Battery Acid Blues

[JDSnyder]

My carefully restored 65 Landlord has suffered battery acid damage not only to the inside of the box behind the dash, but also down the outside of the side panel, and down in the bottom of the frame all the way to the front under the engine mounts where acid ran down. I once heard that batteries boiling over could be the result of overcharging. Does anyone know if that is true and what could be done about it on a Simplicity? Has anyone found a suitable acid resistant plastic box to put the battery in to catch the acid? It would need to be about 5 1/4" by 8 1/2". Thanks for any suggestions. Jeff Snyder

[B_WALLY_]

The Street Rod guys are using Gel Cell batteries in their cars, gel cell batteries can be mounted on their side or upside down. They are not cheap but are worth the money in the long run. I do agree with Dutch, you probably have a charging problem. The Baking Soda in hot water does the trick for cleaning up the mess. The best coating you can put on after it is clean is POR 15, it works awesome on old metal and can be found at the Eastwood Co. or other old car restoration suppliers. If anyone needs more info on these products you can look these things up in Hemmings or Rod and Custom. Wally

[tmerideth]

Sorry about the acid spill. Those kind of things are frustrating. Wash everything off real good with bottles of club soda or your own mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid. Batteries can boil from over-charging. Check and adjust or replace your voltage regulator. Make sure you have the correct regulator for your tractor, there are 2 and 3 pole types. Plastic battery boxes are available at auto & marine parts and accessory stores. Check the JC Whitney catalog. If you can't find the size you need, any commercial sign shop can make a custom one. You could also try a department store for a Rubbermaid type product.

[Kent]

Jeff, Should you be able to find one that fits, please come back and let us know what and where... I have similar concerns. You're not alone. I had to replace the gas tank on my Big Ten last week after a weeping leak -- can't even see or find it -- floated up all my new paint underneath the battery and the fuel tank. The primer turned loose from the metal, not the paint from the primer.... Rather than removing the entire dash and bulkhead to repaint it, I brushed on Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer and their Bright Yellow paint. It certainly doesn't match the yellow of the rest of the tractor, but it's not visible and hopefully it will hold up OK....

[JDSnyder]

I just returned from Wal-Mart following Dutch's suggestion of finding a Rubbermaid container. I didn't find anything that was ideal. So many of the containers have curved sides. The battery is a block and the tolerance between the sides of the battery and the confines of the battery area do not allow for much extra space. One thing I thought of when I saw new batteries at Wal-Mart is would the new low maintenance batteries without caps be less prone to spillage. I'm sure they're still vented somehow, but it might help. Does anybody know?

[Woodydel]

Sealed batteries may less prone to spillage, but I don't know about boil over. If you find a Rubbermaid container that is close, use your wife's hairdryer and make it fit. Or, if you don't want to go to a sign shop, check at a craft center or hobby shop. They may have plastic sheets that can be glued together. Just remember, if you put a battery in a tight fitting container, you won't have much capacity to hold spillage or boil over. In that case, you may want to consider drilling the battery case and installing an overflow tube like is done on motorcycles. Better yet, determine and correct the cause of the problem.