Making a Battery Box

Welding with a stick welder on sheet metal or 'thin' metals can be done but it takes practice..lots of it!  I'm not much on it myself..I usually use acetylene torch with a welding tip for small stuff like that.  Either way, you have to be careful not to overheat the project.  It is easier to overheat/warp the project with the torch, but it can be done with the stick as well!  So..you have to skip around the seam of where you're welding to keep the heat from being localized or all in one place and warping the thing.  Usually the battery box on the C's are spot welded together, and the seam isn't completely filled in.  Be sure to plan out what you're going to end up with..measure, then measure again!  and write it down and draw it out on paper or whatever piece of cardboard you got layin around.  (use cardboard and you can use it as a template onto the metal)  18 or 20 ga. is somewhere around what you want to use.  I'd tend to lean toward 18 for a battery box..its a little heavier than 20; it may actually heavier than that??  (I get my ga. sizes off sometimes)  As for the rods.. 6013's are a pretty good 'all around' rod.  The do come in different sizes..and I'd get 3/32"  which I think will do a good job for ya considering the light metal.  Oh, and as for the metal itself, a sheet of cold-rolled or mild steel should be fine.  Hope this helps ya out.   -Wes

Try 6013 rod, 3/32 or maybe 1/16 diameter. Probably require the lowest welder setting. If you aren't a "welder" consider 1/8 plate to keep from burning thru. Galvanized sheet will give off toxic gas so stick with plain steel. Heat will be your biggest enemy so short welds will be easiest. Good Luck

Lanse Plan your box so that most of the corners are bent instead of welded as this will decrease the number of welds you have to make.

NNYACAL

I usually bend as many of the corners as possible and then use brazing with  acetylene to fasten the pieces together.  Also keep the heat and welded area to a minimum to prevent warping.  I usually tack small areas on the inside of the box to make a good looking box. 

There are too many people selling after market to make one yourself. Call Sandy Lake  at1-888-252-0656 they have them.

I have a spot welder which in my book is even better. Oh, and I even have the metal.

I made a battery box . Remember Rescued B on old format. Use 14 ga steel plate . I used 3/32 dia 6011 rod .Low setting and weld in a drag motion .Don't heat up as bad and not bothered with sl*g like 6013.

i have made seveal boxes for B. i use 14 guage plain sheet metal, no galvanize. i cut each panel and seam the corners with a wire feed welder. you cant bend 14 gauge real easy on big parts. i do make the lid from one piece and bend the edges over  a steel table and then seam the edges. You could probalby do it with a stick welder, but will have some blow thru and not really smooth. Grind down the edge when done to clean it up.. Give yourself about 3/8 inch from the tool box, and maybe 1/2 inch in the back next to the steering post so you can get the nuts on the light box.. there are severall 12 volt batteries that will easily fit into that box.

I built a battery box for my D15 using 1/8" sheet metal for the bottom and 1/8" x 3/4" flat iron for the sides. I bent the frame around the box bottom out of the flat iron. It is easy to bend the flat iron in a shop vice. I welded everything with a mig wire welder. I built it from scratch and painted it in a day. I used a hole saw to cut the hole for the mounting bolt in the bottom. Lining up the hole just right and notching the bracket for the mounting bolts was the hardest part of the job.