Anyone fitted a lowered floor?

[Q Catcher]

I've bought a lowered floor for the driver's side of my SV.  Before I emabark on the task of fitting it, can anyone who's fitted one offer any tips or advise on any pitfalls encountered?

[SM25T]

I am doing just this .... in 10 days time. Will be staying to assist the expert, so will report back ... if you can wait.

[Jonathan Kay]

I can't recall a definitive guide, but there's some rivetting discussion here.

How about blogging it?

Jonathan

[Klunk]

Fitted quite a few now.  Off the top of my head and in no particular order: 

• Get the car a decent distance off the ground.  Allow a few extra inches so you can still get under when the new floor is in place.  
• If you can get hold of air riveter it will save your hands.
• Cleco pins are a necessity if you're doing this on your own.  
• Be prepared to spend some time finding the best position for the floor.  Depending on whether it's metric or imperial this varies as the floors are all the same but the chassis aren't.  You may have to 'gently' fettle the floor sides to give a good fit.
• Some people drill new holes on the tunnel side chassis rail.  However, it is fairly easy to reuse the existing holes. It just takes a little bit longer.
• Use good quality drill bits to remove rivets (4mm).  Have spare ones!
• If rivets spin when trying to drill them out, chisel them off (do not do this on the outer side skin).
• Squirt Waxoil into the chassis holes to 'trap' old rivet ends
• Use silicone sealant between the panel and the chassis rails.  
• Make sure you have enough rivets for both the underside and the internal side and back panels.
• Fill any gaps around holes, and between the outer side rail and floor, with Tiger seal to waterproof.
• You need to put part of the old floor back between the outer side skin and chassis.  You will need trim this off the floor using some snips.
• Make sure the floor is level.  Use the formed support bracket to help do this
• Do not assume the holes in the base of the floor are in the right position for the seat bolts.  This is awkward in the S3 but should be easier in the SV. Leathers are easier than Tillets
• For best results take your time 

Difficult to explain everything here, but if you have any questions i'd be happy to answer them over the phone.

Regards,

Giles

[Mechanical Moz]

In addition to the excellent post above, again in no particular order:

A couple of small G clamps or welding clamps will come in handy.

Don't drill directly above your face, at best you'll spend an hour in the evening picking swarf out of your hair although that's nothing compared to getting it in an eye.  Apologies if that's an egg sucking lesson but it's amazing how many people do this!

It is possible to use the old floor as a drilling jig for the tunnel side & front edge of the new floor, lots of careful marking -> measuring -> marking -> measuring (you get the idea) required.  I put a rivet in every 4th hole whilst doing this to keep the two aligned.

I didn't have any Cleco fasteners (despite working in an aircraft factory) but did install temporary ali rivets, which I then drilled out and replaced with the supplied steel ones during the final fitting.

I dipped each rivet in Waxoyl prior to installing to hopefully give a little corrosion resistance under the head.  Probably could've used paint instead.

Depending on the age of your car it may be worth having some black Hammerite/POR15 handy to touch up areas of flaky powder coat on the chassis tubes.

It's a job well worth doing, although in the 2 years hence I have yet to find the inclination to fit the passeneger side that I bought at the same time...

[Dorset7]

I had ARCH do mine - it took them all of an hour while I had a cuppa and a tour of the factory.

[Q Catcher]

Thank you, Giles and Moz, for the excellent help above.  And yes, SM25T, I can happily wait, especially since I now know I need to get Cleco pins and Waxoyl!

[Jerry Auton]

YHM

[SM25T]

Q Catcher ...YHM (at last)