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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9600
Location: Western WA
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 Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:03 am Post subject: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Got tired of the beatup nut-clips falling off and decided to use rivnuts.
Rivnuts are M5 size, which is kind of small, but almost too large for the available hole area. M6 is too large for the narrow flange.
Philips screws and old nut-clips that kept falling off, sometimes down into the hole.
A home-made rivnut rig. You hold the allen wrench, and the "anti-rotation handle".
Turn ONLY the 8mm nut down while holding the other two stationary, and it compresses the rivnut onto the flange.
Best to use a round file to size the hole such that the rivnut fits tight. Also since there is so little edge margin you want to file AWAY from the edge.
Rivnut completed.
IKEA 4mm hex wrench inserted into slots in the carpet. Ready and waiting for (easier) battery access.
_________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
Last edited by Sodo on Wed Jan 17, 2018 4:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Alaskaberrys 
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2016
Posts: 1001
Location: SE Alaska
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:21 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| Sodo wrote: |
....
4mm hex wrench inserted into slots in the carpet. Ready and waiting for (easier) battery access. |
Nice touch! Excellent mod too.
_________________
'91 Westfalia, Bordeaux Red Pearl 2.1L 2wd Auto
'91 T3 Syncro Doka, Escorial Green 1.9L TD AAZ “Gremian” (to provoke, irritate, exasperate, vex...) |
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WestfaliaMike
Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2017
Posts: 257
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:16 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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I like that idea.. my list getting longer..
_________________
1981 Vanagon Westfalia
1983 Vanagon Passanger (Parts Vehicle)
2016 Passat TSI |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7455
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 4:38 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Neato! I woulda been wondering how to jb weld some nuts in place (if this ever crossed my mind, which it hasn’t).
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32561
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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AZ Landshaper
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2009
Posts: 1698
Location: The Old Pueblo
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 5:37 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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hows it held in place if not screwed down Dave??
Mines been man handled too and the screws are obviously from someplace else. I get that yours isnt in the van but whats covering the bat and how else would it b held there.
_________________
Support Small Business.
-------------------------------------------------------
85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug. |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12114
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:17 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Both my under seat boxes have piano hinged lids. I've never seen screw on lids
_________________
Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16494
Location: Brookeville, MD
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9796
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:32 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Hmm - my cover is held by 4 counter-sunk machine screws, no clips. And yes, the battery is clamped in place.
Did VW actually vary the design that much or are those U-nuts someone's later replacement? |
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elizer
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2016
Posts: 1461
Location: Northern Virginia
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:52 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| dobryan wrote: |
| AZ Landshaper wrote: |
| I get that yours isnt in the van but whats covering the bat and how else would it b held there. |
The battery is not held in place by that cover. There is a hold down 'clamp' that is used at the base of the battery. Looks like this. Sounds like yours is missing.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=352717 |
When I changed my battery I took that off... and for the life of me could not get it back in. So its hanging out in my glove compartment until I decided to give it another shot. |
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joetiger
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005
Posts: 5076
Location: denver
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:25 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| Both my under seat boxes have piano hinged lids. I've never seen screw on lids |
My '85 Wolfsburg has the screw-on lids and all of the GL's I've had used hinged lids. I considered retrofitting a hinged lid to the '85 but found that the battery boxes are very different. The screw-on type lid is narrower than the hinged one, and the side edge/metal shape is different.
_________________
Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32
"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron
"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond
Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present
www.josephtrussell.com |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16494
Location: Brookeville, MD
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9.5isCanadian
Samba Member
Joined: September 16, 2017
Posts: 465
Location: In your blind spot.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:38 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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My 81 has a piano hinge on both.
Owen
_________________
9 1/2 - missing a few pieces.
1987 Getaway Hightop
1980 Sunroof Vanagon
2018 BMW R Nine T
2012 Golf tdi |
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mikemtnbike
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2015
Posts: 2793
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:39 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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I've installed/repaired a lot of rivnuts on bike frames using the specific tool; as usual, Sodo, great job improvising your own method and tool.
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled  https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual |
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shagginwagon83
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2016
Posts: 3794
Location: VA/TN
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:45 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Honestly I just keep one screw on my lid. If I need to access the box, I simply slide it out of the way. PO maybe lost the screws but I never replaced them.
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan |
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bajaleo
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009
Posts: 211
Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:49 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Nicely done Sodo. I wish I had a battery cover so that I could do this mod.
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Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12114
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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I've always been annoyed with these lids, so my preferred mod would be to fab up tabs/slots in the front and then a single Dzus-type fastener in the rear. That way it could hinge up or be slid out just like the engine deck lids
_________________
Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32561
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9914
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:45 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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The screw down lids are an abomination to me, for various reasons. I remove the added on inner box structure that Westfalia installed for those lids and then install a hinged lid from a passenger van. I trim the hinged lid so it can open without having to turn the seat swivel plate, in vans that have the swivel seat.
Removing the pop-riveted and glued in support structure gives you a roomier box that makes battery service a lot easier, like VW originally intended.
Only factory poptop campers have the screw down lid(s). Some of these have 2, some have 1, some have none.
Mark
| joetiger wrote: |
| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| Both my under seat boxes have piano hinged lids. I've never seen screw on lids |
My '85 Wolfsburg has the screw-on lids and all of the GL's I've had used hinged lids. I considered retrofitting a hinged lid to the '85 but found that the battery boxes are very different. The screw-on type lid is narrower than the hinged one, and the side edge/metal shape is different. |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9600
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:46 am Post subject: Re: Battery box cover: Button-head screws and rivnuts |
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Interesting. I never heard of these variations. And I thought I was a vanagon nut. My '85 was screw-on, with countersunk sheetmetal screws, and the same (loose) nut-clips. And my bros '86 too.
_________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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