.

Finally I welded the tray to the side of the engine compartment.

Here's a close up of the welded tabs underneath the tray.

This shows the completed suspension ear, engine shelf and battery tray.

Just to verify that the battery support was welded correctly, I placed an old battery and took this shot.

These are the before pics so that I can tell where the wires go. The intent is to remove the seam sealer around the circular cutouts and around the edges. Also, you'll notice there is some minor rust that will need to be taken care of.