dunc2027
Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2021
Posts: 9
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 Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 4:59 am Post subject: "Betty the Beetle" New Craptastic Floors |
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Repairs | floorboards 01
I don't have a garage, so mobile work station it is.
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Repairs | floorboards 02
The handiest tools I've bought (for this stuff!)
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Repairs | floorboards 03, passenger
First big step. The diamond cutting wheel is glorious. Cuts like butter, and no breaking or changing out disks.
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Repairs | floorboards 04, passenger
I am not a welder. You can tell.
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Repairs | floorboards 05, passenger
Coming along.
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Repairs | floorboards 06, passenger
Test fit, bend, repeat.
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Repairs | floorboards 07, driver
Lots to cut out.
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Repairs | floorboards 08, driver
The inside seat track is pretty well rusted out, but it's welded in 6+ spots. No good way to get it off besides cutting it out. I was ramming this project through overnight anyway, so there was no stopping to order parts.
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Repairs | floorboards 09, driver
Amateurishly proud of this one. Fit pretty nicely. 
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Repairs | floorboards 10, driver
Let's see how well cutting works for the inside corners.
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Repairs | floorboards 11, driver
Not too bad.
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Repairs | floorboards 12
All done! Well, the cutting and welding anyway. I am limited on pretty much everything - space, tools, budget, time, experience, skill, you name it. It was my first time using a welder. It's a little 90 amp flux core welder from Home Depot (Century FC90) with 0.030 wire. After screwing around on some scrap the settings were I think voltage 3, feed 4. Certainly not pretty, and we'll see if they break in the future. But hopefully they get me by until I move back home in a few years with more funds and a full garage. At least my feet won't get wet driving through a puddle. I was close to cousins with Fred Flintstone.
Oh, the corners on the driver side are not sealed up at all. I was having poor success trying to run a solid bead, and at the suggestion of a buddy with actual welding experience settled on tacks all around. Today I bought a propane torch and silver solder, so I'll see how difficult it is to fill in the seams (and pinholes) that way. My brother suggested actual automotive seam sealer, or even caulk for an el cheapo, but I figure if something pops and I need to repair it (or rusts through already, with the salt water down here) I won't have to worry about scraping it off and having it gum up my grinder brush. Hopefully I can solder it fine and then I'll blast it with cold spray galvanizing paint.
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KAmes
Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2014
Posts: 876
Location: Illinois
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: "Betty the Beetle" New Craptastic Floors |
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| Looks good! I like it when people just lay into a project like that. That's all the welding school I ever had, just by trying and doing one gets better at it. I've never tried soldering like that I'll be curious to see if that works. Either way it's under the floor mat and it's solid. I'm a big fan of seam sealer, Eastwood brush on is my favorite, but you're right if you think you'll be revisiting it it would be trouble. Nice looking car. |
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