Hello,
Does anyone know where to source the ribbed rubber mat that originally sat under the battery of the MKV, as in the photo?
Cheers,
Tim
Hi Tim.
Not sure they originally had a mat like that but there is likely an aftermarket rubber tray type available.
I have one in my Mk V but it was there when I bought the car. I just searched ‘battery rubber mat’ on the web and there is an image of one just like mine.
Here is what the parts manual says also.
Seems like there were two strips of rubber only under the battery.
My car does still have C.2653 and C.2698.
Cheers, Graham.
TR2/3/4/6s had a nifty tray that may work.
Rubber sheeting is available from lots of sources online. You may like the ribbed mat or some other style. I’m not sure that a ribbed mat was original.
Battery photos in the Service Manual show features of area at the bottom of the battery. See Plates F.1, F.2, L.6, P.2, and P.7. In those plates, my eyes see no mat extending beyond battery footprint. The combination of the plates suggests there was a mat underneath the battery, but I can’t see any ribs in the mat edge. I have seen a variety of mat sizes and materials on Mark V cars, along with a variety of acid burns through the battery shelf. Mat size choices sometimes accommodate acid burn coverage.
My impression from the photos in the shop manual and the parts book is that the padding under the battery was a pair of rubberized felt strips. Battery mounting parts specifications are the same in the early and late parts manuals, suggesting but not proving same standard throughout production.
On my driver, I’ve rebuilt the acid-etched battery shelf and put the battery in a plastic battery box tub so any acid leak on my watch cannot damage the car.
The ribbed rubber mat in the picture is not original.
I vaguely remember there might have been something like 1/8" x 1" rubberized felt strips under the battery when I first bought my car in 1969, but they are long gone.
They may have been damaged by leaking acid, as my battery shelf area certainly was, and has been on most other unrestored Mark Vs I have seen over the years.
The corner of the pad peeking out from under the battery in Plate L.6 is probably the closest we are going to get to an original photo.
Plastic battery trays exist in the boating world.
However the days of leaking batteries may be over or at least coming to a close. Last year I bought a battery from Antique Auto Battery that does not use water. I don’t know what’s inside, but it came with some sales literature from Optima Battery.
My car had the original strips in place. They were more felt than rubberised. When I removed them water/acid had soaked into them and rusted two strips into the tray.
Hi Jon,
I have seen the ribbed, rubber matting fitted to numerous cars so maybe it was an option available in the 50’s or 60’s to solve the corrosion issue. As all modern batteries are virtually leak-proof, I guess it’s not really necessary. Mine has had the section replaced under the battery at some time in the past. I might just put something like a rubber mat under the battery to stop friction and wearing of the paint.
Cheers,
Tim
Hi Paul,
Thank you for that suggestion, it looks perfect!
Cheers,
Tim
Here is a photo of the battery box Paul mentioned, which looks ideal.
I can’t get to my car at the moment so would someone have the measurements of the battery area as there are two sizes - 13" x 7" & 12" x 7".
Cheers,
Tim