Colin Lindsay Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 Just a quick query to see if anyone knows about the availability of complete rear floorpans for Heralds; mine are driving me up the walls. I really am on the point of giving up with the rear tub. It's one I bought from a well-known restorer / supplier quite a few years ago, he brought it over to me when he was visiting a local show, and I remember asking for a replacement rear tub for an early Herald that would be better than the one I already had, NOT one that I would have to almost completely replace before it was useable. It's not so much the fact that the wheel arches look to have been patched by a home-restorer and even the wings are on incorrectly so that the rear quarter valences stick out at odd angles, it's the fact that the bits in between the currently available repair sections are patched, welded like Frankenstein's monster, and cracked or split in other places. The inch-thick underseal is covering a nightmare of patches, flat steel sheet and jigsaw-like zig-zags of weld and the more I delve, the more I find. The (almost) final straw tonight is the large split straight across where the floor-mounted seatbelt bracket fits - I don't relish the idea of trusting my life to a patched area of metal. The best option is to replace the entire floor or a large part of it in one go, but the Mac is messing me about tonight and won't show photographs when I search online. Does anyone still make rear floors, other than just the repair sections which I've already got and aren't for these areas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 Aside from the split portion below the body mounting bracket, that doesn’t look too bad, and you’ve seen the state of the tub on my Herald. Given the lack of repair panels for many of these areas it’s not too surprising it looks a little Frankenstein, but as long as the welds themselves are good, you can always grind them down to improve the look. The section that has split should be an easy enough fix for a half decent welder as it’s not an overly complex shape to fabricate. As for strength, the weld should be stronger than the original metal, so again shouldn’t be an issue. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 12 hours ago, Bordfunker said: Aside from the split portion below the body mounting bracket, that doesn’t look too bad, and you’ve seen the state of the tub on my Herald. Given the lack of repair panels for many of these areas it’s not too surprising it looks a little Frankenstein, but as long as the welds themselves are good, you can always grind them down to improve the look. The section that has split should be an easy enough fix for a half decent welder as it’s not an overly complex shape to fabricate. As for strength, the weld should be stronger than the original metal, so again shouldn’t be an issue. Karl Karl, you've no idea how much that has cheered me up. It seems I've been taking off old underseal for weeks, and the more I remove the more patches I find. I needed to photograph that area for an article on seatbelts and when I saw it again I realised that I had forgotten, or blanked out, the state of it, especially where those two holes are for the floor-mounted seatbelt loops. In fact there are four holes and a long split. I'll phone my bodyworker later this morning and get him round for an appraisal. That should empty the wallet somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 8, 2020 Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 Colin, glad that has made you feel better about your tub. Given that these panels were formed on high pressure presses, replicating a complete panel would be very difficult, and therefore it is much easier to build them up a section at a time, an approach that I note Chic Doig use on some of their replacement sections. Therefore, as long as it’s all properly seam welded, not an issue for bodywork. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 They can be made, but it's way beyond me.... I can live with the other areas, but that part around the seatbelt mounts isn't available from anyone, and that was causing me the most worry. I have all of the other repair sections (all Chic Doig) and I'll ask the bodyworker when he arrives if it's worth replacing those, or if a general tidy-up will be just as good (and certainly cheaper). One of the rear wings has been fitted incorrectly so the boot side closing panel is home-made, and totally wrong, and the quarter valence won't line up on that side. I'm also missing the lip at the rear of the wheelarch on that side and part of the boot floor is sheet steel, so it's not as tidy as I'd prefer it. I suppose, looking on the bright side, that it is rust-free... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyn wright Posted October 8, 2020 Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 Hi "Chick Doig" has new Front Floor Plans, He might have the rear?? Cheers Martyn Just checked they are £55 plus delivery for a Kidney shape not a complete one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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