Hi all,

This is probably mainly a question for Craig, but I bet lots of people have experience with this. I'm ordering the floors I need for my 122S from Olof so I'm thinking about how to put them in. I've been practicing MIG welding on scrap sheet metal and I think that part will go okay now.

So my question is around cutting the floors of my car. I've got a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade that works pretty well, as well as an angle grinder. Any tips on how to cut out the floors and then fit the floor pans I'm buying?

There is a small area in the passenger side front and a large area in the driver's side rear that need replacing.

I'm guessing that it's dangerous to cut the car floors to exactly the size I need for the pans because if I screw it up I have no room for error. I'm thinking for the front, since most of the floor is okay, I'll just cut out the part that's rusted through. In the back, almost the entire driver's side floor is swiss cheese so I'll have to replace it all. I don't have access to plasma, so it's going to be saws I have in my garage or something I can get pretty easily.

Thanks,
Dustin

i found the princess auto air body saw worked amazingly for the job! You do have to be a bit careful because there are fuel/brake lines running near the tunnel on the drivers side.

The trick is to see what the panels look like when you get them. If they have the correct spot weld flanges then I am always tempted to just cut away the original part and replace it. For the floor sections that you describe as being "Swiss cheese", that would be what I would do. I would then patch the other side if they are not all that bad.

When welding them in, don't forget a couple of things: 1. There is always unseen rust/weakness in the old panel and you'll pop holes through even if you think the metal is sound. Cut away from the rust area a couple of inches to minimize this problem.
2. Always try to use a copper heat sink (have a buddy over, convince the wife it is a good idea).
3. Seam seal all welds AFTER they have been epoxy primed.
4. Don't try to weld over rust, paint, undercoating, or around fuel lines.
5. Take pictures.

Thanks for those reminders Craig and Rockmonton.

I'll wait to get the pans and see what they look like. I bought some copper pipe like you recommended, and I've got a few little kids around here who love holding stuff for me when I work on cars. I've been practicing my welds without a heat sink since I found it a lot harder.

I spent tonight chasing down why my fog lights don't work on my 'nice' 122. It turned out it was a burnt fuse, and I didn't squint hard enough in my dim garage to notice that it was blown. While poking around with a voltmeter I managed to cause a short and burn out a second fuse. The only good thing about that is it led me back to the fusebox and I noticed that the original one was burnt.

Hahahah on the melted fuses. I've been chasing-down electrical problems on my wagon for 3 or 4 nights recently.... Almost got everything in working-order, then we will see what other #$%&@*!! happens when I try to drive it.

J

Electrical problems scare me.

Edit: Olof has been away. He's back now and won't have any replacement floor metal until at least the end of the month.

Does anyone have another source for this stuff? I'm going to try Swedish treasures next, but if there are any other recommendations let me know.

i may have a set in the garage you may be able to borrow (Can't remember if i've got the 122 or 544 ones) but you've gotta note that they aren't dished like the stock ones, they're all just flat pieces of sheet with some bead rolls in them to give some strength. I'd almost say it might be easier/cheaper to make your own.

That's super nice of you, thanks. I think I'm going to try to patch the front, which isn't that bad. The way my summer is going, by the time I'm done that I can order the back seat pan.

Dustin