Once upon a time I was a New Yorker, born and raised. In 1978 I bought my
3rd TR6, and repaired the rusty floorboards with a temporary fiberglas patch
job. I used the rust converter and sealed up it up tight. That car stayed
with me for many years and I never thought about the floors again. I towed
that car behind the U-Haul in 1984 when we moved to Texas, and sometime in
1992, while on a TR club trip, we hit a Texas sized downpour. At speed, I
hit a section with about 6 inches of floodwater which turned the TR6 into an
Amphicar, and I felt the floor rise up under my feet. 14 years for that
temporary patch.
Bob Kramer
rgk@flash.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Miller <millerb@netusa1.net>
To: Jeff McNeal <jmcneal@ohms.com>; Spitfire List <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Cc: Triumph List <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 7:48 PM
Subject: RE: Temporary Fiberglass Footwells?
>
> Jeff,
>
> Back in 1984 I "boat glassed" the floor board of my '76 vega GT. I first
> treated it with some "magic" German chemical that changed rusty metal into
> some inert black epoxy stuff. Then I glassed both front floorboards (only
> the drivers side needed it) When I parked the vega out in the barn
several
> years ago, I pulled the carpet to check the floorboards, "just for fun"
> Still looked like the day when I did it back in 84. And very solid. As
far
> as adhering to the metal, who cares if your going to cut the pans out and
> replace them anyway :) If they do adhere well (and I don't think they
will
> that well, except where the epoxy actually goes through the floor) it will
> probably add to the structural stability as well :)
>
> Bill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-spitfires@autox.team.net
> [mailto:owner-spitfires@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Jeff McNeal
> Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 2:59 PM
> To: Spitfire List
> Cc: Triumph List
> Subject: Temporary Fiberglass Footwells?
>
>
>
> Hi everyone. Once I get started on one thing (like getting my seats
> reupholstered), I can't stand to just let the car sit there without
> embarking on another project. So here I go.
>
> I've removed my carpets to deal with the rotting floorpans that I've known
> about since buying the car. For reference and a look-see at what I'm
> dealing with, see:
>
> http://www.ohms.com/spitfire/seats_floors.shtml
>
>
> The good news is, the passenger side isn't nearly as bad as I thought. In
> fact, it looks pretty good with the exception of a small area of
> rust-through in the footwell that I'm going to patch with fiberglass until
I
> have both floorpans removed and replaced. I really don't have to replace
> the passenger side, but I think that I would be better served in the long
> run by doing both.
>
> In the meantime, the driver's side footwell is a real fright. Lots of
decay
> and I'm not even sure what's holding up what's left of the rusted metal
> besides the undercoating beneath it. I know that I could cut out some
sheet
> metal and pop rivet around the sides as a temporary fix until my body man
> has the time to do the job, but I think I'd rather apply fiberglass in the
> well itself, up over the lip in front and over the lip of the transmission
> hump and to really seal things and provide a strong footwell in the
> meantime. I DON'T want to make it difficult for the body man to remove it
> when it comes time to replace the floors, however.
>
> I'm really afraid to drive the car even temporarily the way it is. I'm
> afraid my foot could go right through that brittle, crumbling mess. So
> here's my question: Is it possible to line the footwell area with a
> substance that the fiberglass resin will dry against, but not adhere to?
> Sort of like greasing the cake pan, if you will. Or using wax paper. I'd
> like to create a snug fiberglass "insert" that I can use, but easily
remove
> when the time comes.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Jeff in San Diego
> '67 RHD Spitfire Mk3
>
>
>
>
>
>
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