Footwell replacement

[metalmental]

As the bank hols are looming I intend on replacing the drivers footwell as with the draft blowing up my leg it gets alittle numb.

Anyone got any pointers or tips on doing this fix.

The plan is to remove the wing to give better accessibility and totally replace the panel

Any step by step photos would be greatly appreciated

Series 3 109 1975

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[mike4444244]

Hi

Just so we can help, how much experience of welding and metalwork do you have? I don't want to teach granny to suck eggs! also where are you? you may find you have a forumeer near you who could help?

Mike

[Fatboy]

MM,

• Are you going to use one of the typical repair panels?
  
• I assume you can weld and have access to a grinder / welder etc.
  
• How much of the footwell are you actually replacing - Just the bit behind the pedals or including the pedal mounts and the side round to the door pillar.
  

If it is the entire footwell, IMHO you have to take the wing off and remove the pedal box assemblies to do a decent job.

I'd suggest getting the repair panel and compare with the fitted one. It will become apparent where you need to cut etc. You will notice two seams to the door pillar and although you could fit the new one by only buzzing one of them up, (like the last owner of my vehicle did ), it reduces the strength significantly and creates a horrendous mud trap in the pillar.

[Phill B]

I did mine last year as several people said it was an easy straight-forward job.

It very much isn't

I ended up having to replace most of the brake lines and all the wheel cylinders. A classic case of one Landy job leading to another.

So first of all make sure you have a reserve pot of money just in case.

Angle Grinder with a few 1mm cutting disks

Grinding disk to remove rivets from the door seals

Welder

Spot weld drill bit would have helped me in a big way. I had hell removing the panel where it meets the double corner

[GL88]

I did this at Christmas and having previously done the passenger's side I have concluded the driver's is more difficult. There are various layers of steel that the pedals, steering, clutch/brake cylinders bolt through and if you've got corrosion in there then you are in for a fairly involved job. You definately need to take the wing off and then the next thing to do is to work out how much rust you've got. The trick is not to get hold of a new footwell, cut out the old one and weld in the new because you'll just be making work for yourself. Better is to work out the extent of the rust and then just cut that out after which you cut down your new footwell. The further up the bulkhead you go the more difficult the job becomes.

The other thing I'd recommend is to only use the angle grinder where absolutely necessary. Get hold of a half decent mains powered jigsaw and buy a pack of metal cutting blades from Screwfix. You get heaps more control, a narrower cut and don't bathe the fuel pump in a fountain of sparks.

[metalmental]

Job done.

Replaced about 80% of the footwell. Thanks for all the advice.

Removing the wing is a definite advantage as it gives you plenty of room to work and a sharp chisel for the spot welds was an asset.

Took a complete day to rip out the old and weld in the new, no major problems. Must have been my lucky day

Found it easier to cut out sections at a time to enable better leverage on the next bit.

Also replaced the clutch master while it was stripped out though did find the bottom fixing bolt a little fiddly, you need long fingers.