Floor Pan Replacement

[david.mt]

Well things are actually going back together reasonably well so will not doubt have a problem tomorrow (working from home ).

Managed to get the other flange so the tunnel access plate is finished:



And back in position (just a few bolts to replace!). You can see the neoprene strip that has been applied to the chassis here - I am just going to bolt the floor back onto this without any silicone etc and see if it is waterproof. Easy to drop and reseal if not.



Then managed to replace the coolant pipes and get the Pro Alloy radiator installed:





And then started to refit the easy floor panels:



The harder cabin panels will be started tomorrow. Still planning to get back on the road for the weekend

Edited by david.mt on Tuesday 23 March 19:34

[david.mt]

TuxMan said:

Well done mate !! Looking very good , love the blue pipes :-) :-)

Thanks - had to follow your lead ...it is also a clear indicator of which have been changed once they get dirty again

[david.mt]

I am desperate to get it out and get dirty

Working like an idiot to get down on Saturday (EDIT - or even Sunday ) - just stopped for a cup of tea. You may be please that the last post may be soon

Got the tunnel plate back in and connected - had to use the original ducting and the new silicone tube were no flexible enough to use - they were a struggle just to get them back to the heater box:





All the radiator and fans back in and working:



Most of the floor back on:



Last piece to fit but all cleaned up and neoprene tape in place:



And a treat for the Mrs so she can hear me coming

Edited by david.mt on Thursday 25th March 16:45

[david.mt]

TuxMan said:

Well done Dave ,bloody good job !!! bet thats the most fun you have had with your clothes on in years !!! looking forward to seeing it sunday

Mmm - it's been challenging and rewarding that's for sure - not sure I would want to do it again though!

Just had to remove a dozen screws as they were straight into the footwell rather than the chassis . Anyway gave me a chance to use my stainless steel closed rivets - after putting in around 20 of these little buggers I can hardly move my arms .

The end is in sight though

[david.mt]

Well final post about this from me as all the bolts and rivets have now been finished. Stainless steel used throughout and the screws even had little neoprene washers - stainless closed rivets are a real bh to pop with a hand rivet tools when you are on your back.

Clearly the finshed floor is OTT for what was required but the car is now unique - shame no-one will really see it . Happy to move the content to Nobleparts as a record of how to remove and replace the floor but it's quite common sense when you start - just quite labour intensive to drill out the existing rivets and make sure that every replacement screw bites perfect as it has to create a water tight seal. I am gald I used neoprene strip rather than sealant as no way would I have been able to fasten all the screws in place before the sealant had gone off. I also think that the neoprene will be more effective as I know that it is even and covers every bit of the floor chassis.







So:

Floor pan removal, powdercoat and reseal - DONE
Clean up chassis and repaint areas - DONE
Tunnel cooling mod - DONE
Intake baffle plates removed - DONE
Replacement radiator and pipework - DONE
Replacement heatshielding - DONE
Exhaust wrap - DONE
New horn - DONE
Fingers shortened - DONE

Not one fastner reused - all replaced with stainless steel.

And finally.....got me Nob out



Did have an embarrassing moment at the petrol station when there was smoke bellowing out of the rear clam from the exhaust wrap as today was the first time I actually managed to get the car upto temperature. Fortunately is has stopped now but had me going for a moment.

Next installment - new carpets.

Edited by david.mt on Saturday 17th April 15:32

[david.mt]

FUNKSTER UK said:

That's a fantastic job, I would like to do mine later this year or next but I doubt very much it will be to that standard.
Where did you get the blue air hoses for the front from?
Matty

Thanks - if you are in no rush you can make a real good job of it - the drilling of the rivets and replacement screws are quite addictive.

The blue hose was from Autoperformanceonline. They did have an eShop but can't find it at the moment so here's a link to their eBay shop:

linky

It's actually a 2 ply silicone coated air duct which looks great but because of the silicone and strong metal it does not bend very well. I was going to replace the entire ducting with it but there was no way it would bend around to fit on the tunnel access plate so just used the old ducting that was already in for that and used some of the silicone to connect back to the heater air box.

It's also not particularly cheap but I have 1.85m left if anybody wants a sample.

[david.mt]

mgbond said:

So, you didn't actually seal the floor just use the rubber? I may well do that also but I might run sealant around the inside edges once the floor is on.

Nice work.

