Any clever ideas for closing this gap? (1 Viewer)

[JustJay]

Looking for advice on how to bend this floorboard back up to trans hump cover. Re-assembling after paint and now am noticing that somewhere along the way the floorboard end got compressed and now I've got a couple of places where there is a big gap between floor and hump cover. PO originally had a bunch of caulk around the hump and I figured it was just a poor sealing job. I should've test fit it after blasting old paint off but lessen learned. Can't really easily access it now from underneath. Kinda feels like I'd want to push it from the bottom and pull it from the top but not sure how to manage such a thing.

Any clever ideas? Any simple ideas that will make me hit myself in the forehead with a, duh.?

I'd thought about using a long screw in the given holes and trying to mechanically pull up on the floor section but I'd imagine the small M6 thread will just strip.
I'd thought about trying to use a poking rod from underneath and hitting it up but limited access.

 

[B y r o n]

Besides the floorboard possibly being compressed down it looks like the trans cover is also bent. A jack under the floor will help push it up but you are also going to have to push down on the trans cover.

 

[wimberosa]

Well I'm not familiar with this tub year but it looks to me like you need to straighten the bend
in two area (the tranny cover and the floor). I'm assuming thats a seat bracket near the floor
hump and if you don't get that bent back then your seat is also out of whack?

So for the floor I would lay a piece of steel across the rocker panels side to side.
Then I would insert a bolt into the floor (existing hole + potentially new hole) and
I would tie a piece of cable or chain to the floor bolt. Then proceed
to rachet the bend upward using the upper steel bar as a stasis point. For the
tranny hump itself, I'd find two pieces of angle iron...put it on either side of the
bend and then start clamping down with clamps until the bend straightens.

Some of this is going to require a bit of hammering also...so the new paint in this
area is probably toast.

Edit: The jack under the floor (as stated above) is also a good idea.

 

[JustJay]

Besides the floorboard possibly being compressed down it looks like the trans cover is also bent. A jack under the floor will help push it up but you are also going to have to push down on the trans cover.

Yep, good call on both. I'll have to see if I can get a post to a jack on the floor under it.

 

[JustJay]

Well I'm not familiar with this tub year but it looks to me like you need to straighten the bend
in two area (the tranny cover and the floor). I'm assuming thats a seat bracket near the floor
hump and if you don't get that bent back then your seat is also out of whack?

So for the floor I would lay a piece of steel across the rocker panels side to side.
Then I would insert a bolt into the floor (existing hole + potentially new hole) and
I would tie a piece of cable or chain to the floor bolt. Then proceed
to rachet the bend upward using the upper steel bar as a stasis point. For the
tranny hump itself, I'd find two pieces of angle iron...put it on either side of the
bend and then start clamping down with clamps until the bend straightens.

Some of this is going to require a bit of hammering also...so the new paint in this
area is probably toast.

Edit: The jack under the floor (as stated above) is also a good idea.

Agreed, a little bit of work needed on the cover but mostly on the floor. I suspect the sag came from the old seat mount. Putting in new seats and brackets so will likely have to fabricate all of that from scratch anyway.

Good suggestions! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to get to work on this for a couple of weeks with some scheduling issues but I've got some food for thought now and think I've got a fighting chance.

As you say, fingers crossed with the new paint.

 

[Firemedic831]

Kinda weird you have the tool box under the drivers seat but No fuel tank depression on the pass side

 

[JustJay]

Kinda weird you have the tool box under the drivers seat but No fuel tank depression on the pass side

Nah, it's there. Just can't see it in those photos. Here's a pic before paint....

 

[Malleus]

A bolt and nut with two large pieces of flat bar on either side of the sheet metal and a 3' crowbar on the bolt head? That way, you're pulling both together and the crowbar would be resting on the flat bar and not the painted surface.

 

[Steamer]

With the hump out of the way or just raised, you could use the transmission as a fulcrum and pry the floor upward with a 2x4.

You could also add a few fasteners in the key areas by installing some M6 Rivenuts and use long bolts to pull the floor & hump together then change out the long for short bolts one by one. I just got a Rivenut tool and replaced a few that were rusted & stripped out in my hump.

Probably not a solution for you but when I got my rig, the hump was very rusted out around the floor level. When I cut out all the rot back to good metal, it was only the fire wall bolts holding what was left of the hump, up in mid-air. A friend that works with fiber glass went underneath and formed out the missing part with aluminum duct tape. Then laid in glass mat and resin after using form release all around the floor flange. Popped it off and trimmed the flange and it’s a perfect fit on my reconstructed floor that was also rotted out. I stand on it often and it’s held up well for 23 years now. My point is, if you can’t achieve a good fit by other means, there’s always fiberglass.

 

[Living in the Past]

This looks like a fairy easy fix that obviously should have been handled long before paint. In the US believe only the 72 model had a floor shift option. 9/72 the start of the 73 model the floor and tunnel changed because some markets like Australia had a four speed. If yours is a 72 model would just bite the bullet and work metal and repaint that section.

 

[45Dougal]

All great advice above already.
One thing I'd add is that if you do use the existing threaded holes to pull it in, then I'd use very long bolts.
That way you can screw the bolt into the captive nut to a fixed depth and leave it there. Then you can destroy the thread on the bolt trying to pull it into place with a nut rather than risk stripping your captive thread.
Use washers and maybe a thrust bearing if you have one, and plenty of rubbery packing - old inner tubes are ideal.

 

[jim land]

Garage ceiling, a 2x4 and a bottle jack is all you need to push down on the cover

And the one on the garage floor to push up under for the 40 floor

 

[Living in the Past]

The captive nuts are square and cage that hold it nuts are only spot welded on two sides. I use a visegrip on those. Be sure it's close to the tub floor. Those are easy to distort the cage and nut will spin in the cage.

 

[JustJay]

Thanks again all. Been out of town all week so just reading through some of these last posts. Will send some pics when I’ve had a chance to tackle this one and report back.

 

[JustJay]

Thanks again for everyone's advice. Used a combination of methods and got to a point that I'm happy enough with for this vehicle.

*Reminder - I'm a carpenter that plays mechanic on weekends.

- Jack on the ceiling with long board pressing down was first step to bend the housing.
- 2 boards holding down floorpans, while using a large pry bar off the tranny.
- The key in all the methods was using the hairdryer to get the paint / metal warm and soft enough to move.

Happy to report no real paint damage. I'd give my bodywork a modest B but I'm happy enough with that for the location on this vehicle.

The best part was in the 1 hour that I was doing the job I actually got a text from my wife in the house, "have you seen my hairdryer?.?" I thought I could grab it and return it unnoticed. Who uses a hairdryer at 2:00 in the afternoon anyway?

 

[Green Bean]

Very creative. Nicely done!