Did my larger battery cause this?

Was under my truck today and noticed some sheet metal broken in half, just below the battery tray. I remember reading that dual battery systems installed in the stock location can cause damage, but I don't think I've ever heard of one AGM G35 battery causing this damage. Could my larger battery be the cause of this? What is the fix? I assume tear things apart and weld?

 

Can you show a bigger picture. Hard to tell what I'm looking at.

 

The first pic is the front cab mount. Looking up.

Second pic is looking forward. Same two screws as in the first pic.

 

Yes. Are those the stock bushings on the rad mount?

 

Yes it likely did. Those inner fenders/core supports are super thin. Dual batteries and large/heavy batteries plus offroading will often lead to that

 

wow that sucks, now what do you do

 

I wonder what the reinforcement options are for this area...

I have an sr5 so, the usual location for a 2nd battery on the passenger side is a no-go for me and id like to have it in the engine bay but... I wouldnt mind beefing this area up for the long haul

 

What’s my next step? I’m at a loss here how to fix it.

 

I hate seeing this because i wheel pretty hard and have 2x g35 AGM's....... oh boy.

 

Yes. This is the receipt for a heavy battery. The sheet metal is so weak that this can even happen with the stock batt and no off-roading. I hate welding sheet metal. Your welds will make it brittle and it’ll probably crack again right around the welds. Stop drill the fractures first. Solution is to relocate the battery

 

It’s like a look in your future

 

Is there no reinforcement for this? Or what about a replacement part?

 

replacing that ripped piece with a new one isn't going to be easy

 

You can get a replacement core support but getting it installed means tearing apart most of your front end (bumper, fenders, radiator, headlights and harnesses). Not extremely difficult but very tedious. I’ve rewelded/reinforced several core supports and they will always find somewhere else to crack.

 

Something went up there and tore that out. That’s what it looks like to me. I can’t get a great look at it from here though. Hard to tell where your battery sits and weighs on that.

 

@hoarder23 had his Tacoma go under the knife for this not too long ago

 

https://parts.conicellitoyotaofspri...ONT-FENDER-APRON--DASH-PANEL/674470-5355.html

 

Just stay ahead of the game and put the battery in the bed or somewhere else.

 

The painful bit is the hundreds of dollars spent on the kit.... Now i have to figure out how i can undo this kit and relocate my battery. I won't be able to get to it till next year sometime

 

Yeah the whole front clip is notoriously weak on these trucks