Pigeon_Droppings2
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I usually leave a 0.9mm gap...which coincidentally is the thickness of my slit discs.
- Thread starter al1959
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It's a bit pricey but if the floors that bad, it looks like you can get the whole floor as a panel, which you could then just cut the bits out of you need. Although it's expensive it might be cheaper in the long run as you won't have to try and fabricate the strengthening ribs etc.
Likewise its worth trying the scrappies to see if you can find a decent one to cut the floor out of and use to repair yours, which again will be easier than fabricating parts.
Ford Transit MK3/4/5 1986-00 NEW Front Floor Steel Panel | Central Panels Auto Parts
www.centralpanels.co.uk
Another option to avoid loads of fabrication of complex shapes might be finding something similar, but cheaper, that you could cut bits off.
The rear floor sections got strengthening ribs which if you got lucky might be similar in shape and size to the front floor which you could then cut up and weld in as sections.
Ford Transit MK3/4/5 1986-00 NEW Rear Centre Floor Steel Panel LWB | Central Panels Auto Parts
www.centralpanels.co.uk
That's no problem. Treat your Mrs to a few nights away in the van before you cut the floor out of it. Just don't tell her the final destination until you've picked up your new panel, by which time it'll be too late for her to do anything about, and she'll have had a nice holiday anyway.
My old man used to do it all the time. "Come on luv, let's have a few days away"......... "Oh while we're here we"ll just have a look at this motorbike/car/pile of scrap".
Although now I think about it, this might explain why they got divorced, so it might be best to ignore my advice.
How long have you got until the next MOT?
Were there any advisories about rust last year?
You might want to look up "spot weld drill" and "thin chisel" in the Search box on this Forum. These are tools that are used to cleanly split apart panels that have been spot-welded together. You may have to do this, e.g. to get the turret tops off.
Were there any advisories about rust last year?
You might want to look up "spot weld drill" and "thin chisel" in the Search box on this Forum. These are tools that are used to cleanly split apart panels that have been spot-welded together. You may have to do this, e.g. to get the turret tops off.
Smallfry
HE's Spartacus.
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Could get away with this back in the day. Concrete also !Bit of mesh some fiberglass filler and some hammerite MOT in a can.
job done.
8ob
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Bit of mesh some fiberglass filler and some hammerite MOT in a can.
job done.
Had a mini years ago, previous owner had made /fitted a sill using timber and gagged it in underseal. that made the mot guy chuckle.
Bob
I've got a yr 2000 LDV Convoy. I got into welding (& tapped into the wealth of knowledge here) due to the disintegrating van 
LDV's rust nearly as much as Transits do, & consequently my van has more plates in it than a Banquet Dinner Service.
As has been said - getting started & making those first cuts (& then going "how big is that hole I just made!") is hardest. After that it's just practice & perseverance.
My welding is functional but not pretty like the good guys manage... but that's not always a bad thing, as the MoT guy can see it's been welded, not bodged with glassfibre (anyway, flap discs & a power finger file are your friends!) .
Virtually no panels available for my Convoy, so it's a case of having to make your own repairs. I've made a whole new inner rear wheel-well, and about a 600mm section of chassis rail, footwear, inner arches, step etc etc.
I've also used gasless wire a fair bit as I've had to weld the van outside in the draught (I was using E71-TGS flux core wire, very common & seemed to work well).
LDV's rust nearly as much as Transits do, & consequently my van has more plates in it than a Banquet Dinner Service.
As has been said - getting started & making those first cuts (& then going "how big is that hole I just made!") is hardest. After that it's just practice & perseverance.
My welding is functional but not pretty like the good guys manage... but that's not always a bad thing, as the MoT guy can see it's been welded, not bodged with glassfibre (anyway, flap discs & a power finger file are your friends!) .
Virtually no panels available for my Convoy, so it's a case of having to make your own repairs. I've made a whole new inner rear wheel-well, and about a 600mm section of chassis rail, footwear, inner arches, step etc etc.
I've also used gasless wire a fair bit as I've had to weld the van outside in the draught (I was using E71-TGS flux core wire, very common & seemed to work well).
MetalMonkey
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I'd offer a slightly different approach that's worked well for me - first clean back the paint so you can see where the rust ends and the good steel begins. Get to both sides if possible and don't be afraid to give it some serious poking with a screwdriver as a lot of trouble can hide behind paint and underseal.
Don't cut anything out of the vehicle yet, make your repair patch the approximate size and shape, and then use the existing area on the car to form the final shape.
It sometimes it also helps to drill a couple of locating holes through both panels so you can realign the patch every time you remove it for dollying.
This way you will get a much more accurate shape, and can have a few attempts without any danger of messing up the van. Basically you aren't disturbing anything until you have the replacement bit ready to go and always a factory reference point as you are shaping it.
Once you are happy with the fit of the patch, then you can use your patch to mark around and cut out the old panel to match.
Don't cut anything out of the vehicle yet, make your repair patch the approximate size and shape, and then use the existing area on the car to form the final shape.
It sometimes it also helps to drill a couple of locating holes through both panels so you can realign the patch every time you remove it for dollying.
This way you will get a much more accurate shape, and can have a few attempts without any danger of messing up the van. Basically you aren't disturbing anything until you have the replacement bit ready to go and always a factory reference point as you are shaping it.
Once you are happy with the fit of the patch, then you can use your patch to mark around and cut out the old panel to match.
well i went to the scrappy this morning and non of the transits have a floor shape like mine, the full floor panel on line which awas mentioned earlier is pick up only so that out as well.
i sanded back the floor to shiny metal which shows a lot of pitting, would i still need to cut that out and weld plates in, a few photos to show you here.
i sanded back the floor to shiny metal which shows a lot of pitting, would i still need to cut that out and weld plates in, a few photos to show you here.
eddie49
9 months to the mot, nothing on the advisories for rust but did say there was heavy underseal, a previous owner had £700 worth of welding done in 2019 as receipts show . i will have a look at the drill etc you mentioned but would it not be easier patching around it if the top is solid rather put a new one on and still have to weld that one on?
9 months to the mot, nothing on the advisories for rust but did say there was heavy underseal, a previous owner had £700 worth of welding done in 2019 as receipts show . i will have a look at the drill etc you mentioned but would it not be easier patching around it if the top is solid rather put a new one on and still have to weld that one on?
Looking at your top strut mount - the top section does indeed look intact & solid - it's the wing under-around it that's kaput.
I'd be tempted to strip out the suspension unit & see if you could weld in new steel from inside the wheel-well and under/to the existing top cap for the strut.
I'd be tempted to strip out the suspension unit & see if you could weld in new steel from inside the wheel-well and under/to the existing top cap for the strut.
weldingnovice
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Hit it with a hammer (small)
20 Oz ish.
See what shakes loose
20 Oz ish.
See what shakes loose
