Floor replacement .... with the same floor design BUT WHY :/???

[xcoldgrimjimx]

Hello guys I was just thinking and getting ready to replace my floor on my 64-11 window and I was wondering , if the first original floor design rusted so easily. why are we going to so much trouble cutting welding grinding making sure fitment is perfect ! to put the same floor in that was designed bad? and retain water in The recessed areas ,and sutch...a lot of us are handing these buses down to our little ones . Are we setting them up for failure with a faulty floor design ??? has anyone out there seen a company come up with a better VW bus floor grid pattern or design to direct water more efficiently? I know me myself with minimal effort could come up with a much better design ! But if I do that am I compromising originality in the pattern of the floor ? I almost don't care ! As long as the floor does a great job of a back you waiting water when need be ! I guess in short, why are we replacing a poorly designed floor with the same poorly designed floor ! If we're going to do that floor replacement .. . and it's not an easy task .... We should make it account !! am I wrong ? Are we doing it because that's all that is available to us ?? And and if that's true is there someway to make the floor out of a rust proof material? Can we make it out of galvanized metal ? or aluminum ? Or stainless ? Please tell me what you think !!! I would love to hear your thoughts guys!!!

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ya it's rusty...but it's MINE!!!!!

[iamdonquixote]

the front floors rust for a few reasons:

water and dirt from driver and passenger's shoes

water from leaking window seals, door seals and overhead seals, not to mention emblem seals

dirt,salt and water splashing up underneath as its the first part of the 'car' .

unless you live in the midwest or northeast and plan on driving your bus year round, I would use the stock part, it won't rust that fast if your bus doesn't leak and you properly prep and paint the new floor piece.

[Spike0180]

Original Floors Pros:
1) its easily available
2) no modifications required for fitment
3) Quality steel is used and easily welded into the rest of the bus
4) originality is maintained
5) has proper rigidity for safety measures (per 1960 standards...)

Original Floors Cons:
1) Retains water

Creating New Floor Pros:
1) Could be made of a rust proof material
2) Could be more rigid for safety precautions

Creating New Floors Cons:
1) You have to fabricate the new floors yourself
2) Once made you have to manage to attach two different materials. (Panel bond?, potentially eliminating any safety benefits and maybe causing a safety hazard)
3) Loses originality
4) Unknown quality. (unless you happen have a working prototype)
5) Did I mention you have to fabricate a floor from scratch? and find the material you want to use? ... not cheap or easy. Don't mess up.
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[Clara]

[c21darrel]

It would be far simpler and less expensive plus you retain original floor patterns to just protect it better.
http://masterseriesct.com/
Plus...

[busdaddy]

Those ribs are perfectly designed to add strength where needed and allow complete drainage of the dip primer as the body rides the overhead trolley in and out of the tank. As Clara says fix the leaks and take care of it and it'll never be an issue. Park it outdoors in the rain with leaky seals, salt and a crapload of sand and gravel under the mat for years on end and it'll look like the old one pretty soon. No need for the fancy paint either, just keep it clean and dry. If you still lay awake at night worrying about your floor drill a small hole at the rear of each rib to let any accidental water drain away before painting.
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[hitest]

50 more years or so should pass before you need to worry about it again-fret not. It will be converted to run with a Mr. Fusion by then anyway and rust will be the least of your troubles.
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[busdaddy]

But what if your Mr. Fusion has an unforseen side effect of causing chronic electrolysis?, cars are 3/4 plastic now, add on systems like that will be designed with a classic/vintage Prius or Scion in mind.
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[xcoldgrimjimx]

