As I dive head first into the sheet metal work on the front end of my 71 Series 3, I’ve pulled out the bulkhead toe panels. They came out and are in good shape. The foot well on the passenger side is rough but the driver side is in better shape.
Right behind the bulkhead toe panel, there is a backing flange that seems to be a stiffener for the front of the footwells. Does anyone have a template, measurements or anything for these? I will be likely forming them myself unless there is a source for them
Thanks
Many people have the bulkheads but I do not need those. There is a 1/2" flange of sorts that helps align the bulkheads and also appears to act as stiffeners.
John. I will have a stab at this for you. I am only familiar with the series 1 body style so I may be totally out to lunch but here goes. I have taken a screen shot of your photo and labelled the three arrows. At #1 there should be a flange about 1/2 inch back from the edge and 1/2 inch high that extends most of the width of the opening. #2 and #3 appear to me to be the remnants of the flanges that make up the edge of the x panel (toe board) in those areas. Does that make any sense to you?
The toe board came out completely intact. There was a flange, for lack of a better word around the perimeter of the opening.
It is not big deal. I’ve got the rust areas cut out and will fabricate a replacement section. Once it is installed, I’ll bend up some 1/2" angle and tack it in there before putting the bulkhead back into place.
I am lucky that the rust is isolated to the far front of the footwell. Although it will not be the same as it came from the factory, it will be solid and hidden by carpet on the interior.
Hello Johnny,
What’s missing at the area indicated by the Red Ellipse in the following picture is the part shown in the picture further down, Martin Robey Part MRE010BLH, as identified by Kris. It’s available direct from Robey, or via SNG Barratt and others.
The following picture shows the part missing in the area indicated in the picture above and is rather important, as its the support structure for the Front Left Jacking Point and area where the Lower, Outer Leg of the LH Engine Frame attaches.
The missing part at the top of your picture is part of the Pedal Box Support Structure (for LHD Cars) See the following picture. I would be surprised if the whole of this structure is missing on your car, as the cars were made ambidextrous for L and RHD configuration on the assembly line. I suspect you have inadvertently cut the front Tab off when cutting the Foot Well Closing panel out.
For the missing piece at the top of your Foot Well Closing Panel opening, make a replacement piece, I can measure it for you tomorrow, and join it to the remainder of the Pedal Box Support Structure. I don’t believe there is a bracket, or support where you have the arrow indicating at the bottom of your picture. If you wanted to put something there, a short 90deg bend would be fine.
There was another piece across the bottom between the floor pan and the bulkhead. It was like a Z channel used for wooden siding. The bulkhead wasn’t even attached at the bottom.
Hello Johnny,
I’d suggest that the Foot Well Closing panel that you’ve removed was a replacement in earlier times for the original and the piece you describe is someone’s addition. I’ve never seen any bracket, or reinforcement piece in that location and I’ve worked on more than the odd few. I’ll take pictures from the inside of a known original car tomorrow for you.
The reinforcement bracket (Lower Mounting Bracket) shown in my earlier Post, actually has two weld nuts as part of its construction, for the inside two bolts that secures the Outer, Lower leg of the engine frame. Accordingly, when installing that part, you either have to use the engine frame, or make a fixture plate with the same hole configuration as that of the engine frame, to use as a positioning jig. Don’t just sit the Mounting Bracket in place without careful consideration for the position of the weld nut holes.
Bill and Kris, all good points. I would safely assume (as mentioned) that repairs have been done in the footwells at some point in the cars history.
To remove the bulkhead, all I did was drill out the spotwelds and grind down the welds where the panels all came together. I didn’t do any cutting to speak of but obviously someone prior to me did a lot of “work”. SMH.
I’m in the process of making a jig for the front end prior to putting it on a rotisserie so any repair parts will be attached to the jig when refitted. All part of the process.
That sounds good. This is not a good place to cobble in some random pieces due to the high stress from the frame attachments and jacking point. Assuming your tube frames have passed a close inspection and you are not planning to replace them, Might be too late now, but before taking your front tube frame apart, I would sure get the new lower mounting bracket bolted up and footwell closure panels tacked in to make sure they will bolt up to the lower frame attachment flange after all the repairs…
I used a 1/4 inch steel plate to take the place of the picture frame as a rotisserie attachment point. Used some 1/2 inch bar stock to bridge the lower mounting flanges as the front rotisserie attachment point to be used with the tube frames removed. Would send photos if interested. Go Chiefs .
Hello Johnny,
If what is shown in your picture is what was left after you removed the Foot Well Closing panel, only by drilling out the spot welds and without cutting the centre out leaving an edge around the periphery, then some Numb Nut has stuffed up the repair in the past.
As mentioned in my previous Post, there is no bracket, or support piece on the floor, behind the Foot Well Closing Panel. The New Footwell Closing Panel has a folded edge all round that is used as a gauge for depth positioning and it goes hard up against the face of the Lower Mounting Bracket; that which is missing from your car. Accordingly, its important that the Lower Mounting Bracket is installed in the correct position, every which way.
The tube frames were in great shape. Surprisingly. I’ll get the front end all braced up and proceed after this cold snap passes. 20 degree temps is no time to be working in the garage.
Hello Johnny,
Yes, we have to deal with it, but its Gob Smacking how shitty the repairs are that some carry out.
I have an S2 2+2 in work, brought to me direct from the panel shop that carried out a supposed full Nut and Bolt restoration, for the purpose of checking it out prior to an official Roadworthy Inspection. We are now in the process of replacing:
L and R Floors (full length)
Outer Sills both sides
Foot Well Closing panels, both sides
Rust sections in the lower part of the Inner Sills, both sides.
L and R rear wheel wells
Bonnet Air Ducts were installed so far to the rear that the inner mud guards were not fitted. They couldn’t be, so they were just left off.
Paint is going back to bare metal, notwithstanding that the paint is less than 3 months old.
The following picture is of the inside of a very original S3 Foot Well Closing panel showing that there is no support bracket between the floor and the FWC panel, just the seam sealer applied at the factory.
I forgot to measure the width of the flange today, but will do tomorrow. However, I’m sure that the greater part of the support panel will be present in your car and therefore, you should be able to work out how wide the flange should be from the above picture. The FWC panel has not been spot welded to this flange in the many I’ve replaced. If you look at the picture of the face of this flange in my first Post, you will see there is no evidence of the FWC panel being welded to it.
Bill, very good pics of the area in question. Very valuable to see images like that.
Don’t worry about the pedal box flange width. I’ll have to bodge something together in that area due to the rust that was there prior to the “repair”. I’m not seeing a replacement available at the usual suspects.
Well, I am going to replace the front floors on both sides as well as a few other pieces. I have not dug into them yet, but the sills appear to be very solid so I don’t want to approach that can of worms unless I have to.
.
