Chevrolet C8 1940 Cab 11 restoration, The Netherlands

[Alex van de Wetering]

Now for the holes in the floor, as mentioned above we managed to find some Ford floor sections in the scrap pile, so the next step was a trick already shown by the Hammond crew a few years ago......fill the holes with a matching piece of thread plate!

I know it has been discussed on the forum before that the “dot-dash” thread pattern on Ford and Chevrolet was supposedly slightly different, but (at least in this case) I found that they are exactly the same. The only thing I did notice is that there is a difference in size in West-East to North-south....so in one direction the dots are closer to eachother. So, basically I had to check orientation of the replacement sheets and find a section of plate matching in pattern and amount of rust pitting.

I cut a small template from cardboard and used some spray paint to mark the section to be cut. After cutting and trimming I tack-welded the replacement piece from the top, than welded the other side in small sections. Than I used the angle grinder to cut a V-shaped groove in the top, weld it....and than lots of carefull grinding with a angle grinder and (fake) Dremel too. Last step was to cut the excess material from the inside edge around the gearbox.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Last few pictures of this first floor repair

[Alex van de Wetering]

The second hole was a a bit more challenging. There was so much pitting on this section of the floor that I could hardly see the original pattern. So I started by drawing lines marking the original location of the dots and dashes. Again I tried to find a matching piece of floor and weld it in (You can clearly see in the picture that the replacement is a Ford sheet by the shape of the edge for the engine cover)

Alex

[cliff]

excellent workmanship mate

[Alex van de Wetering]

Actually in this case the replacement piece is in much better condition than the surrounding area, but as this section will be underneath the passenger seat, I am OK with the result.
All the heat from welding and grinding sadly meant the floor needed straightening again. I don't have a press, so I decided to put our small van to good use. I used a variety of wooden blocks and after half an hour of careful moving these blocks and driving the car on top, the floor was pretty much straight again. After a few coats of primer and Khaki Green the floor is again ready for use!

Alex

[Bob Carriere]

You bring back some pleasant memories of when I stitched up my floor..... time consuming but very satisfying.

It must be remembered that not everything comes with a part number and available at the local auto parts store. In this restoration game/hobby you must be able to be creative and willing to try to make things we have never done before.

I love your approach to matching up the dots and dashes........ and I remember getting some good advice and pcitures from Phil W. on setting up my extra winch hand brake properly.

You, like many others, are a credit to our hobby.

Cheers

Cheers

[Alex van de Wetering]

Thanks Cliff....it's very much like scale modelling.....cut a piece of material slightly bigger than the hole and than slowly cut and grind until it fits. Grinding and cutting just takes longer

Bob, many thanks! Just as you said...it was quite fun fixing the floor, even though it took a fair bit of time to get it done. Thanks again for the idea!

You, like many others, are a credit to our hobby

Thanks for the compliment, but too be honest....I think guys like youself, the Hammond crew, Phil and many others are the ones that are a credit to the hobby... I have learned so much from you guys over the years!

Attached are some pictures of the gearbox cover. Not that I need it anytime soon, but I thought I might as well fix it, when I was dry-fitting the panel in order to determine where to drill the missing hole in the floor.
The gearbox cover was also cut with a torch. I cut the burrs of the edges, welded in some fresh steel and welded the small holes (not rust this time, but holes from the torch) using a piece of flattened copper tube clamped against it.
I still have to find some correct steel rivets to fasten the rubber gasket and plate around the handbrake lever, but first things first.

Alex

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Alex

I used two layers of 1/16th neoprene gasket material and replaced the rivets with number 10 pan head slotted screws/bolts and nuts underneath...... now if the rubber cracks I can easily replace it.........

I also fitted a semi soft gray rubber sponge foam around the tranny tower and the thcickenss is just enough to squeeze it down very tight when I bolt down the tranny cover......seals very well.

Cheers