Old Library

Finally got it secured in the original tray. Here is how to do it. You should custom fit the pieces to your battery so I won't give any dimensions.

Materials needed:

1. Remove battery and power steering resevoir (5mm allen bolt)
   
   
2. Remove 4 battery tray 10mm head bolts.
   
   
3. Carefully lift battery tray and remove harness from plastic guide under tray. Remove tray and slide off the 2 plastic harness guides. These will be reinstalled later.
   
   
4. With a hacksaw, cut only the horizontal lip of the tray that retained the original battery. Leave the vertical section intact. File the cut edge smooth on the tray.
   
   
5. Locate the BP battery in the tray with its posts in the proper orientation.
   
   
6. Cut the angle into 2 lengths corresponding to their position next to the new battery. See photo 1.
   
   
7. Drill 2 - 1/4" holes in the angle iron in locations that will allow bolt placement. See photo 1.
   
   
8. Battery should be centered fore/ aft in tray for this procedure. Lay the angle in place with the battery against the original lip on the tray and clamp to the tray with c-clamp or vice grips. Drill through the tray using the holes in the angle as a guide. Repeat for the other piece of angle. Don.t worry about one of the holes being above the lower tray support for the plastic harness guide. There is plenty room to install the bolt. Install the bolts with their heads on the underside of the tray and bolt the angle brackets down to the tray. Mine were just blocking the 2 tray mounting bolts nearest the engine.
   
   
9. Mark the half circle cutouts (see photo 1) in the angle to access the tray mounting bolts. This will make the install easier.
   
   
10. Remove the angle and cut out the half circles. I used a die grinder and cutoff wheel - round carbide cutter combination. The circle doesn't have to be as big as I made mine, just enough to get a 10mm socket to the bolt. You could use a small hole saw or a drill bit to put a hole on the angle and then open up the circle with a hacksaw or Dremel. This cutting will be much easier with aluminum angle.
    
    
11. Reinstall the angle and slide the battery between the uprights to make sure it fits ok. It should fit easilly with no more than 1/16" play.
    
    
12. Cut the flat bar length in half (the 18" piece) and bend with a big hammer and a vise a 90 degree angle in one end of each piece. See photo 2. The short end should fit in the recess of the BP with about 1/4" to 3/8" clearance. One of these bars needs to be welded to the outside of the tray where you cut the lip from. Allow about 1/8" clearance above the battery to put some stick on foam. I used camper top mounting tape for pickup trucks. Carefully clamp this flatbar in place with small needlenose vicegrips (nice and tight) and mark line where it hangs below the tray. Cut off excess with hacksaw. Re-clamp in place and test fit the battery. Remember to leave a little space for the foam. Take the clamped together assembly to a welding shop. The whole project cost me 15 bucks including the scrap, the welding, the bolts/foam, etc. Find a friendly welding/fabrication shop and ask them if you can search their scrap pile for the pieces.
    
    
13. All that remains is to bend the remaining hold down, drill the bolt hole 5/16 or the next size bigger. Paint the bare - burned areas and reinstall. Line the holddowns with foam and bolt together. A dab of RTV silicone on the bolt heads underneath will ensure safety with the close proximity of the wiring harness. Make sure you don't pinch any wires and that you put the wires back in the plastic guides.

It is not difficult for anyone with basic power tool skills. It should take about 3 to 4 hours depending on available tools. E-mail me privately with questions. My car is a 97 GTI VR6 so earlier models way differ slightly. The install was worthwile and gained a lot of additional space. You can reinstall the positive terminal cover with tie wraps if you wish. I might (not anytime soon) find another way to cover up the positive terminal.