948 replies to this topic

[colinf1]

Looking good Victor, it's going to be great to see the full floor going in, hopefully you get a good run with the welding!

[Viktor]

Good progress today! I managed to fix the half floor in its final position, and even started welding!

 

I used a lot of screws to ensure the new floor panel and the car were completely flush, so the plug welds won't come out

 

 

 

The same at the front

 

 

 

Then I used every single clamp I have at hand to fix the panel to the rest of the car

 

 

And it is looking great in position. I still need to cut the section along the tunnel, but I will do that once the welding on the other 3 sides is done.

 

 

ThenI started to plug weld the front and the back, leaving the spot welding for last (tomorrow)

 

 

Nice plug welds with good penetration, although the photo is a bit dark, it can be seen...

 

 

And same at the back, with a few not so good plug welds, as I started welding in vertical, but then change to horizontal, which provides a better result.

 

 

Tomorrow I should be able to finish all the plug welds, subject to the gas bottle which is almost finished! I will also try some spot welding along the door step, which should be straightforward...

 

Until tomorrow then :)

 

Victor

[colinf1]

Great work Victor, it will be a massive step forward once you get this side fully welded.

Just remember to clean off all the black coating on both sides of the new step so you get good spot welds.

[Viktor]

Thanks Colin, Yes I removed the black paint from the step before getting the floor in, but I gave it another go this morning before starting the spot welding.

 

Before that, I tried a few more plug welds, but as expected I run out of gas so couldn't finish it

 

 

Then I started spot welding the door step, taking my time between welds to avoid overheating on the spot welder. I made sure both panels were clamped properly, moving the clamps as I moved along. What an amazing bit of kit this is, and how much time you can save using it. On top of that, the finish is really nice and looks like 'factory'!

 

 

 

Then I started doing the internal side, following the same procedure.

 

 

And that is all done, looking smart!

 

 

And this is from the inside of the car, not all perfectly aligned, but good enough for me!

 

 

The inner sill is aligned at the front, but a bit higher to the rear. Should I cut the excess metal???

 

 

 

I also spot welded the floor and the heel board...

 

 

Then I removed all the screws and grinded down the plug welds. Next week I will close all the holes...

 

 

 

And the last thing I did today was to align the floor panel and the tunnel, using screws.  This will define the line where I will cut the floor panel, making sure they are both in contact.

 

 

 

And from inside, the cutting line will be above the screws...

 

 

And that was all for this weekend. I guess in the next couple of weeks this half floor should be done and dusted!

 

Have a great week all!

 

Victor.

[colinf1]

Great job! Looks fantastic!

I would try on a door seal to see if fully seats on the part with the excess material, if it doesn't the grind it down slightly..

I think I'm almost out of gas too, may need to change over to gasless wire for the final few bits of welding...

[Viktor]

Finished work earlier today and went to the garage for some time.

 

I cut the floor panel along the line with the central tunnel

 

 

Then I started preparing some copper plates to put under the panels, to ensure I'm not cuting holes when welding. These are 10cm long and have a small indent to fit between welding clamps

 

 

This is how it should work

 

 

And then I tried it on the car. The gap between panels is covered by the copper plate and it is fixed into position with the clamps

 

 

This is from inside

 

 

This is just a test fit, as I still need to clean the tunnel from paint and K-Rust before welding, but I think it would work.

 

I will find out this weekend!

 

Cheers.

 

Victor.

Edited by Viktor, 08 November 2022 - 06:44 PM.

[Jarvis_SPI]

Clever idea with the clamps holding the copper inplace, might have to steal that one 

[colinf1]

That looks very clever indeed, hopefully it helps prevent blowing through! Looking forward to seeing the result!

[Viktor]

Thank you both! Really appreciate the comments.  I think it would also help with panel distortion, as the copper plate should hold both panels tight together.  That's the theory, let's see what happens!

 

Victor.

[stuart bowes]

Should also reduce edges blowing out too much, and the weld building up a lot on the other side , interested to see how it goes 

[stuart bowes]

I wouldn't have thought panel distortion would be much of a risk what with the big dip pressed into it right nearby, that'll give you a lot of rigidity

[StefanMini]

Great project, good too see that your welding skills are improved a lot.

[Viktor]

Thanks Stefan, indeed I feel a bit more confident about my welding skills. Today was a clear example of this. I did the welding along the central tunnel and the result is quite satisfactory. Some photos of the process...

 

First of all I cleaned the area from paint and K-Rust, leaving all clear metal on both sides.

 

 

 

Then I did a few more copper plates from the standard 23mm tube

 

 

Then I used the clamps and the copper plates to align and fix the panels

 

 

 

And finally I started welding. Overall quite satisfied about the welds, quite solid and with good penetration. The copper plates really helped to get the welding under control, and avoided cutting holes in the panels. I alternated the slots, to avoid overheating and distortion.

 

 

 

From left to right, I tried to overlap the previous weld with the next one to ensure full coverage and penetration.

 

 

That is all done, with the clamps removed.

 

 

Looking reasonable good from underneath

 

 

Now to weld the gaps, I fixed the copper plates with magnets.

 

 

And that is all welded now!

 

 

 

Also welded the rear corner

 

 

And also welded all the holes I did to fix the panel in place with screws.

 

 

 

I have quite a lot to grind down tomorrow. My neighbours are going to be so pleased about it! ;)

 

 

Very satisfied about today. Let's see if I can get it done tomorrow, so I can say half of the floor is all done!

 

Victor

Edited by Viktor, 12 November 2022 - 06:36 PM.

[sonscar]

That looks very nice,well done,Steve..

[colinf1]

Very good progress Victor, one side down , one to go.

Did you get any interference when welding with the magnets that close?