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TR4/4A TR4A floor pan removal - easy or hard?

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tdskip

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In doing my research on how best to remove the TR4 floors it appears that they are best removed by drilling out the spot welds.

Does anyone have pictures of the various spot weld locations, or experience actually having done this?

Do you have a favorite spot weld removal tool?
 
I did a complete floor replacement on the passenger side twice (don't ask), and have yet to do the driver's side. I reinforced the door openings and took the body off the car.

The first time I used a spot weld drill bit that has a flat face to drill out some of the welds where I was concerned about retaining the metal behind where I was drilling, for everything else I use a drill bit just a little larger then the weld. You can get a spot weld bit at good parts houses, Eastwood, or Harbor Freight.

The second time, again with the body off the frame and up on saw horses, I cut the floor out with a cut off wheel, then ground the welds off. It takes some care, but goes as fast if not faster (or was it just practice). I did use the spot weld bit in places I could not get the grinder into.

If you have an air compressor that can keep up with air tools, being smaller, they're the best in my opinion.

Oh, I did the floor first, leaving the sill and rocker in place to help support the body, which gets real flexible with the floor out.
 
Man; Better You than Me:

No punt intended:

I`ve never had the "Pleasure" & I don`t believe I would undertake such a Project: Your really looking at messing around with the "Structural Integrity" of the Car; I believe?

Best Wishes; Russ /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
 
I think time-consuming rather than difficult.
I had mine done by the pro's at the bodyshop, so I may be underestimating the job!
Simon.
 
Except for the out rocker the rest of the car is pretty solid so I was hoping (please, please, please) to keep the rest of the body intact on the frame.

Am I smoking crack in holding on to the hope that I'll actually be able to do that?
 
tdskip said:
Except for the out rocker the rest of the car is pretty solid so I was hoping (please, please, please) to keep the rest of the body intact on the frame.

Am I smoking crack in holding on to the hope that I'll actually be able to do that?
Click to expand...

Well, I do not know what you are smoking, but here are the facts.

If you have enough good metal around the perimeter of the old floors, you can cut out the center, then from your new floor, cut a piece big enough to over lap the hole a 1/2 inch of so, then weld it in and seal it up.

If not, then you will need to replace the entire floor. As you will note, the floor panels have a lip which fit down behind the outer rockers. Because of this, the floors can only be replaced by lifting the body.

From what I saw of the passengers side, at least on that side there does not seem to be enough metal to form a lip, so IMO a complete floor replacement is in order.

TR4AWeldingneeds002.jpg


And here, the lip behind the rocker is partially gone.

TR4AWeldingneeds005.jpg
 
I am sorry, it was part of a much larger job of painting the car.
The floor panels cost about $250 each, maybe a similar amount for labour. Cost for prepping and painting the entire car, which I disassembled and reassembled, was $5000 including sandblasting and minor dent removal (no rust as a New Mexico shell!).
Simon.
 
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