Dear Porsche (Small rant in side) Rust in the bettery box in a 924s fix

Why did you assemble the battery box so that it comes together with two other pieces of stamped steel and then try to glue it together? Did you happen to think that the thermal movement at this location will eventually cause the adhesives to fail? Did you think that the flexing of the body during spirited driving may break the bond between the steel and the glue? And you did stop and think that the steel in this area that you DID NOT galvanize so your glue could adhere properly would then be extremely susceptible to rusting?. You did happen to think that this area would see a lot of water and salt that runs down off the windshield as well as battery acid (this is after all where you put the battery).

Ok I feel better now

So to temporarily fix this until I can get the dash ripped out and actually weld in a proper patch and then apply a moisture cured high build urethane coating in this area I did the next best thing. I glued in a metal patch using the latest and greatest urethane based metal adhesives. The stuff is kind of like bondo but not really and boy does it stick metal together. We use this stuff in construction. Adhesices have come a long way from the 1980's

Hole in the battery box note that three pieces of the body come together here and there is not a weld to be found.

Inside the wheel well.

Cleaned up and a coating of rust converter applied then a patch was form fitted over the area and glued in place.

A look form the fender well side.

The battery box will get primed, Painted and then a layer of rubberized undercoating applied as will inside the fender.

That's interesting. Maybe in a few years I won't have to weld anymore to replace a quarter panel. What kind of adhesive is this?

Yes and when you add in someone putting a battery that's too tall into that space and slams the hood, shorting the battery and pushing the metal battery tray around and making the problem worse.

I should say that this wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is, if Porsche had designed the cowl the way they did by forcing the water to only drain forward (if the rubber plugs on the drains aren't plugged with debris) or to the side (if it gets high enough) and then added the forward sunroof drains to it as well.

Its a E36 M3 show that is worse than the 914's, since you know you CAN actually get a replacement tray for the 914. On the 924/944 series you get to deal with the galvanized sheet metal and wonky-ass curves and angles.

Needless to say, I had to use a bottle jack and a 2x4 to force my battery tray back up in place and then slathered it in fiberglass and rubber truck bed liner.

Now the 951 is also leaking, so I'll pull the battery out and try to patch it up and keep the problem from getting worse for the time being. Doesn't help that my driveway angles the car with the nose high, making the problem worse.

I feel your pain brother, I feel it.