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Well, as you YJ Jeep owners may know, the factory decided to use the inner fender sheet metal as part of the support for the battery tray. Well, my stock fenders are long gone and some kind of tubed fender will take its place. So, I am not sure if the OE battery tray would ever fit like it once did.

I wanted to support the battery completely off the firewall so I was free to do whatever with the fender. This kinda required a new battery tray and supports. A battery is pretty heavy and that fender support was a significant part of the assembly. I needed to make it pretty stout and I really did not want to drill any more holes in the firewall, so I used OE bolts and locations to make it all work. Notice I turned the battery 90* to keep the weight back against the firewall. I also, may add a second battery one day, but that will be after all the other work is done.

I began with some 1/8" angle iron for a frame and some punched steel screen for a tray bottom. I cut the angle steel big enough to give me about a 1/2" or so on each side of the battery, in this case a deep cycle Optima Yellow top. Optima set the standard for sealed, rugged, no maintenance batteries with the Spiral cell technology. The Yellow Top is a bit more forgiving for long discharges like winching, etc. From the Optima website:

optima yellow top Click here for PDF spec sheet on the Yellow Top battery.

"Unequaled Vibration Resistance

Using OPTIMA SPIRALCELL Technology, cells are tightly compressed into supportive chambers, giving OPTIMA batteries over 15 times more vibration resistance than traditional batteries. This translates into longer battery life in high vibration applications.

Nonspillable

Due to its completely sealed case, the OPTIMA Yellow Top battery is extremely safe and corrosion resistant. Acid can't leak or spill, making them clean, user-friendly and environmentally sound. In addition, the maintenance free sealed case design eliminates the need to add water or clean terminals.
Dual Purpose (Starting and Deep Cycle) Batteries for Professional Use

OPTIMA YellowTop is made to install and forget. No matter the conditions, be it dampness, heat, dirt or exposure to extremes in vibration or regular discharge, you can count on OPTIMA to deliver uninterrupted power. OPTIMA's ability to hold a higher voltage during the discharge cycle makes it possible to utilize more of the stored power in the OPTIMA compared to ordinary batteries. The YellowTop handles many discharges as well as re-charges without losing significant capacity. OPTIMA is also ideal for seasonal use because of its very low self-discharge rate. That means you can store your seasonal vehicles all winter without regular charging and still spring out of the starting block when winter is over."

So, back to making the frame. It took shape like this:

Once the frame was made, I added a cross piece of flat steel just to keep it from bowing down. Then I added the punched plate bottom and tacked it in with the welder. You can also see I stole the factory bracket from the Jeep tray and added it to the new frame. That was easier than cutting a new plate and drilling it to match. I also drilled two holes down through the frame for the battery tiedowns. See the red arrows in the larger pic (click on the completed tray).

I went and bought some premade battery hold-downs from the auto parts store, but made a cross piece for the top of the battery out of more angle iron and some thick washers.

That part done, I needed to make the braces for the firewall. I used the OE bracket I added to the new frame and hung the tray (without the battery, of course). I added a new piece of flat steel down low using one of the OE fender bracket bolts, but I made it wide enough to nearly match the width of the tray. I added braces to it and then, using tabs off the OE bolts up above the tray, I welded in two more braces off the top of things.

I bet I could stand on this bracket if I needed to. It is stout. I added the Yellow Top and test fit the hold downs. It all fit and looked good, and I will add paint once I know that I will not be adding any extra brackets for other electrical stuff, relays, etc. I will add the connections to the battery as I finish the electrical and wiring. Stay tuned.