Is a new floor going to cost me an arm and a leg?

Post by **brit** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 4:25 pm

just curious to how much a whole new floor will cost me? *bare in mind I can get the welding done on the cheap* just on average *im pretty worried bout this one

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 4:52 pm

The prices from E.S.M. are as follows:

floor half without sills: £38 a side
floor half with sills: £48.95 a side

floor 1/4 front: £13.95
floor 1/4 rear: £14.95

for any more info look at:

http://www.morrisminorspares.co.uk/

Post by **brit** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 5:08 pm

Thanks cam muchly apreciated

Post by **Chris Morley** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 6:01 pm

I take it that you received the bad news when you got your moggie looked at?

Who looked at it - a MOT examiner?

A whole floor replacement is not a quick and easy process - I guess 20 - 30 hours work for a skilled restorer. The cheapest price I know is £800 + VAT, labour charges being most of the cost. However it might not need all the work doing at once - usually the driver's side is worse.

Post by **brit** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 7:00 pm

£800? *begins to dig grave and lines it with his big welsh flag* there's 2 reasons this sucks, firstly because i payed £850 for the car and secondly because my dad was right

, The guy who looked at it was a friend of my dads who works in a garage down the road and has owned a few mogs. All I can say or think at the moment is my dad was wrong in saying the sub frame had gone

Post by **Willie** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 7:39 pm

You need a more precise check. If your sill sections are in
good condition and only the floor needs changing then,as Cam
has indicated, the cost is not too bad,especially as you 'know
a welder' but if the sills need replacement too then you are in
expensive territory.

Post by **brit** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 7:42 pm

I just went out there then to check the bits he's marked and from what I can tell there all the sills *no markings on middle or near middle sections* just say around the jacking points and stuff *I think thats what there called* I'm pretty worried

*worried but determined*

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 9:03 pm

You might find that plating might be the most cost effective answer. It all depends on whether you want a show winner or not.

To be honest, replacing the entire floor is a bit drastic unless the car is a complete basket case, which I very much doubt if it passed last year's MOT.

Mine has patch plates welded to the floor. It's nothing to worry about, as it is just as strong (if done properly), it's just that it will not win any concourse events!!

My personal philosophy for a car used daily is: patch it up if there is light rot until there are enough patches to warrant a replacement panel.

A good example of this is my near side chassis leg. It has a patch at the front, and one about 4 inches back from the suspension eyebolt. If any more rot holes appear then I will consider replacing the leg, but up until then it is fine (and strong!).

Get someone who knows about welding cars to have a look see. It may not be as bad as all that.

With respect to your dad, I would not take his advice to the letter as Minors don't have subframes, so I don't know what he was looking at!

One last point. Just because you paid £850 for the car, does not mean that £850 is all that is worth spending on it. Mine cost £1800 and up to now (including car purchase) I have spent over £6500 on it!! and next year I plan to spend some more!

even so, I still had to do some welding for this years MOT!!! It all depends on what YOU value the car as being worth.

Post by **Daddsie** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 10:05 pm

Cam is right, patch, patch and patch again, if you are cutting out to clean metal and not plating over, the pain will be reduced for many years.

Post by **dennis** » Fri Jun 06, 2003 10:10 pm

yes i can see what you mean about patching, but surely in the long run, unless you can do it yourself, it is better to replace the floor maybe and be done with it.
i had the floors done inmy van 5 years ago, a one off price and no worries for years to come.

Post by **brit** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 1:20 am

Well dennis just knocked me right off my high horse *No real offense ment there* just reading what cam and ppl wrote made me feel so happy then bam! doh!, from what I can figure I can get away with just patching it up so it'll all be ok

thanks for the help guys

Post by **Chris Morley** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 1:54 am

Dennis is right, but a thousand pounds is a lot of money in one go. If you can get away with £300 - £400 worth of welding to get through the MOT then go for it - my philosophy (like Cam's) is use your Minor and patch it when necessary. The only thing I would say is don't take it to a bodyshop advertising MOT welding, because they will only weld a patch on top, creating a rust sandwich. These won't last long and will be a real waste of money. The ideal is to cut away the rotten metal and butt weld a repair patch to the sound metal. This will do you for years. A good Minor specialist will do this (I'm lucky that Chertsey Minors will do excellent repairs of this nature). Unfortunately I don't know of any specialists near you

.

Other postings, mainly in 'bodywork' have covered this subject before in great depth. Read the old posts, get a restoration book and look in the technical tips section of the MMOC website - this will give you an idea of the important areas which must be rust-free. You can soon become an expert if you read enough. Don't be afraid to get under the car and prod the floorpan - if there are holes, or the metal feels like eggshells being crushed then the metal is kaput. You may find only a few patches are necessary to get an MOT ticket...

Post by **Cam** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 10:36 am

Dennis,

If brit can get the welding done cheap, then it will be a lot cheaper (short term) to patch it, but like you say, in the long run it would be better to replace the entire floor. But after a bit of prodding by brit, it seems like that is not needed in this case after all!

Chris,

Yes, ALWAYS cut the old rotten metal out, and keep cutting until you get to solid metal. You HAVE to do this for a butt joint as you can't make a rot sandwich with a butt joint. What a lot of 'MOT welding specialists' do is to just tack a plate (lap joint) over the rust, which not only creates a rust sandwich, but is not structurally sound as they only tack it in a few places, and if the area was under stress, then the plate would either ping off or just rip the welds out.

I have seen the actual welding by these people and it is absolutely shocking to say the least, very messy and not structurally sound, but it's surprising what will pass an MOT! It just has to withstand a few taps with the testing hammer and it is OK!!!

I always seam weld everything to ensure strength and make sure that the weld penetrates both the original metal and the plate to ensure strength. Even if it takes 4 times as long it is still worth it.

For underbody work I always us lap joints as they are stronger (but not as pretty) as butt joints. For visible areas I always use butt joints - I use intergrips to hold the piece in place which also creates a gap to ensure good penetration.

Post by **brit** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 1:04 pm

Thanks for all the info guys I'm learning the joys of owning a classic car, It's a bit like having a girlfriend to me cos sometimes I just wanna go crazy at it but I know I love it in the end *reffering to the car not a girl as an *it* and from what I can tell their always craving new things which you pay for out of your pocket

Post by **Cam** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 1:34 pm

Yep, classics can be harsh mistresses at times!!

Especially when you have to maul your exhaust off in the dark and the rain!!

But when you are cruising down a leafy country lane on a warm sunny day, or when you are at a Minor meeting chatting to other like minded folks, it is well worth the trouble and effort.

Post by **brit** » Sat Jun 07, 2003 2:05 pm