Reply to "Sticky #1: Dropped Floor Pans"

Kirk,

When did you re-design your pans? I'm wondering if the ones I just installed
are the new design or an earlier design. The pans I installed are full width
with a small lip on two sides (one lip at the center tunnel and one at the
rear). The outer sill side welds flush to the sill. The front welds flush
as well and is shaped to match the floor shape after it is cut with a portion
that caps the fore-aft frame rail that is cut. The passenger side has to be
notched for parking brake clearance. Holes need to be drilled (or a nut
welded to the pan) to mount the female (receiver) portion of the seat belts.
Two heavy u-channels per side are provided. The seat rails bolt to the
channels (have threaded holes for both lengths of Pantera seat rails with two
holes at the front and one at the rear). The channels run the length of the
pan and butt up against the fore and aft edges of the pans. When welded in,
they stiffen the pan floor and form a load path for the fore-aft crossmember
that was cut. The back of the pans are sloped but the cut we made was vertical
so triangular filler pieces were needed underneath (along with rectangular
plates to cap them off) to completely tie them in. Also underneath, the
side-to-side crossmember welds directly to sides of the pans. When measured
from the outside, the drop is approxiamtely 3" at the rear.

The sills are sloped and the passenger side seat is offset towards the sill
so it can clear the parking brake. With the dropped pans, the outside edge of
the passenger seat rubs on the sill, even with no sound deadening or carpeting.
I cut the spacers off both old pans and stacked them under the passenger seat
rails to raise the seat and it still rubs slightly. If I recall correctly,
even with the original pans, the seat was offset enough that is rubbed on the
carpet (can anyone confirm that for L model seats?). I think some re-shaping
of the seat is in order, though I suppose one could just live with it as the
only time I move the seat is when I remove the bulkhead cover.

Do you offer carpet to match the pans?

Dan Jones