Tools I used:
jig saw (with fine steel blade)
bench grinder
bench vise
C-clamps
Vise-Grips
propane torch
hammer
round and flat files
drill with uni-bit
dremel tool
First I started by making a template out of posterboard, the top part with the tabs was traced from an Iceman battery tray. From there the pattern was transferred onto the sheetmetal.
I then cut the steel to the shape of my pattern using a jig saw with a fine steel cutting blade, using a dremel tool with a grinding bit to smooth out the corners.
Once I had the basic shape cut out and the mounting tab bent, I rolled the front edge over to prevent the bracket from flexing under the weight of the PDC. To do this I used a vice, C-clamps, Vice-Grips, two thick steel plates I had laying around, a propane torch and a hammer.
Here is is almost finished, with just a little bit of final finish work to be done.
And here it is mounted in the car. I still need to run the new battery cables and zip-tie the harnesses that were previously clipped under the PDC. For that matter I also need to clean up the top of my transaxle.
The bracket is now completely finished, with the edges all flattened up with a file and smoothed out with sandpaper. I still need to paint the bracket and do the final installation. I will post more pics of this when it is mounted permanently in the car.
Like I said, I have almost no experience with this type of thing, and as funny as it may sound, I learned most of the techniques used in making this from watching shows like American Chopper.
Stay tuned for my how-to for mounting an Odyssey PC680 battery in the stock washer bottle location using a modified Odyssey aluminun mounting bracket.
