Cars that came with heavy ribbed/structural floor pans

I thought I would pick your collective brains re vehicles that have a heavilly ribbed floor pan that will have el cheapo repros...

I'm gearing up to do the body drop on the nsu.. the floor pan is mega structural and has ribbing the whole way.. I could buy some repop nsu floor pans, but due to the way the car will be after I'm done, I will have to but weld all the floor to extend it 3" or so.. I figure it would be a lot easier just to remove all the floor and put in a floor from another car cut to length as long as it was ribbed enough..

Any ideas?

Cheers,

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

I can't think of anything that meets your criteria. Most all floors are a stamped pan with a stiffener added in each footwell. The strength comes from the tunnel and rear seat bump up. Heavy ribbed sounds like a pu truck box or van floor.

Unless your floor is ruined I would just add metal where needed. Also I wouldn't butt weld (unless restoring a collector car). Overlap the joints and weld. You can buy flanging pliers to make that a breeze.

hudson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought I would pick your collective brains re
> vehicles that have a heavilly ribbed floor pan
> that will have el cheapo repros...
>
> I'm gearing up to do the body drop on the nsu..
> the floor pan is mega structural and has ribbing
> the whole way.. I could buy some repop nsu floor
> pans, but due to the way the car will be after I'm
> done, I will have to but weld all the floor to
> extend it 3" or so.. I figure it would be a lot
> easier just to remove all the floor and put in a
> floor from another car cut to length as long as it
> was ribbed enough..
>
> Any ideas?

Saab 96, of course. Finding a new part...well as far as i know I used the last in North America, imported more but no NLA.
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> Andrew McNally
> Hamilton, ON
> 29

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

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heymagic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can't think of anything that meets your
> criteria. Most all floors are a stamped pan with a
> stiffener added in each footwell. The strength
> comes from the tunnel and rear seat bump up. Heavy
> ribbed sounds like a pu truck box or van floor.
>
> Unless your floor is ruined I would just add metal
> where needed. Also I wouldn't butt weld (unless
> restoring a collector car). Overlap the joints and
> weld. You can buy flanging pliers to make that a
> breeze.


Gene,

Thanks! I don't know how I didn't think of van/truck beds before. That's basically what this is, just a lighter gauge.

That gives me something to ponder about.

I have a pneumatic punch / flange tool.. love it

I've attached a picture of what the floor is like.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

john vanlandingham Wrote:
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> Saab 96, of course. Finding a new part...well as
> far as i know I used the last in North America,
> imported more but no NLA.

Hmm, I wonder if that would be wide enough.

More stuff for the pipe

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

The floor of a pickup truck bed?

flat and wide and comes in all sizes (mini truck to full size)

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-Jason

Maybe VW beetle? Lots of repo stuff, pretty cheap too.

http://www.jbugs.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=JBUGS&Product_Code=3551&Category_Code=1081

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Opel is a 4-letter word...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10498579@N07/sets/

lots of ribs, but they're plastic.

http://philison.users4.50megs.com/images/Mehari/inside5.jpg

randyzimmer Wrote:
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> lots of ribs, but they're plastic.
>
>


Nice Citroen... Ideally I'll figure out something that has ribs roughly the right length so that I don't have to cap them all.. got lots of time to figure it out thankfully. I wonder if the old 2CV pickups could have something that's perfect

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

I haven't checked and I may be wrong but aren't VW Van floors reinforced? I had a '72 and I remember seeing a ridged floor.

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2015 Subaru WRX
Traded the Audi for the above
Sold the 1993 Honda Civic EG w/B16A Conversion to the Raw Racing boys
6 bicycles because, you know, global warming and all

Mini floorpans are ribbed but are probably too narrow.

I like the domestic pickup bed idea, probably as close to you as the local auto body supply store, or scrapyard.

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Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

Dodge Ram 350 has some serious floorboards.

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First Rally: 2010 First RallyX: 2004 (a bunch)
Driver (0), Co-Driver (7)
Organizer (3), Volunteer (3)
Cars Built (2.5), Engines Blown (2) Cages Built (0) # of rotations (3.5)
Last Updated, Apr 9, 2023

Gravity Fed Wrote:
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> Dodge Ram 350 has some serious floorboards.
>
> -------------
> "The beatings will continue until moral improves"


What year? We're talking about the van?

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

i was speaking truck models. Not sure about van. They are heavy gauge but lighter on the "ridges". Hard to find a picture of what i mean. But thinking about it, not sure if it would be practical.

---

First Rally: 2010 First RallyX: 2004 (a bunch)
Driver (0), Co-Driver (7)
Organizer (3), Volunteer (3)
Cars Built (2.5), Engines Blown (2) Cages Built (0) # of rotations (3.5)
Last Updated, Apr 9, 2023

Andrew,

I have a Toyota pick up bed sitting in my driveway. It's blue and has a perfect corrogated floor in it. I am about to cut it up for scrap. Interested?

How large is the section that you need?

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Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.