WoW GUYS!! Awesome feedback!! Thank you! The main reason I was asking is because I have a plastic vacuum mold machine. And I have a surplus of carbon fiber! I bought from a going out of business type deal about body shop, where they made fenders, hoods, spoilers you get it... I originally bought all this to make carbon fiber bike frames and parts but anyway ....I have a complete floor from WBW and the mold machine is big enough to fit the the entire front floor ! and so one day I was looking at the machine and looking at my many spools of carbon fiber and BOOOM! I am seriously thinking of pressing a exact copy of the WBW FLOOR! BUT..with miner TWEEK'S for water drainage and ease of clean up if you have a spill or whatever but how awesome would that be! With the vacuum press and the carbon fiber epoxy resin it would get in all the nooks and crannies and it would mold a exact copy ! I would probably use 3 or 4 layers..I really want your guys opinion!!! Should I just go for it!? What do you guys think of a carbon fiber front floor!??? All I have to do is slather the carbon fiber epoxy resin and put the carbon fiber down and turn the vacuum press on step on the pedal and BLAM! CARBON FIBER FRONT FLOOR! I really want to do this , but would you guys see any foreseeable drawbacks? Wear and tear , functionality ,there might be an issue with holding the cab strength integrity but,one things for sure NO RUST! LOL let me know if you think I should just press one out .. or don't even bother ?? All in all it would definitely be interesting to SEE!
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ya it's rusty...but it's MINE!!!!!

[SamboSamba22]

I thought we just did so we could one day believe to get our money out of our "investments"???
I don't think the usage destroys the metal, its the decades forgotten and neglected in barns, fields, and forest that have done a number on our projects.
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[sgellis]

The front floor doesn't look like much but it adds quite a bit to the front structure once welded in. Attaching the new floor with the same strength as the steel one would be difficult. And using screws or rivets will likely cause a greater rust problem in the surrounding steel.

It will likely lower the value of the bus compared to a new steel floor... but maybe not a problem if it can be easily removed and a steel one welded in.

I vote no.
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[vwuberalles]

I mean, if I happened to have the stuff to make a carbon fiber floorboard just laying around I'd be tempted to do it just for the hell of it after a couple beers, but I don't really see it as a good alternative to a welded in steel panel. There isn't really a practical point, especially not in terms of corrosion resistance for all the reasons listed above. I'd be concerned with how it would attach and how that would affect the structural integrity of the bus.

It might appeal to someone building a modern German Look style custom who wants whatever they can get in carbon fiber, but for the restoration/preservation crowd it doesn't seem very appealing.
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[EverettB]

[novetti]

The seals in this vehicle are terrible. They leaked from day one.
If your vehicle doesn't leak when you wash it, it doesn't mean it is complete waterproof (it is a different case when driving at speed).

When in normal use, driving at any speed over 60 km/h in rain, the water flowing along the body / seal lines via capillary action it invariably would find its way through seals. The front door window channel seals and the vent seal are very difficult to make them watertight. From factory those seals didn't had any mastic joining them between the steel and rubber. To complete caulk those in place requires a few 100' grams of compound and good skill to prevent making a mess of it.
I think I saw a service bulletin for caulking the front windscreens, but nothing on the front door seals (correct me if I am wrong).

The front doors are the main infiltration point, along with the windshield seals and the overhead vent flap.

When this vehicles were new I doubt the owners would lift the front rubber mat to inspect / dry underneath. Combining that with normal dust or soil carried by shoes plus moisture it created a perfect environment for corrosion.

A Carbon fiber floor would be interesting to see if you can make one, but I don't think is a feasible enterprise for commercial purposes rather than curiosity.

[TomWesty]

I've often thought that an entire carbon fiber bus with even a 36 hp engine would haul ass because of the excellent power to weight ratio... Use Dreamliner technology to make a bus.
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[Jbknown]

You could always POR-15 it if your that scurrred!

[cru62]

Here's what you need to make to get your feet wet-

I gave it to a mr.motorhead for his Bonneville Bus which was just what it needed for a record run.
Depending on the price, I might be interested. I like weird stuff that makes people shake their heads. Will panel adhesive bond to CF?
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[busdaddy]

Carbon fiber decklids are where it's at

Doesn't CF shatter when crashed?, the floor is a critical part of the structure and bending as it crumples likely plays a large part in keeping the emblem from being pushed up flat against the seat bulkhead in a crash, if it lets go suddenly like a potato chip it's not going to be much help. Not that a bus is in any way "crashworthy", but why add to the fragility?

How big is the machine?, would it do a small Westfalia pop top?
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