Partial Front Pan Replacement on 80's Carrera

[85RedCarrera]

I thought I'd be driving my car by this January, but a very small rusted hole in the battery tray led to a typical, deep acid-induced corrosion in the front pan, all the way to the middle of the channel between the two front suspension mounts.

While everything looked solid from below, after peeling away the silicone that someone filled the battery pan hole with, I then peeled the undercoating under the car near the drain holes, and the metal is paper thin there.

Glad I caught it before I drove the heck out of it. The front suspension is already out of the car, so now is the time to hunker down and do the repair.

Those of you who have done this repair on an 80's Carrera- which manufacturer of sheet metal did you use, and how was the fit? I'm planning to replace the front section of the pan only, along with the tank support.

The second pic doesn't really show the damage inside the pan, but you can see how far it has travelled along the channel. The pics I took inside with my borescope are horrifying, and as soon as I figure out how to download them, I will post them here.

[PTRL HD]

I used parts from Restoration Design. The fit was really good. Not perfect, but from what I've heard it is tough to find anything better.

[shoooo32]

I used restoration design as well. Drill the spot welds, cut out the rot, and make a patch from the new panel and weld it in. I didn't use a jig - there was enough metal there to take measurements prior to cutting and and it welded back in place to the mm of the original measurements.

[85RedCarrera]

Thanks guys. Liquid lead acid batteries don't belong in these cars, and keeping any lead acid battery on a trickle charger without a proper battery venting setup is a really bad idea, as evidenced here. This car sat on a trickle charger for probably 20 years without a battery vent hose, before I bought it.