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+--- Thread: Battery box lid. (/showthread.php?tid=8672)
Battery box lid. - andrew34ruby - 20-06-2023
It would seem that in 1934 Austin fixed this piece of plywood to the underside of the battery box lid on my Ruby. It was still there when I bought the car in 1984, but I removed it in about 2017 when preparing the bare bodyshell for painting.
What is it for?
Should I repair it or fit a new piece?
And if I fit new, then what should I do with these bits from the pre-war years? It seems wrong to throw them away, but maybe silly to cherish them.
RE: Battery box lid. - Colin Morgan - 20-06-2023
I think it provides an insulating layer to stop anything battery related touching the inside of the metal lid and causing a short. It still does this on my car when I attach a battery charger or jump leads and the lid falls down.
RE: Battery box lid. - John Cornforth - 20-06-2023
Hi
Apart from the short-circuit safety aspect (and I wonder what percentage of A7 batteries still have a working fixing clamp ?) I guess it fits in with the ethos of thin metal reinforced with wood that is used throughout the bodywork.
I have a box of worn out trim bits which I keep just in case some future owner says "If only you had kept the XYZ". No doubt it will be dumped eventually
RE: Battery box lid. - Chris Garner - 20-06-2023
Funny what we hang on to. I still have a door card from a '29 fabric saloon I restored many years ago, kept mainly because it is signed by the person who originally fabricated it together with the date.
RE: Battery box lid. - Henry Harris - 20-06-2023
Who was it that signed the trim panels?
This is YD 2184, 1931 RM, rear seat
This is OY 8166, 1934 RP, rear seat
RE: Battery box lid. - squeak - 20-06-2023
The area above the battery compartment in my motorhome shows much more corrosion than elsewhere underneath the vehicle.
I put this down to gassing from an overcharged battery. Perhaps the timber lined lid is another nod to this potential.
RE: Battery box lid. - Mike Costigan - 21-06-2023
Looking at those marks on Henry's RM I would guess they are from a quality inspection rather than an upholsterer signing-off his work.
RE: Battery box lid. - David Cochrane - 21-06-2023
(20-06-2023, 03:30 PM)John Cornforth Wrote: ... I wonder what percentage of A7 batteries still have a working fixing clamp ? ...
New ones are available (BW984 here: www.a7c.co.uk/spares.php#electrical).