My 18yr old son has an 80 that is his "project". How it came to be is a long story but I met the car for the first time last night. While looking at it, i noticed that the battery is just sort of resting in the engine bay and has grounded twice when he has been moving it to and from friends houses to work on.
So, i need to source a battery tray or fabricate one. Im open to ideas and suggestions so i can at least address this issue...my #1 concern of many.

Thanks for the help keeping him safe.

 

Welcome to the RX-7 Forum, What year is your son's RX7? I have attached a photo of my 1985 set-up. The hold-down bracket hooks one end into a hole in the radiator shroud, the other has a hole that you put over the threaded "J" that hooks to a hole in the battery tray. I am also including a link where you can find an option that will work for your son's particular set-up.
(https://www.google.com/search?q=1980...hrome&ie=UTF-8)

 

Unfortunately, decades of battery acid spills tend to erode the factory battery "shelf" over time. I managed to find a new one through Mazdatrix many years ago, and then bought a plastic battery tray from AutoZone and ran a panhead screw through the bottom and into the battery shelf to hold it in place. This keeps the battery from shifting around, helps to catch any spill (*though I've switched to Optima Batteries for decades now), and makes for a solid platform for the stock battery hold-down, which is minimalist, at best.

He needs to get that sorted out quickly if he wants to avoid serious electrical problems that could trash the wiring harness and Fusible links. Thanks for looking out for him on this,

 

Thanks for the replies. His is a 1980. Im guessing finding one is going to be next to impossible. yes, it does need to be addressed (along with a few other issues) immediately.

 

Well, let me ask this. Mazdatrix lists SKU: 2113-54-295 as the tray for the 79-85 but none are in stock. Mazda-Parts has the same SKU but the "make sure this fits your car" link starts at 1984 and has no option for 79-83. Did they change battery trays in 1984...or will this work for a 1980?
Thank you!

 

I just looked up part number 2113-54-295 and that is only a plastic try. It's better to get one of those black one from any auto parts store. The factory one isn't anything special.

This works good. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c...01/01339?pos=2

As for the metal battery shelf, there are a few small differences but nothing dramatic. The 1984/1985 shelf has one less bolt that attaches near the shock tower. The thing I like about the 1984/1985 is that there is a provision for the harness to route under the tray (top of frame rail) and not on the side of the frame rail.

What I like to do is drill a hole on the rad side of the tray near the edge and use a long J battery bolt and then a normal battery hold-down will work. Similar to what Seniorchief posted.

 

Lots of FB owners relocated their battery to one of the rear storage bins. Try posting a Wanted Ad in the NEW Marketplace and you might get lucky and find a member that still has their original battery tray.

Just in case you end up having to make something .. this is what a 1st gen RX7 battery tray looks like.

Please Note: Patina Finish is optional.

 

Thats a near identical set up to my own. It works great and keeps the battery solid in place. Looks great bro.

 

So do you need the shelf, the plastic tray or both with the clamp?

 

LRB Speed makes an aluminum battery tray that they say is a direct fit https://lrbspeed.com/product/sa-fb-a...battery-mount/ You'd still have to come up with the hold-down rods.

 

Comes down to personal choice I would imagine, I have a plastic tray with a battery mat that sits on my cars battery tray, keeps any "possible battery leak" contained and damaging the cars tray.

 

Again, thank you all for your help and good ideas. I went ahead and ordered the LRB mount; thanks dwallsknox!

 

I run a thin foam mat in my plastic tray as well, to help absorb battery residue. I was only asking the OP which parts they needed (it wasn't clear to me) I have a couple extra shelf's and just threw away a couple of partially broken trays, but I guess it doesn't matter now since he ordered an aftermarket.

 

Use wood to make a battery tray. It absorbs acid, easy to make, and cheap. So replace every couple of years.