Battery cloaking box for Pre-A

[jstenner]

My battery gave up the ghost, so I decided to go with an Optima and cloaking device. On the Pre-A, there is a "receptacle" that's just wider than the battery and a cover (which you can see in this photo) that is held on with clips and springs on either side. I bought this from Woody's Custom in Costa Mesa. You can see, it's too wide. Anyone using an Optima on a Pre-A have any suggestions? I would have thought all 6v batteries for 356s were the same width...

[jstenner]

The Optima alone fits fine in the slot/tray for the battery. I can make a top plate that will fit over the battery and provides a place for the battery box cover guides to rest. Now that I think about it, I have access to a rapid prototyping lab. I can print my own plastic cloaking box!

[356JAGER]

Jack,
Please post photos of the end result. Necessity is the mother something of invention...

[MMW]

Why do you need a cloaking device if it gets covered with a "cardboard" cover anyway?

[jstenner]

Why do you need a cloaking device if it gets covered with a "cardboard" cover anyway?

Anal retentivity!

Actually, since the Optima is not square/cubic, there's nothing for the box cover to rest on. I can make a rectangular plate to put on top of the Optima, though, and that would work.

Kind of hard to describe, lol. The battery cover "captures" the battery and holds it in place, but there's nothing to capture without something around the Optima...maybe that's better. I'll take a pic tomorrow.

[MMW]

I get it! The Optima is oval shaped. At first glance I thought it was a rectangle with an oval red sticker on top. Now I see it is in a plastic rectangle box. My eyes were tricking me.

[JTR70]

Jack, Did you purchase this from a 356 vendor or is this more of a generic vintage automobile offering? If it is for 356 it must have been intended for a 356AT2 or B,C application. I think only option is to lose the cloak and make some sort of support for your original battery cover to rest on. Even though it probably won't help you in this instance a nice feature about the Optima battery is that its a Gel-cell which can be mounted sideways, diagonal and even upside down if needed for a special application. Photos of it in your battery box would help for a better idea of what your dealing with. Justin

[jstenner]

Thanks Justin. Yes it was advertised for a 356, but I looked closer and they clearly say '62-'65. My bad. Never imagined the battery would be a different proportion on the later cars.

Anyway, I had some time this morning so I came up with a solution. I could have just made a plywood plate or something, but decided to print it out of plastic. I could make complete sides, too, but the top plate is all I really need since you never see the battery.

Here you can see how the factory cover rests on top of the standard battery. Springs attached to the floor of the battery compartment snap into holes in the side of this cover to "capture" the battery and hold it in place:


Cover from other side:



Here's what happens if you just put an Optima in there. Nothing for the cover to capture:


Here you can see how the cloak for later 356s is too wide:


I modeled my own. By turning the Optima a bit more it will fit within the proportions of the Pre-A battery:


From below:


The part I'll print with PLA plastic next week:


Overkill, probably, but should be a fun exercise I'll post pics when it's done.

[JTR70]

WOW, CAD drawings; very nice! You must be very tech savvy. I would have been out there making cardboard templates old school style. This looks like its going to turn out pretty nice. Hell, you might even sell a few to other pre-A guys faced with the same issue. look forward to the finished product! Justin