Hey guys
Just thought I'd share my experience with fixing up this crappy ass part. I am pretty sure its the *only* article Honda ended retaining from the original Pininfarina design lol.
So anyway, I don't have pics right now, but I will try my best to share my experience in this Flintsonian DIY.
As you know, the "black" angle bracket thingy that holds the battery down is a fire hazard waiting to happen. This bracket is composed of a sheet metal piece coated with some cheap plastic. After a while, the plastic starts peeling off. Given the fact that the battery terminals are within inches of this bracket as installed, there's a decent chance of the battery terminals shorting out if there is any large movement of the terminal cables.
BTW, Honda still makes and sells these brackets (around $60 CDN), but my local dealer said it would take a week or two to get them. Not wanting to wait, I decided to take matters into my own hands!
Here's what I did:
* remove battery cables off battery, secure / cover them so theres no risk of anything shorting out
* unscrew the two long, j-shaped angled "side bolts"
* remove bracket
* check bracket for any major rust or structural issues - if its too rusty, jut buy a new one! If you only see surface rust, proceed
* scrape any and all remaining plastic off the bracket
* sand-blast the bracket. If you don't have a sandblaster, take it to a local mechanic / machine shop and see if they will do it for you. I took mine to a guy who charged me $20 CDN...
* Clean and wash your bracket
* Let it dry completely
* get a can of PlastiDip or similar product - I used Rustoleum Flexidip. Since PastiDip here is pretty expensive at $24.
* slowly spray paint your bracket with the plastidip one coat at a time. It dries fairly fast... I did about 3 coats per can of beer... 2 beers total
* let it dry overnight
At this stage, the paint looked nice and seemed like the plastic coating was quite thick and durable. Quick check with multimeter showed no conductivity on the painted part. Still I wanted to add an extra layer of security. So I also did the following:
* get some of those flexible battery terminal covers - e.g. __www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/10304/10002/-1
* flip them upside down
* cut a hole just large enough to allow the battery terminal post to pass through
* install the battery in the tray, hold it down with the bracket and tighten the J bolts
* put the vinyl covers on the battery posts
* re-install the terminal connectors, making sure they sit on top of the flexible covers
* double check everything
I feel much better about this setup than 'stock' since there is some insulation between the terminals and the bracket!
Hope it helps. I'll try to add some pics once I figure out the upload process lol
Just thought I'd share my experience with fixing up this crappy ass part. I am pretty sure its the *only* article Honda ended retaining from the original Pininfarina design lol.
So anyway, I don't have pics right now, but I will try my best to share my experience in this Flintsonian DIY.
As you know, the "black" angle bracket thingy that holds the battery down is a fire hazard waiting to happen. This bracket is composed of a sheet metal piece coated with some cheap plastic. After a while, the plastic starts peeling off. Given the fact that the battery terminals are within inches of this bracket as installed, there's a decent chance of the battery terminals shorting out if there is any large movement of the terminal cables.
BTW, Honda still makes and sells these brackets (around $60 CDN), but my local dealer said it would take a week or two to get them. Not wanting to wait, I decided to take matters into my own hands!
Here's what I did:
* remove battery cables off battery, secure / cover them so theres no risk of anything shorting out
* unscrew the two long, j-shaped angled "side bolts"
* remove bracket
* check bracket for any major rust or structural issues - if its too rusty, jut buy a new one! If you only see surface rust, proceed
* scrape any and all remaining plastic off the bracket
* sand-blast the bracket. If you don't have a sandblaster, take it to a local mechanic / machine shop and see if they will do it for you. I took mine to a guy who charged me $20 CDN...
* Clean and wash your bracket
* Let it dry completely
* get a can of PlastiDip or similar product - I used Rustoleum Flexidip. Since PastiDip here is pretty expensive at $24.
* slowly spray paint your bracket with the plastidip one coat at a time. It dries fairly fast... I did about 3 coats per can of beer... 2 beers total
* let it dry overnight
At this stage, the paint looked nice and seemed like the plastic coating was quite thick and durable. Quick check with multimeter showed no conductivity on the painted part. Still I wanted to add an extra layer of security. So I also did the following:
* get some of those flexible battery terminal covers - e.g. __www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/10304/10002/-1
* flip them upside down
* cut a hole just large enough to allow the battery terminal post to pass through
* install the battery in the tray, hold it down with the bracket and tighten the J bolts
* put the vinyl covers on the battery posts
* re-install the terminal connectors, making sure they sit on top of the flexible covers
* double check everything
I feel much better about this setup than 'stock' since there is some insulation between the terminals and the bracket!
Hope it helps. I'll try to add some pics once I figure out the upload process lol
