TheSamba.com :: View topic - Am I cutting this front floor out right? suggestions welcome

Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:39 pm

The previous owners welded the corner sections over the top of the original front floor. I cut out most of it, and most of the original floor on one side. This is my first metal cutting experience. Please give me tips if you have them. Much appreciated.

The link below gives a good idea of what I've done.

http://www.bradyherder.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=830

Thanks

Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:57 pm

That looks OK- make sure you leave enough to weld replacement panels.
Are you using replacement panels or doing you own?

Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:11 pm

The front bottom edge of the seat pedestal has a lip that goes underneath the floor, where the floor is spot welded to it. Use a twisted wire wheel so you can get it all clean so you can see the spot welds, then carefully cut around them with a spot weld drill bit (don't cut into the lip beneath the floor). You have the same situation on the outside where the floor is spot welded to the lip on the dog leg. The front edge of the floor is bent up and the spot welds are at the bottom of this lip. At the A-pillar, my floors that I replaced had some little welds, which I carefully ground down with a disc cutter.
Make sure that you don't cut out too much metal on the inside; you want the new floor to fit and you can always cut more metal off if you have to. The back half of the floor section is spot welded to the top of the frame rail. Make sure that you sand off that rust and spray some 3m weldable primer over it, then paint the whole rail after the floor section is installed. Also, the replacement section has to be taken down to bare metal before welding and scuffed up, and weldable primer sprayed on the areas (areas the floor will be welded to, also) where there will be spot welding or plug welding.
For the inside edge of the replacement floor, I butt welded it to the original floor, going back and forth with stitch or tack welds to spread out the heat.
If your floor section is going to go beyond the steering column, you will have to remove it, which you may have done but I can't remember.