PREPARING TO INSTALL THE NEW FLOOR PANS

It's been a while since my last post. I've been waiting on my friend Paxton to do the welding for me. Since I don't own a wire welder, it's cheaper to have someone do it for you...cheaper, not necessarily quicker.

I began by removing all the rust from the bonding surfaces and sealing the areas to be completely and permanently covered with POR. POR is a product that encapsulates rusty metal and virtually eleminates the need for further repairs. It is a bit pricey but worth every penney. But, be aware that you cannot use POR on surfaces to be joined by welding. Those surfaces will be coated with POR after the welding is completed because welded surfaces tend to rust quicker than usual.

My next post will deal with welding the floor pans in place.

Later

TD

BEGINNING THE BODY WORK

If you remember, I told you that both doors and the deck lid had been stolen before I purchased the car. I was fortunate enough to have a friend with a stockpile of MGB parts and among them was a rear deck lid and two doors. The only problem was, the car had been destroyed by fire. The deck lid was warped from the heat and the interior door trim had melted into every crevasse. I began by stripping the doors down to the metal...after all it was something that needed to be done anyway. It was a time consuming process but worth the effort. As you can see by the photo, they actually turned out pretty well. A little plastic filler and some epoxy primer and they are as good as new.

The deck lid, however, was a different story. The heat had warped it so badly, that it could not be saved. I decided to remove the warped 'skin' from the frame, refinish both sides of the frame and install a new 'skin'. I know it sounds complicated but it isn't. I purchased the 'skin' from The Roadster Factory. It was the only one to be found and it seemed to fit very well. I'll take you through it next time.

TD

REMOVING FLOOR PANS

FIRST, always wear safety glasses or preferrably a face shield, a dust mask and some good gloves. Now to begin...

The trunk floor pan and the cockpit floors were perforated with rust and required replacement. With the car on jack-stands, I began by removing the fuel tank, fuel pump and fuel lines all the way to the engine compartment. DO NOT GRIND AROUND FUEL...ONE SPARK AND YOU ARE TOAST !

Next, I cut through the rusted metal floor pans with a side grinder taking care not to cut any of the support beams beneath and around the outer edges. Next, remove the welded areas by drilling a hole at each spotweld and using a pneumatic chisel or hammer and chisel, seperate the floor from the frame. These floors were so rusty that portions of the supports were also compromised. It will be necessary to repair these supports prior to welding the new floor pans in place. The frame should be cleaned with a grinder or wire brush to remove all rust. You cannot weld rusty metal.

Before removing the trunk floor pan, take a good look at the new one. Notice how it is made and where and to what extent you should cut the existing floor. There is virtually no support under this section of floor. It is only supported around the edges. As with the cockpit floors, clean the edges to be welded with a grinder or wire brush to remove all rust.

Now you are ready to weld in the new floor pans.

Later,

TD

RUSTY FLOOR PANS

Well, back to the current project. This car definitely has some problems, but, on the other hand, it has had some pretty cool work done on it. All the fenders have had the chrome trim removed and the offset body line rounded to create a smooth fender. Also the fenders had been flared to permit the use of wider tires. A new rear valence was added eliminating the bumper completely. I will purchase a new front valence from Victoria British to match the style of the rear.

Unfortunately, after all the body work had been done, the car was parked outside for an extended period of time without a cover resulting in extensive rust in the new cockpit floors and trunk floor. To make matters worse, thieves removed the trunk lid and both doors.

Next post...removing the floor pans and trunk pan.

TD