Bondy

Yes - just used a neoprene strip on all the chassis rather than any sealant. You can see the inside of the floor here where I have prepared for the carpet:



I am going to cover the floor pan with some bitumen based soundproofing which will also act as a further seal but no reason why you can't run a silcone bead around the inside first to make sure that no water gets in although the neoprene should provide a waterproof seal....time for a carpet thread

Actually thinking about it I will run some silcone around the inside edges when I fit the bitumen soundproofing as with those combined it will not only give a great seal to the inside edges but also raise the floor by a few mm before putting the underlay and carpet down so a good shout Bondy

Edited by david.mt on Sunday 18th April 21:40

[david.mt]

mgbond said:

david.mt said:

The devil said:

have you a link to where you bought the screws

http://www.shop4fasteners.co.uk/

I drilled out the rivets with a 4mm cobalt bit and then I am using the 4.8mm stainless steel self drilling screws (as below) to refix the floor. I am also using some neoprene washers to ensure there is not contact between the aluminium and the fasteners.

http://www.shop4fasteners.co.uk/acatalog/Self_Dril...

Dave, What length screw did you use, quantity and where did you get the washers from.

Going to attempt mine over next weekend.

Cheers

Bondy

Bondy - I used mainly 16mm but also bought some 13mm and may have used a few. The neoprene washers were bought from eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M6-Neoprene-Washers-Adhesive...

I think they were these and you need lots so contacts the seller for a bulk deal .

Good luck.

[david.mt]

The devil said:

It seemed about 5 million to me

Yes it does seem a lot more but if you are doing the entire floor then it will be around 600 screws (maybe more). I did have to make several additional purchases as I underestimate the number required!

Now the stainless steel screws are nice and shiny but the compromise is they are more brittle than the normal steel screws and you only need the washers if you are as daft as me and want to ensure that there is limited contact between the steel and aluminium - I also got the aluminium powder coated to protect it as even on a 2005 car you could see how badly corroded the panels had become where there had been a metal reaction. The neoprene strip on the chassis also provides a barrier for this corrosion.

What I do have (if you want them) is a very large bag (hundreds - I think 400+ maybe more) Ruspert covered self drilling screws (4.8mm x 16mm) which are identical to the stainless but made out of normal steel and have a grey rust proof covering. They are much stronger and drill up easily without the threat of snapping the head off. You can have them at cost plus postage which will be around £15 delivered .

I used a handfull of these to make sure the hole was threaded properly before using the stainless and to be fair I didn't have that many stainless snap but the manufacuring quality on some were a bit dubious and I did have say a dozen snap (using both the electric drill and a ratchet with just a bit too much elbow power) which were a bh to get out - most just got hammered back into the chassis and then sprayed some grease in the hole to keep them there!

I would also recommended a few stainless rivets (sealed) on the leading corners of certain panels rather than the screws to make sure the seal is very tight where water will be forced at the seam when driving. You will also need these on the fastenings around the centre tunnel as they come straight through into the footwell as I found out when I stood on one!!

Hope that helps.

[david.mt]

mgbond said:

Right floor is off and cleaned ready to go back on.

The chassis is in great condition. The sealant that was used originally has come off ok in most areas but some parts just won't peel off.

Any ideas how to get this off?

Bondy

I just used a scraper and a sharp knife and lots of elbow grease

[david.mt]

mgbond said:

scraper is just not doing it. wondered if there were any solvents to use?

Need to improve your technique

[david.mt]

I would also have hidden the Kylie CD in the door pocket

[david.mt]

Chapppers said:

So... Powdercoated people, what does your floor look like now? Scuffed and stone chipped or shiney and nice?

No idea - sold mine ....but great thread

[david.mt]

Chapppers said:

Yes, I was going to ask the carpet question. I have another question though; are 4.8mm screws not a bit big for the holes that exist from the rivets?

There's a bit about carpets here. Lots of choice of carpet from eBay including the underfelt (automotive).

As for screws - probably depends on size of drill bit used to remove the rivets. I used a 4mm cobalt bit and therefre 4.8mm steel fastners were perfect to grip the floor back to the chassis.

[david.mt]

Chapppers said:

yeah I used 4mm bit, didn't even touch the chassis. I shall order them now. Someone earlier in the thread said they bought 13mm as well as 16mm... was there any reason for this or just ordering error?

Not an error just wanted a choice - used mainly the 16mm as a bit more thread on them. You also need some SS rivets for the floor rails where they go straight through along the central tunnel into the cabin floor (and the carpet) or file down the sharp end of the 13mm fastners.

[david.mt]

Chapppers said:

I take it the rivets would be 4mm? I might rivet the whole thing on actually.

Yes - make sure you have an airgun!