GT40 floor removal help

[TrevS]

Hi all

I am having to remove the floor of my GT40 in order for the chassis to be re-coated (long story).

Anyway I want some advice on the best way to remove the floor without causing any damage to it. The floor has been sealed and rivetted so wheres the best place to start.

Should I drill the rivets out first and then is there anything I should use to help lossen the sealant?

Trev

 

[Howard Jones]

It's going to depend a LOT on the type of sealant. But a guy I know took something similar apart the other day with a guitar string, the really small gauge e string, pulled through the joint with handles on each side working from a corner. It was a lot of work but it saved the pieces (sealed up fuel cell box).

Otherwise I have gotten things like this apart with a thin putty knife and a lot of patience.

Is the sealant black and sort of hard. Not RTV? Do you know what it is?

The rivets will all need to come out. Drill them first and then use a drift punch the same diameter as the rivets to force out any remaining rivet material.

I just read your build post. This just might not be all the bad. How long has the sealant been curing? Some of them take a while to really harden up. If it's been just a few months you might just luck out and the sealant is still soft and it will come right off. Drill out a corner a foot or so back and see if the floor can be lifted off in that corner a bit with a sharp flat blade putty knife.

Finish the car. You'll regret it if you don't AND you won't have a really cool GT40 to boot.

 

[Randy V]

I'd check with Andy Sheldon first for his recommendation..

I don't know how much rigidity the alloy pan gives to the frame, but If there was no input from Tornado on the subject, I would be inclined to drain the fuel, remove the engine/transaxle and support the chassis in 6 locations, front and rear corners and one on each side in the center..

 

[Jack]

It's going to depend a LOT on the type of sealant. But a guy I know took something similar apart the other day with a guitar string, the really small gauge e string, pulled through the joint with handles on each side working from a corner. It was a lot of work but it saved the pieces (sealed up fuel cell box).

Otherwise I have gotten things like this apart with a thin putty knife and a lot of patience.

Is the sealant black and sort of hard. Not RTV? Do you know what it is?

The rivets will all need to come out. Drill them first and then use a drift punch the same diameter as the rivets to force out any remaining rivet material.

I just read your build post. This just might not be all the bad. How long has the sealant been curing? Some of them take a while to really harden up. If it's been just a few months you might just luck out and the sealant is still soft and it will come right off. Drill out a corner a foot or so back and see if the floor can be lifted off in that corner a bit with a sharp flat blade putty knife.

Finish the car. You'll regret it if you don't AND you won't have a really cool GT40 to boot.

A length of fine wire (like the guitar string mentioned) seems to work for me. Had a similar experience with a Seven-Clone a few years ago.

 

[Brian Magee]

If the powder coating company feel the heat will melt the sealant, how about drilling out the rivets and then have them put it in their oven and see what happens.

Brian.

 

[Ian Bissett]

Trev,
I would suggest that removing the floor panel and keeping it in a condition that you are happy enough to reuse will be extremely difficult, and probably not worth it. Even if you could get it off in undamaged condition, removing the residual sealant from the aluminium is a hell of a job.
When I removed a panel, it was only a small one and I used the same drill size as for the rivet. Provided the bit is new and thus still sharp, you wont widen the hole size. The end of the rivet ends up in the chassis but there is nothing you can do about this. Once the rivets are out, taking off the panel without deforming it is difficult, expecially around the under footwell area as I assume you will have sealed it across both lower members.
If you chose to remove the bottom panel, I think you should assume that you will need to source a new one.
Ian

 

[Mark]

If you do need to make a new floor, the Ally company I used cut mine to exact size using a drawing of the chassis I supplied and it fit perfectly. Saved hours of cutting stock material. I now have a nice one piece floor from front to back.

My chassis originally had a steel floor welded to the frame one inch weld every four inches. Imagine the fun I had removing that bugger!!!

 

[Phil]

Trev:
I would try removing the floor panel with a good heat gun, as was mentioned a thin, flexible scraper of good quality will let you get between the panel and chassis and work slowly as the sealant becomes pliable and stretches. Howard's idea also works well, and I have used that with success also.
If you damage the panel and it needs replacing there is a simple way to re-fit a new one. Flatten the damaged panel as best you can, lay it out over the new panel and clamp it in several spots to insure it can't move, you can now trace out the new shape for the replacement panel, and with a can of spray paint mark the new holes to be drilled by lightly spraying as vertically as possible thru the existing holes. The new panel's holes will be extremely close to your existing ones if not spot on, and you can re set your new rivets in the existing locations. Making sure the panels are in close contact is a must and you may need to press down locally as you mark it out but the results should give you an exact fit.
Good luck
Phil

 

[Pat Buckley]

.....and if your rivet holes are hogged out from all of this you may want to consider using the next size up rivets. Avdel makes good ones.

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/index.html

or even better.....

http://www.hansonrivet.com/

 

[Mick Ridley]

Hi Trevor,

heres a link to the avdel site

Avdel Global :: Avex®

Ive just bought, 1,000 x 4.8mm dia if you want some, let me know, and ill post them to you

mick