DIY 12V tar top battery Optima
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:15 pm
I know another 503 member is making excellent reproduction cases for the 6v optimas.
I wanted to dress up my 12V battery to make it look better. Fist I painted it matte black using fusion paint.
I purchased a sheet of 1/8" ABS plastic on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K ... UTF8&psc=1
I cut it into four pieces, two long and two short for the sides and ends of the battery.
I used plumbing ABS glue and electrical tape to glue the corners. I did one corner at a time.
When the glue was dry, I used window & door foam to fill up the spaces between the battery and the cover. This secures the cover to the battery, and stiffens up everything.
I next put a bead of urethane seam sealer around the top edges to secure the edges to the battery.
So far, so good. The textured plastic looks pretty decent.
My next step is the create the lead bridges, vents and fill caps.
Can anyone advise me on the width and length of the lead bridges?
Does anyone have a CAD file they can share for the filler caps and/or vents?
I'm not interested in selling these things, just wanted to do something about the ugly red Optima 34 battery under the hood!
I plan to 3D print the lead bridges to make a master, then cast them using plaster of paris and lead.
I'm thinking about making some perimeter hollow boxes to replicate the cell dividers and using urethane to replicate the tar.
I'll post my progress as I move forward. gluing case corners case foamed in place urethane at top edges
I wanted to dress up my 12V battery to make it look better. Fist I painted it matte black using fusion paint.
I purchased a sheet of 1/8" ABS plastic on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K ... UTF8&psc=1
I cut it into four pieces, two long and two short for the sides and ends of the battery.
I used plumbing ABS glue and electrical tape to glue the corners. I did one corner at a time.
When the glue was dry, I used window & door foam to fill up the spaces between the battery and the cover. This secures the cover to the battery, and stiffens up everything.
I next put a bead of urethane seam sealer around the top edges to secure the edges to the battery.
So far, so good. The textured plastic looks pretty decent.
My next step is the create the lead bridges, vents and fill caps.
Can anyone advise me on the width and length of the lead bridges?
Does anyone have a CAD file they can share for the filler caps and/or vents?
I'm not interested in selling these things, just wanted to do something about the ugly red Optima 34 battery under the hood!
I plan to 3D print the lead bridges to make a master, then cast them using plaster of paris and lead.
I'm thinking about making some perimeter hollow boxes to replicate the cell dividers and using urethane to replicate the tar.
I'll post my progress as I move forward. gluing case corners case foamed in place urethane at top edges