Best way to cut a hole in the "scuttle"?

[Juddder]

Recently there were some good pictures of a Blue Cerbera that had some nifty mods done to the "scuttle" and the washer bottle as per the picture below

Adding a similar battery cut-off to my Cerbera would be a fantastic addition - and ideally if I could find a shop to cut it for me that would be even better (tried search for London fibreglass workshop but nothing obvious flies up!)

Anyone tried similar or know the best way to achieve?

Thanks in advance

[FarmyardPants]

Probably done with a router. Not an easy job by any means, you'd need to cut out a template in a piece of wood to use as a jig, clamp it to the panel, cut out the hole probably using a high speed setting to avoid splintering and taking it very slowly to avoid melting surrounding material, then go over it again with a round-off bit (if that's even possible on something so thin), followed by filling and smoothing and finally prepping and paint. That's how I would do it if I had to.

[ukkid35]

Surely only worth the effort if you are determined to fit a battery that is only available with the terminals the 'wrong' way round.

[mk1fan]

Two holesaws. Small hole first, then the large one. 5-min job.

Or a hammer.

[mk1fan]

Is your profile pic from a mews in Paddington? Uncle's lived in Gloucester Mews West.

You'd need to get the panels resprayed afterwards. Pretty easy to do though.

[Composite Guru]

You need a Dremel, a Spiraband & Holder and a drill to give you a starting point. http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/Prod...

Make sure whatever you use has an abrasive surface to it and not a cutting surface as that will make a right mess.

If you use a holesaw then a diamond dusted one will be the way forward and not one with teeth. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0075LYTKE/ref=pd_lpo_s...

Edited by Composite Guru on Tuesday 8th December 13:40

[Juddder]

mk1fan said:

Is your profile pic from a mews in Paddington? Uncle's lived in Gloucester Mews West.

You'd need to get the panels resprayed afterwards. Pretty easy to do though.

How funny! Yes it's the next mews over, Upbrook Mews, and the car lives most of the time in an underground parking space nearby so I think it's safe to say that!

BTW Thanks for the advice guys - I think I will try a shop who can ideally do this for me - perhaps my body shop guy might be able to help - Tony "The Spray" as he is known to my local mechanic

[There's also a shot here out the front of the house used on someone's site for inspiration [obviously must have just cleaned it that day!!]]

http://strprojectcerberus.blogspot.co.uk/

[mk1fan]

Juddder said:

How funny! Yes it's the next mews over, Upbrook Mews,

Thought the lead and cladding was familiar.

[Juddder]

Composite Guru said:

You need a Dremel, a Spiraband & Holder and a drill to give you a starting point. http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/Prod...

Make sure whatever you use has an abrasive surface to it and not a cutting surface as that will make a right mess.

If you use a holesaw then a diamond dusted one will be the way forward and not one with teeth. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0075LYTKE/ref=pd_lpo_s...

Edited by Composite Guru on Tuesday 8th December 13:40

BTW thanks for such a detailed response - if I do do it myself, this would be the route I would go and will provide a good reference for anyone else doing similar

Thanks again!

[aide]

A remote control battery brain fits under the expansion tank.

[Composite Guru]

Juddder said:

Composite Guru said:

You need a Dremel, a Spiraband & Holder and a drill to give you a starting point. http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/Prod...

Make sure whatever you use has an abrasive surface to it and not a cutting surface as that will make a right mess.

If you use a holesaw then a diamond dusted one will be the way forward and not one with teeth. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0075LYTKE/ref=pd_lpo_s...

Edited by Composite Guru on Tuesday 8th December 13:40

BTW thanks for such a detailed response - if I do do it myself, this would be the route I would go and will provide a good reference for anyone else doing similar

Thanks again!

No problem, I've worked with composites for years and know how hard the stuff is to work with.

If you are fairly competent, have a steady hand and the right tools its easy.
Another tip is cover the area in a good quality masking tape and try and scribe the perimeter of the area you are cutting out as this will stop the paint from chipping so badly when you grind it.

[Juddder]

aide said:

A remote control battery brain fits under the expansion tank.

Thanks aide - I tried that a while ago and pretty much failed in every way I could think of (bar a good suggestion of mounting it further down the inside engine wing)

I see from your thread that you had much better success and seeing as I have one of those ready to fit that might be a good next step

Is yours side mounted on to the battery like this?

        _______________________
       /-V||                  /|
      /                      / |
     /+V||                  /  |
    /__//__________________/   |
    |  ||                 |    |
  --|__||                 |    |
 [| |---|                 |   /
  --| <- Battery Brain    |  /
 +V |                     | /
    |                     |/
    -----------------------

Edited by Juddder on Tuesday 8th December 15:07

[Gerradi]

I fitted a battery brain under the Expansion tank great...well until it got hot & expanded insidestopping the remote from working ... They are a good idea, if positioned correctly!

[matty1275]

I did exactly what you are thinking of.
I marked out the hole I wanted and stitch drilled loads of small holes around the perimeter.
I then used a file to smooth out the edges.
followed by a quick wipe round the edge with some glue to reseal the edge.
final bit was to use some touch up paint to colour the edges.

not perfect but easy enough and an acceptable finish.

[aide]

Juddder said:

aide said:

A remote control battery brain fits under the expansion tank.

Thanks aide - I tried that a while ago and pretty much failed in every way I could think of (bar a good suggestion of mounting it further down the inside engine wing)

I see from your thread that you had much better success and seeing as I have one of those ready to fit that might be a good next step

Is yours side mounted on to the battery like this?

        _______________________
       /-V||                  /|
      /                      / |
     /+V||                  /  |
    /__//__________________/   |
    |  ||                 |    |
  --|__||                 |    |
 [| |---|                 |   /
  --| <- Battery Brain    |  /
 +V |                     | /
    |                     |/
    -----------------------

Hi,

My battery brain is just under the expansion tank.

The original +ive cable (that would usually be connected to the battery) holds it in place.

love the ascii art btw!

Aide