Miks15
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 09:54 PM |
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welding a steel floor
Im using a steel floor on my car (please no cut it out and use an ali floor cmments)
and have just tacked it on so far, i was just wondering how much i need to weld it on? out and inside chassis rails? how much weld then how much gap
etc?
What have others done?
Thanks
Mikkel
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blakep82
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 09:58 PM |
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lol i'll probably get shot down for this one, someone will say its not good enough etc, however...
on my car, remember this is professionally built by SHP for racing, the chassis link bar brackets are stitch welded, i think its about a half inch
weld, half inch gap, half inch weld etc. so maybe that gives you a bit of a guide? i'll measure the proper gaps later for you
________________________
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big_wasa
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 10:00 PM |
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I bonded and rivetted my steel floor no boing here 
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Miks15
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 10:07 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
I bonded and rivetted my steel floor no boing here
considered but weldings more fun and quicker, plus im already tacked on
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chris_smith
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 10:21 PM |
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mines a stuart taylor chassis and is stitch welded about inch welds with about 1 to 2 inch gaps iirc can get pics tomorrow if ya like let me know
chris
The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows."
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Miks15
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 10:51 PM |
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is that welded on both sides of the chassis rails? or just on one side?
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AdrianH
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 10:58 PM |
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It would be interesting to get a comment from an MOT inspector if there are any on here. I had it in mind that floor panels had to be fully welded
all round when repaired so would have thought the same for original floor. How this is considered when the floor is bonded and riveted I am not
sure!
I could be talking complete rubbish and the wrong idea, but will soon be doing the floor on my build and was also doing steel.
Adrian
Why do I have to make the tools to finish the job? More time then money.
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Humbug
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 11:00 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by AdrianH
It would be interesting to get a comment from an MOT inspector if there are any on here. I had it in mind that floor panels had to be fully welded
all round when repaired so would have thought the same for original floor. How this is considered when the floor is bonded and riveted I am not
sure!
I could be talking complete rubbish and the wrong idea, but will soon be doing the floor on my build and was also doing steel.
Adrian
Maybe only applies to monocoques?
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blakep82
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 11:06 PM |
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i think seam welding for MOT only relates to 'repairs' bearing in mind a lot of cars are spot welded. i'm pretty sure a mot
inspector told me that a few months back. he was also talking about cars with body kits where the whole sill is hidden, they could be rotten
underneath and they're not allowed to check. all pretty grey really
i reckon stitch welding is the best as far as heat distortion is concerned. weld an inch on one, move to the other side of the car, do an inch there,
etc.
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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mark chandler
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| posted on 25/12/08 at 11:37 PM |
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Be warned if you do decide to fully weld take your time over it, I did this as my first attempt, tacked in place, then back filled, when I had
finished and stood back to admire my handywork the floor was buckled 
In the end I cut it out and replaced with ali bonded and rivited.
It was a complete PITA, especially as I worked from side to side to minimise heat distortion.
Regards Mark
[Edited on 25/12/08 by mark chandler]
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Simon
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| posted on 26/12/08 at 02:31 AM |
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As Mark says, mine too is fully welded, bit here, bit there, but it still warped. Welded all the way round the outside, with plug welds on
tunnel/floor joins
Might work if you can restrict the heat to a very small area (by keeping the panel side of the weld cool - with a wet rag perhaps).
Still, at least the low points afford some sort of sensible drainage options - like drilling a hole in them
ATB
Simon
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madteg
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| posted on 26/12/08 at 09:54 AM |
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I drilled holes in floor 50mm apart and puddle welded them that way it will not bow. If you stay away from welding the corner of the box section it
will not pull as the heat is not going up the side of the box, hope this makes sense. Also the floor does not have to be fully welded as its not part
of the chassis
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scutter
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| posted on 26/12/08 at 10:59 AM |
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On my first chassis I stitched it as a friend who use to work for Louts back in the day said if you were unlucky enough to have a weld break the the
max it could unzip was 2 gaps long.
Hope that made sense, Dan.
The less I worked, the more i liked it.
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Bigheppy
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| posted on 26/12/08 at 11:13 AM |
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link
This is how I did the floor on my new project. Its made from a central heating radiator seam welded with no distortion and very strong
When I cut the radiator to size it was too heavy so I separated the front and back skin by drilling/grinding the spot welds.
[Edited on 26/12/08 by Bigheppy]
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britishtrident
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| posted on 26/12/08 at 11:52 AM |
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Puddle welding would be the "normal" ;-) way of doing it.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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kb58
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 03:23 AM |
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If you stitch-weld or puddle-weld, either way it seems like you're going to end up with large unpainted areas that will rust.
Has anyone tried brazing the floor on? In fact, why can't you solder it on, really. Seems like the lower heat might give a flatter floor.
Then there's true spot-welding...
[Edited on 12/27/08 by kb58]
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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JC
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 05:34 PM |
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I haven't decided how to attach my steel floor yet, however, I planned to use 'weld-through' primer to avoid the rust issue. Any
thoughts?
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blakep82
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 05:45 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by kb58
If you stitch-weld or puddle-weld, either way it seems like you're going to end up with large unpainted areas that will rust.
I'd thought about this too. decided that a good few coats of paint would fill the gaps and stop any problems. or what about using some epoxy
resin, or seam sealer round the edges?
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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Echidna
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 06:15 PM |
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I think that Epoxy resin alone will be rather brittle for the application.
kitCARBON is the new carbon composite parts company specialising in kitcar parts. We can make parts to order in carbon, carbon/kevlar, kevlar,
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blakep82
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 06:20 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Echidna
I think that Epoxy resin alone will be rather brittle for the application.
noooo, i mean stitch welding, then smearing expoxy resin over the whole thing to fill the gaps and stop water getting between the panels. the weld
holding everything together, and the resin just to water seal it
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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Echidna
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 06:23 PM |
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That's OK then! 
kitCARBON is the new carbon composite parts company specialising in kitcar parts. We can make parts to order in carbon, carbon/kevlar, kevlar,
texalium and more!
For any question, just U2U or email me at
theodragonas@gmail.com
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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907
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 07:40 PM |
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I know zero where paint is concerned but would it work if you over thinned some paint
and ran it in the gaps between the stitches?
Wipe off surplus, let it dry, then paint as normal?
Paul G
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 07:43 PM |
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I stitch-welded, but put seam sealer across - er - the seams. The aim being to stop the water getting into the joint.
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AdrianH
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| posted on 27/12/08 at 09:11 PM |
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This is just a thought from reading Bigheapy's post where he used the radiator. It made me think, that rather then putting the floor under the
chassis, why not cut it to fit along the inner edge of the chassis rails. Then when it is welded to the inner edge there is no metal that can not be
painted. It would mean continuous welds all the way around and on the roadster that is a few metres of it?
Can anyone see a down side?
Adrian
Why do I have to make the tools to finish the job? More time then money.
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kb58
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| posted on 28/12/08 at 03:59 AM |
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quote:
Can anyone see a down side?
Adrian
You'll be welding a very thin edge onto a thicker corner. The thin edge will melt first and melt back away from the edge. It might work if
you're a very good welder using TIG.
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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