Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

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bnelson

Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by bnelson »

My name is Brittany, and I have rust.

Now that that's cleared up, let's deal with it. The right floor panel is my current focus. The seat rail was where I started, and ordered a new right inner, right center and right outer seat rail from Robin at alfaparts.net. The parts look great, but don't fit to my current floor. The pictures below are the current state - you can see my attempt at a patch panel in the center of the rear panel. Not too shabby for my first welding job.

Image
Right full floor by SuperBee16, on Flickr

Image
Right rear floor by SuperBee16, on Flickr

The inner rail I ordered would work just fine (replacement shown in front of current rail still in-place)
Image
Right inner rail by SuperBee16, on Flickr

but the floor below the outer rail on my car seems to dip lower along the edge AND also dips down in the center. There's about 3cm between the floor and the replacement rail.
Image
Right outer rail by SuperBee16, on Flickr

I've since decided that the rust situation will be easier to replace the whole floor than to try to patch. Robin says the floor panels he sells will work to replace mine (and will obviously match up to the seat rails I've already purchased from him), but I wanted to check with you all first on a couple of things.

Several vendors (who actually have images of the items they are selling) show two types of floor panel portions for the rear - neither of which really look like mine - Image with facets, Image or flat.
Depending on the vendor, both panels say they fit all years 68-85, and some specify the individual years that it will fit (including a 1974).

So, here's my questions for you all
- Do the faceted panels for sale out there have different heights on the exterior edges?
- Which vehicles do the different types of rear panels actually go on?
- I understand 1974 was kind of an awkward teenage year - is this odd floor shape on mine a 1974 thing?
- Some vendors show the flat panel for the right, and the faceted panel for the left - bu not all do. Does it matter?

Thank you all for the help!
User avatar
MrJD
Posts: 551
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 1:23 pm
Your car is a: Looking to ask questions about a 79 2.0
Location: Laurinburg NC

Re: Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by MrJD »

For the cost of one replacement panel from a vendor, you could buy the steel to patch every rusty part on your car.

Just sayin... Mine is WAY worse.
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 1&start=45
salieri124

Re: Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by salieri124 »

Not bad for the first time welding 8)
The passengers side rear panel should look like the one in your last image - flat. This is probably to make room for exhaust underneath. At least this is the case for 1979. The 'dipped' one is for the rear drivers side only.

Cheers,
Salieri
fredguaz
Posts: 124
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:28 pm
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat Spider
Location: Lake Norman, NC

Re: Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by fredguaz »

Britt, I'm with JD.
My panels are in worst shape than yours and I am going to patch. I just got a mig (with gas) and have never welded anything! Yours look very patchable. (Is that even a word?)
Fred
Lake Norman, NC

1977 Fiat Spider (current project)
1977 Triumph Bonneville 750 (previous project)
1971 Honda CT-70 K0
1972 Honda CT-70 K1
1990 GMC S-15 Jimmy (Daily driver)
User avatar
MrJD
Posts: 551
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 1:23 pm
Your car is a: Looking to ask questions about a 79 2.0
Location: Laurinburg NC

Re: Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by MrJD »

maybe $5 worth of metal. (excuse the drill holes, was checking thickness)

Image
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Floor panel replacement (1974 124 Spider)

Post by fiat218 »

It cost me a lot of money to get the panels fixed in my 79 previous owner smash the hell out of the floor seat rails, pounding the floor down and DOWN, so when I got the panels from robin and the rails, there no way they even come close to fitting
They ended up beating the floor back up with jacks etc, then then fixed part of the floor where it was bad, finally after a good beating. Hahaha the floor was fixed and shit welded
Cost be prolly a grand by the time it was said and done, I was not happy, but I can put the fiat seat in now :)
I have moved on this then
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
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