Simple question - battery tray - same as body color, or black? Anyone know? Thanks!
Chris
Body color as far as I know.
Cool. My original tray was RBR* (*rusted beyond recognition) and I have a sandblasted/primered replacement unit that needs painted. Thanks!
Chris
I've never seen a battery tray that was body color... they've always been black. I guess, in the grand scheme of things, though, you can paint it whatever you want. If there is such a thing as corrosion-resistant paint I would go with that (because of the battery and its deposits). ;D
Hmmmm....need a tiebreaker. :D
Chris
Quote from: popbumper on April 02, 2011, 10:16:12 PM
Hmmmm....need a tiebreaker. :D
Chris
I'ld be glad to break the tie except I don't know what I'm talking about! Who am I? ??? Where am I? :-\ Why am I here? :o
Dwayne :lol:
I think she is correct Chris, they are black. Here is a pic from my 78 CW when I pulled the motor.
TIGGER, ahhh, you mean SHE is correct, right? ::)
the one on my bobcat is black
Quote from: blupinto on April 03, 2011, 12:35:35 AM
TIGGER, ahhh, you mean SHE is correct, right? ::)
Sorry, I meant that but it did not come out that way. I fixed it.....
popbumper,
I just checked Janets '76 MPG wagon (same as yours) the car is in original condition, not pristine but not to bad. There is enough evidence of body color paint on the battery tray that if and when we redo it we're going to go with body color as I'm pretty confident that would be correct for that car. But to be fair most of the tray is surface rusted, not scaled but light powdery surface rust, so the body color I'm seeing could be over spray but I see no evidence of black anywhere. Most likely whoever produced the battery trays for Ford would have coated them with something for rust prevention during storage and shipping. Black paint was pretty common so they possibly were black at some point. So that brings up the question did Ford put the battery trays in before or after paint? The blue paint on Janets tray leads me to believe that they were put in before paint so it was either painted blue or got blue over spray on it during paint. It doesn't seem to me that they would have tried to paint around the battery tray therefore getting just over spray on it. Which leaves me of the opinion that the battery tray in this car is supposed to be body color. Also keep in mind, as you and probably everyone else on here knows, processes on the assembly lines changed from time to time so whats on one car might not be the same on another depending on suppliers, build dates, models,etc. Now this is all just a guess on my part but from the paint I see on Janets car it sure seems like body color to me. Let us know which way you go.
I pulled 1 out of an 80 the tray is same color of car. In late 60's and 70's I worked for Union and Shell I remember all the 70 cars under the hood was same as car, it's cheaper to manufacture that way. 50's and 60's most cars under hood was black. Fred :)
This is an interesting discussion.....I was pretty sure the tray in my dads 79 was body color but it is not at my house currently I POR15'd it a few years back to help preserve it so I doubt I would be able to tell. I took pics when I did it but I cannot find them at the moment. I have an NOS battery tray that is black in color. So looking back at my picture, the tray in my CWwas/ is in pretty decent shape surprisingly. The tray was black when I pulled the engine a few years ago. Looking a little more closely, one of the upper bolts is orange. I am wondering if mine was replaced with an NOS years ago when it was newer?
Well, I had to check my '80 wagon. It's an original survivor with about 50K miles on it, and the battery ray is the same color as the body.
We just bought a '77 squire wagon today after I made the other post. There are hints of body color paint on the tray on that car also.
Maybe the early Pintos had black-painted trays and later ones body-colored. I did pull a tray off a powder-blue '79 in the junkyard... and it was (and still is) black. All the battery trays I've seen that had any paint on them at all had black, but who really knows? :lost:
78 battery tray is body color, 78 side shield is semi gloss black.
Jerry
Nice to initiate such a great debate, and I do appreciate everyone taking the time. I think I will go with body color since I have several items still to do with it yet. Thanks everyone!
Chris
I am the original owner of an early build 1977 crusing wagon and the tray in mine is body color, it has never been replaced.
there are battery trays in the engine compartment? Mine has always been relocated in the back.
The one in my CW must have been replaced at one point by a previous owner.
I found the original battery tray to my 78 in my parent's attic a couple years ago, it was yellow in color, same as the original color of the car.
The original tray is smaller than the one that has been in the car for the past 28 years, though. The replacement and larger tray is was originally black and I pulled it to repaint it the same color. As a note, the batteries I can get for my 78 would not fit in the original battery tray, and I am guessing that is why it was replaced (sears did all of the battery work on the car).
Two '78s and a '77 CW - all are painted the body color.
mike