[DeTomaso] anyone have details on locating the battery box when you drop it through the floor?

[Daniel C Jones]

> It seems like a lot of people have done this, any suggestions would be
> appreciated.  Anyone have measurements for the sloped top edges?

See:

 http://www.bacomatic.org/gallery2/v/hidden/dan/dan-cars/album03/Front_Trunk_Stripped_1.jpg.html
 http://www.bacomatic.org/gallery2/v/hidden/dan/dan-cars/album03/Submerged_Battery_Box.jpg.html

I installed one of Marino's stainless steel battery boxes in my red Pantera.
There isn't any wiggle room as the box is located on one side by a frame
rail, the other side by the brake and clutch lines, the front by the trunk
cross-member and the back by the front bulkhead.  We had to cut far enough
forward that the trunk floor separated from the cross-member but a little MIG
welding took care of that.  I cut a new hole for the hard lines and bent them
as far as they would go.  A bit of hammer work and the battery box dropped in
but then hit the steering rack mount.  My car is a '74 model which has the
factory bump-steer correction which spaces the rack lower.  I don't know if
the box will clear other years or not.  Anyway, we notched a hole in the box
to clear the rack mount and also notched a corner to clear the clutch master,
then welded the box in on three sides.  The aft side looked like it might
cook something in the interior if we welded there I just screwed it down.
The trunk floor isn't flat in the battery box area so I plan to put in some
sound insulation and seam sealer to smooth out the area before re-covering.
Note the welds aren't too pretty.  Turns out the problem was the wire.  We
had the right type of wire but somehow it was contaminated.  New wire of
the same type made much nicer welds.  With the intrusion of the steering rack,
I don't think larger batteries will not fit.  With a little rotation as it is
dropped in, an Optima will fit.  I've got the front trunk on the white Pantera
stripped down but I think I'll skip the dropped battery box on that car.

Dan Jones