bainzy
Member
- Messages
- 34
- Location
- Yorkshire UK
Hi all, I'm posting to ask for some advice. I'm restoring a Triumph Spitfire and one of the next jobs on my list is to clean up the old floorpan on one side, in preparation to start figuring out how the inner, outer sills and strengthener could fit properly.
The restoration is to improve upon a previous restoration, and as you might expect all the issues so far have been from where non-OE panels were used. I have all original panels to replace the sills, but I know from the experience of others that they won't sit right if the floor pans have an excessively shallow lip. The original floor pans had a 3/4" deep lip for the sill strengthener and outer sill to be spot welded to, where as mine are like most repros and only extend 1/2" down below the floor. If I just went ahead with this, the sill would want to sit too high thus changing the curvature and the gap under the the door.
How would you recommend extending the flange? It's going to have to be a long continuous weld so I'm a bit hestitant to just go in and start anywhere. There are also some raised remnants from the previous owner's plug welding on the flange, though I don't think these would be difficult to grind back without thinning out the flange.
Common sense suggests to me don't just extend the old flange by 1/4", as that will require a lot of heat to be put into an extremely thin strip of new 1/4" wide metal. But then would it be better to cut quite high up the flange, taking most of it off, and hope that being near a corner helps to prevent warping the floor panel?
In my head I've discounted forming an L shaped panel and cutting into the floor itself, because preserving the precise width of the floor is important and these are already okay in that regard. I could do this if it was the best option though. The inner sill in the photo was just there for trial fit, it has not been welded down to the floor or cross member.
p.s. appreciate the photo above of my own car doesn't really show the shape of the floor panel very well. In case you aren't familiar with this car, here's a photo of someone else's Spitfire showing the shiny silver floor panel:
Any advice would be very appreciated.
The restoration is to improve upon a previous restoration, and as you might expect all the issues so far have been from where non-OE panels were used. I have all original panels to replace the sills, but I know from the experience of others that they won't sit right if the floor pans have an excessively shallow lip. The original floor pans had a 3/4" deep lip for the sill strengthener and outer sill to be spot welded to, where as mine are like most repros and only extend 1/2" down below the floor. If I just went ahead with this, the sill would want to sit too high thus changing the curvature and the gap under the the door.
How would you recommend extending the flange? It's going to have to be a long continuous weld so I'm a bit hestitant to just go in and start anywhere. There are also some raised remnants from the previous owner's plug welding on the flange, though I don't think these would be difficult to grind back without thinning out the flange.
Common sense suggests to me don't just extend the old flange by 1/4", as that will require a lot of heat to be put into an extremely thin strip of new 1/4" wide metal. But then would it be better to cut quite high up the flange, taking most of it off, and hope that being near a corner helps to prevent warping the floor panel?
In my head I've discounted forming an L shaped panel and cutting into the floor itself, because preserving the precise width of the floor is important and these are already okay in that regard. I could do this if it was the best option though. The inner sill in the photo was just there for trial fit, it has not been welded down to the floor or cross member.
p.s. appreciate the photo above of my own car doesn't really show the shape of the floor panel very well. In case you aren't familiar with this car, here's a photo of someone else's Spitfire showing the shiny silver floor panel:
Any advice would be very appreciated.