Which way to restore apron under battery tray?

[Aaron]

So from the photos you can see I cut out the rectangle of ugliness under my battery tray. To repair this I see two options, but since I'm a newb I'm not sure which would be better:

Option 1: Buy a repro apron, cut out a square and weld it in. Pros, the battery tray mounting holes and associated under-tray strengthening metal will be there, all I have to do is cut the patch correctly so the tray mounting holes are in the correct location. Cons, that last bit in the "pros" where the patch has to be cut just right so the tray mounting holes are in the right place, and it's hard to tell the quality of the repro apron. (Sounds like Canadian is NOT the way to go with the apron)

Option 2: I just saw that NPD offers just the reinforcement plate for under the apron, taking this route means I weld in a piece of flat steel to fill the hole, then can use the battery tray to easily locate and drill the two mounting holes, then weld the NPD strengthening plate on the bottom with its holes aligned to the battery tray holes drilled in the apron. I'm not sure if there's really a "cons" for this other than it's more welding.

Here's a link to the NPD tray reinforcement: http://www.npdlink.com/store/product...p_by_year=1967

So which is better, or easier etc. A repro apron costs about the same as the NPD "concourse correct" strengthening plate so cost is a wash.

[lemonshindig]

If it were my car, i would just use flat stock steel, drill holes, and then weld nuts to the bottom and paint it all up.

-Matt

[aolshove]

It looks like the shipping cost of the apron isn't considered oversized so yeah, either option costs the same. So! My vote is the apron so you'll have spare sheet metal for other patches.

[Roddster]

This is the fun part. Learning something new, and, buying the tools to do it. Have fun.

[Idaho Stanger]

Aaron, what did you use to cut out the rust/cancer? Nice looking edges and clean cut. I'd go with patch panel if its large enough to cover what you cut out. Just my two cents.

[LindenBruce]

I think Mansfield Mustang has the bottom part that goes below the apron. Check with them. B

[ToneMT]

Personally, Id just fabricate a replacement, recreating the holes on the drill press prior to welding. Taking your time can make a very clean and seamless repair.... Nice job....post your repair shots!

tone

[bartl]

+1 with Lemon.

[Aaron]

@IdahoStanger, I used a right angle grinder and pneumatic cutoff tool (like a die grinder but it has an annoying shield that gets in the way) both with 1/16 thick cutoff wheels. The r/a grinder is much quicker and I use it where possible but there are some spots it can't reach on any given job thus the pneumatic cutoff tool. I was lucky that the rust was contained to the flat area and hadn't yet migrated into the curved areas of the panel.

Thanks for the ideas, you guys are the best!

[Idaho Stanger]

Thanks for the reply. Great info. Lets us know how the repair progresses. Good luck.