On Mon, 10 Mar 1997 17:18:17 -0500 (EST) FunE4MG@aol.com writes:
> ..... My floorboard rails are pretty rotten ..... wondering if it would
be a big crime to re-weld angle iron in and then mount a honeycomb
aluminum floor plate in place of the wood. ..... <
You need not bother. The plywood floor is one thing you can easily do a
lot better than the original. Of course you still have to repair the
angle rails, but then if you use marine grade plywood it ought to last
forever. When I did mine I used plain old CDX exterior grade roof
sheeting, but 1/2" thick. (I think the original was 3/8").
Cut the sheets to fit and drill all the holes first. Then soak it with
Thompson wood sealer, both sides and all the edges and holes. Just brush
it into the grain until it won't hold any more, two or three heavy coats
with a day or two to dry between coats. After it's dry, brush on a
couple of coats of black enamel. Then seal it all into place with
silicone-latex caulk, black caulking is a nice touch. And be sure to
fill the gaps around the edges so you never have standing water between
the wood and metal.
I did mine this way nearly 20 years ago. It's been on the road now for
11 years and 95,000 miles including lots of rain and some snow too. The
seats are half worn out, the carpet is shot, worn through in places and
looking like rags, but the floorboards still look like new.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
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