Pro Smugglers Please Help!

[SD Swede]

I'm actually not interested in knowing WHY you may have removed real car parts out of this not so stealth compartment, but more in knowing what you did to tidy & seal off the space. I'm looking for advice on what's the best way, or if it's not advised at all, to fill/block the holes I now see after removing the a/c components. Looks like the largest round hole is air tubing, maybe into the pass compartment? Maybe the same with triangular shaped one. I then have a quarter sized hole and 3 to 4 smaller ones in the "floor" of the compartment.
I'm considering the relocation of my battery to the space. But, I'm most likely to just seal it off, clean it up nicely and leave it available to hide Porsche parts cash from my wife!
If you have photos of your box please post them.

[Ayles]

Heres mine: the odd shaped hole is plugged by piece of sheet metal on the inside. I painted it black... The two round hole plugs were sourced at a plumbing supply shop.

[porsche930dude]

I took the triangle duct part out completely and made a block off plate. I used a cat food can or something like that to cap the round duct. I packed a rag around the steering column to keep out the dust and rodents. I try to avoid using plumbing parts because they are pretty heavy and overkill for this kinda stuff

[jittsl]

I've used 1/4" neoprene glued in with weather strip cement to seal up all the openings including around the steering column. Weighs nothing, easy to shape, waterproof and inconspicuous.

[Ayles]

The plumbing stuff wasn't heavy at all. The larger of the two is actually going away since I picked up the Rennline block off plate set.

[SD Swede]

Originally Posted by Ayles

The plumbing stuff wasn't heavy at all. The larger of the two is actually going away since I picked up the Rennline block off plate set.

Thanks for responses guys, it helps me quite a bit.
Ayles...I can't find any Rennline products that block off the openings inside the smuggler's box? Link?
I love the neoprene idea as my son's wetsuit hasn't really seen the use it should have got for the price!

[Ayles]

The rennline bit just seals off the one external hole. It's where I used the 3" pipe cap.

[joefrantz]

If you've got some basic tools (sabre saw, snips, files, hammer , vise), get yourself some scrap aluminum sheet and have at it. It is fairly easy to cut and form all kinds of shapes to fill these larger holes.

Also, for the smaller ones, your local ACE Hardware likely carries plastic plugs in various stock sizes. I've found a number of uses for them, and their weight is almost imperceptible. You just need to measure the holes and buy a handful. Fit does not have to be perfect because the plugs have little expansion lugs built into them, and you can use sealant or weather stripping cement if you need air tight seals.

Here are some examples from my battery relocation and heat-delete projects:

I rerouted the starter cable and fuse box power supply through the large round air duct and made a cover plate with some openings for the cables.

The plate is about 3/32nds aluminum sheet. The plugged opening is for future use, and the plug is one of the above described Ace plugs in a grommet. The plate is glued to the inner flange of the duct with 3M Weather strip adhesive. It holds and seals well, but is easily removable.





Here is an example of closing the openings where the heater/defroster tubes used to be:

These were made from the same 3/32nds aluminum sheet, and are also held in place by weather strip adhesive. The upper one, directly under the wiring harness, is formed to the body contour, but it was very easy to do because of the pliability of the aluminum. Just press into place really.



Here is the battery mount for the smugglers box, again made from the same material:





Also, cut-up manila file folders make great template stock.

Good luck.

[SD Swede]

Joe, wow...thank you so much for your response. Super helpful!