TheSamba.com :: View topic - Drilling into sloping wall under rear bench

Tue May 29, 2018 10:50 am

I want to mount a piece of plywood under the rear bench against the sloping wall in front of the engine bay.
Given its a syncro I suspect that the gas tank is right behind it so how much gap is between it and the sheet metal? Will use Rivnuts in the new holes.

Tue May 29, 2018 10:56 am

Others probably can advise you better, but the syncro tank is really right up against the firewall. I would not recommend drilling for even rivnuts with the tank in place. If you can't resist, put a piece of fuel hose on the drill bit to limit the depth the drill can protrude through the sheet metal. Good luck.

Tue May 29, 2018 11:26 am

How about using construction adhesive rather than screws?

Tue May 29, 2018 11:42 am

Adhesive, not a bad idea, because I was planning on using 1" wooden standoffs to clear the bump on the driver's side. I'll probably just glue the standoffs and mount threaded inserts in those instead.

Thanks

Tue May 29, 2018 12:39 pm

Look into auto panel adhesive, not home products.

Tue May 29, 2018 5:07 pm

Zeitgeist 13 wrote: How about using construction adhesive rather than screws?
Genius!

Tue May 29, 2018 5:30 pm

I regularly use construction adhesive to adhere Mercedes hood pads into place. It works well in a high heat environment, and I think it's just flexible enough to deal with road vibrations.

Tue May 29, 2018 5:40 pm

The polyurethane construction adhesive are really quite good, I have used them for all kinds of projects over the years.

Tue May 29, 2018 10:20 pm

Agree with Wildthings. The mastic and other construction adhesives are crazy strong. I knew of a guy in college who glued shelves to the wall instead of nails (in fact the product may have been Liquid Nails). They were stout. Unfortunately when it came time to take them down, he had to pay for the drywall to be replaced. It would not come off without taking the drywall.

I'le also seen it put between 2X4s and you will not pry them apart. The wood will fail first. So take a look. There are also expanding foam versions that might account for your bump or unevenness of the metal wall.

This has actually been a great thought from you. I have been wanting to add some hooks and small shelving units under there to hold things I always have - axe, place to bungee jumper cables up out of the way, fishing rod brackets, etc. I am thinking of glue-ing all manner of things under their to make my life more simple and organized. I run without the seat panel, so everything's accessible.

Mon Jun 11, 2018 5:17 pm

Just a big thanks to all who chimed in with suggestions. The gluing and mounting went quite well and having it removable via threaded inserts makes all the difference.

Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:54 pm

Nice work. I like the use of threaded inserts.

Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:42 pm

Zeitgeist 13 wrote: Nice work. I like the use of threaded inserts.

x2

mugford, What are you mounting to the plywood? ECU?