Butchered Battery Box/Engine steady Mount!

[Coalmossian]

As I continue to vandalise my newly restored engine compartment, I think I have unearthed some earlier butchery. The engine steady mount had been sprayed white ( without the bolts being removed etc so the paint looked a bit thick and "plasticky",) so I decided to undo said bolts and clean up. A large bolt with a huge washer was present at the front left corner of the battery box floor just behind the two holes that are meant to be there. When I removed this and the other bolts/nuts from the plates welded between the battery box floor and the big boxmember which holds on the dampers, I removed a piece of angle iron. I've since cleaned it up and sprayed it black ( the angle iron, that is) but I'm wondering if it should even be there???
It looks to me as if the engine-steady mounts have been cut and butchered.
I went to look at the set-up on my '49 lowlight, but it's completely different with nothing below the battery box floor.
Does anybody else have a set up like this? The angle-iron part is shown here above where it would be when in position behind the engine steady mounts beneath the battery box floor.[frame][/frame].
And the next picture is what I think is my butchered engine steady mount. Can anyone with a scrap car ( 1960-ish) or a donor car help me by cutting out this bit and sending it to me to restore mine to what I think it should be? Can anyone offer any advice?[frame][/frame]

[stag36587]

I wish I had angle iron like yours - looks much stronger than the original set up

[bmcecosse]

Nice sturdy conversion - stick with it!

[mogbob]

Because replicating the orginal construction would involve a lot of work, it would usually only be considered a possibilty during a full scale body restoration.
The original construction in this area has failed , basically metal fatigue,in a vast number of cars, after half a century of use.
The stresses, strains and vibration of the engine steady take their toll.
Most people "restore" this area by fixing additional metalwork behind, to beef up the support to the bracket.
Whilst it's not normal... as Sir Tom Jones would say for a lot of cars, something like it..... "is not usual".
I agree with the previous posters on this thread.
Bob

[IaininTenbury]

Yes looks a good modification. Even if you did feel the need to seld a piece in to repair the broken area I'd still put the angle iron back in place. MMs are very different as you say in that are. It was only when the mighty torque of the 948 arrived that there was the need for an engine steady bar at all, the 918 and the 803s being too feeble to rock about...

[bmcecosse]

[Coalmossian]

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Maybe I'm thick but I don't understand the point of this?

[MartinLowe]

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Maybe I'm thick but I don't understand the point of this?

I think in reference to "the mighty torque of the 948"

[les]

Looking at the condition of the remaining metal in that area, I would settle for the angle iron, unless you're prepared to replace the complete strip that runs under the battery tray. Mind you the iron is only as strong as the metal it's bolted on, so check that before deciding.