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1983 Porsche 911 SC Targa

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Painting the Front Battery Rack

I’ve been driving the car for 9 months, and since then, my rate of progress on completing the remaining tasks has virtually halted. A short break to recover from the push to get the car drivable gave way to a longer break to enjoy driving in warm weather with the targa top off. Then, the weather got cold, and I don’t think you are supposed to paint in cold weather. It is time to finish off the last few items on my list.
 
The front battery cells are well protected in the front trunk of the 911. The unpainted battery racks looked about the same as they did 9 months ago. And the foam blocks I used to secure the vacuum pump for the brakes look just as bad as they did 9 months ago.
 
With the battery rack out of the way, I was able to properly secure the vacuum reservoir tank and the vacuum pump.

 
Sanding is one of the most boring activities, but it is a necessary evil to getting a decent paint job. I also added 6 mounting points for installing an acrylic cover over the cell terminals. It seems many people are drawn to touch the battery cells, like moths to a porch light, and while 192 volts is about 300 times less than a Taser, the current can be 100,000 times more – enough to ruin your day. The covers will help people to not touch.
 
First coat of primer looks good.

I lined the racks with 3 mm thick closed cell foam.

 The cells look good, securely mounted in the newly painted rack.