Replacing an Isetta floorpan.

[AndyL]

So I decided to bite the bullet and order up a new floor for my car.

By the time I'd finished picking around at the pitting in front floor, it had so many holes it could double up as a colander. If I try and plug them up with weld, I think the resulting shrinkage will make the floor look like a relief map of the Pennines!

The rear section was okay to be honest, two areas around the spare wheel well required plating, but apart from that not too bad. However I'd have saved about thirty quid buying just a front floor section, and to be honest the floor pans from Germany look mint.

So whilst I'm waiting for floor to swim its way across the channel, I've been giving some thought as to best practice for fitting it.

I have a couple of areas on the wheel tubs to make good, but apart from that, the surrounding steel looks okay. I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to tack in a length of box steel to brace the firewall before chopping out the old pan, this should keep everything jigged in place nicely.

Anyone else got some tips that has done this job before?

[Bob Purton]

I havnt done an Isetta floor but when I replaced the floor in my Schmitt I was advised to rather than just start welding up and going all the way round, to stitch it every inch or so first and then weld up fairly short sections at a time [baring in mind they were spot welded originally], alternating from side to side and this will prevent all kinds of distortion problems. It worked for me.
Recently I had to fabricate a pair of steel table tops and mount a pair of Super Marine Spitfire instrument panels in them, one Mk2 and the other a Seafire. My first attempt resulted in lots of distortion and had to start again. Using the method outlined above, the second attempt resulted in a good straight one with no distortion. Food for thought.

[AndyL]

The floor will be completely spot welded, as it's basically a completely new panel, so no seam or even stitch welding will be required.

One of the attractions of fitting a complete new pan over a part floor was that it wouldn't require a fairly large seam weld from either side of the battery box to the car sides.

[Bob Purton]

Even better!

[AndyL]

This is what the new floor panels look like. The cut out will need to be extended for the Girling master cylinder, other than that a direct fit.



My holey floor.



Rear floor and battery box okay



Apart from the spare wheel area. Notice the crack in the firewall over to the right.



Wheel tubs need a little work near the floor edge, but I've seen much worse.





Usual parcel shelf butchery



Corrosion around rear pillars.





Front wing corrosion. Actually not too bad.



Few other small areas around the body, but overall the makings of a decent shell.

[AndyL]

Shiny new floor turned up today. Lovely panel, just like a factory original, minus the tin worm!



Also got a part panel to fill that hole in the parcel shelf. My plan is to still have an access hatch there, but looking like it was something BMW intended rather than an attack by Freddie Krueger!