Boro Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I had a feeling the rear floor in my disco would need some work but after taking the rear carpet and sound deadening out today its become clear the panel needs replacing, how bad a job is it to replace the floor in these? where is the best place to get a replacement (something of quality that will fit!) and also are the panels either side of the floor (inner wing i suppose) available or am i going to have to make good the existing, its a shame it needs all this as the bodywork is very good and the chassis is spotless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRK Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Quite a few members have faced this perennial problem including myself. Bottom line is the floor panel is around £90 from a range of sources but invariably the problems may extend to include the intermediate cross members and the edge of the side floor sections rotting where they are spot welded to the floor section. A thorough inspection of where the rust spots are (the rust having come through from the underside) if there is spots of rust running across the floor above the intermediates then they will also be suffering corrosion to some extent. Depending on the ammount of visible rust along the sides will also indicate corrosion on the side supports. small localised ares could be cut out as a starting point to see whats really going on. For my repairs the side sections were ragged all along so i opted for a new sheet of 2mm steel that sits onto each side. I had to replace the rearmost and both intermediate crossmembers and patch some small holes around the inner wheel arch where it meets the side body panel. I wanted to do a long lasting and thourough job so it took MONTHS of work at the weekends to complete. Never again do a search in the RR section on rear floor replacement if you you want to share in the pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRK Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Dont mean too be too negative so on a positive note if the rust isnt too extensive then it could be no more than a weekends work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 Thanks steve, does anyone know what sort of quality the floor section which paddock sell is as it seems rather reasonable at £62.28 delivered and they also sell the cross members should these be past repair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Thats what i have in mine, and it's fine. I would be looking to pay about £50 ex vat for the panel, so that sounds about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 As said above start by stripping the interior out, then remove all the rotten metal, you might be able to get away with welding some patches in. If the rot has progressed too far, then cut out the boot floor and check the supports, if the rot is as bad as it sounds you can probably already see them through the holes. You can then order what you need. From what I have read the boot floor is quite an easy replacement (relatively) as long as you have enough metal at the sides to weld to, if the rear arch panels are too far gone then I believe it becomes quite difficult. It is quite a lot to weld and it scares a few people off trying to do it themselves, but the good thing is that it gets covered by trim and carpet so you don't need to be the neatest welder ever. To guarantee it will get through it's MOT it will need to be welded all the way round the edge with no gaps, a few people have riveted the floors in after replacement and they have all passed the MOT, as the tester hasn't noticed, but if you get an eagle eyed MOT tester then it will fail, and I believe with the new computerised system, any fails are recorded and the next MOT tester will see what it failed on - so once it fails it will be tricky to get it passed anywhere else. There is some useful guides on the net, try google to find a few, the pictures if nothing else will help Also don't forget to fix the leak which is causing the floor to rot, it could be alpine windows, sunroofs, rear door, or the body itself where it joins under the gutters. You can also get a replacement rubber mat which replaces the foam mat and is supposed to be better at letting the water go again rather than holding it against the metal like a sponge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Some pics of the damage after i gave it a good hoovering of all the loose rusty bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 One more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I would be very tempted to remove the rear seats and surrounding trim to see exactly how far the rust goes... I did the same job in my old Range Rover and it wasn't pretty!! HERE is the right up. We planned to use a Disco floor panel, but eventually came across a good condition Ali one from a much earlier car - same with the (steel) rear crossmember. The benefit was that the Ally floor is riveted in... I think a couple of people have said that a sheet of corrugated ali is the way to go for the Disco, too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 I did pull back the carpets by the seats and on the arches and all looks ok, looks alright from underneath as well, more worried about the rear floor as the point of buying this was to haul stuff about which i obviously cant do at the moment, surprisingly the chassis and sills look very good, neither having been patched anywhere, just bad luck with the boot floor but not the worst i have come across from looking on the web over the last couple of days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRK Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Ouch! that looks really nasty along the side sections. By the time you have removed the floor - assuming you can separate it from the side supports its gonna look nasty. I cleaned up my side supports nd ended up removing the double fold and fitted a steel re-enforced sheet that overlapped flush up against the inner wheel arches as the amount of remedial work required to take a new std floor was too much work/skill for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 The os side panel doesnt look to bad in general, the ns will certainly need some new metal letting in, i have however found somewhere that sells the side panels so thats something, im fully expecting that the flange all the way round will need replacing but i should be able to get some replacements folded up ok, i need it for work at the moment as well so it will have to wait until the job im on is done, good thing its got a long mot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 The os side panel doesnt look to bad in general, the ns will certainly need some new metal letting in, i have however found somewhere that sells the side panels so thats something, im fully expecting that the flange all the way round will need replacing but i should be able to get some replacements folded up ok, i need it for work at the moment as well so it will have to wait until the job im on is done, good thing its got a long mot! Which does make you wonder how well the rest of the MOT was done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 To be fair the floor doesnt look bad from underneath, it did still have some mechanical work done for the mot though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Pah... thats looks mint to me. Its what you can't see you might want to worry about....... :ph34r: Looking at yours I reckon its not as bad as mine was but might be worth a look while you are in there... Yep, that is the rear seats and seatbelt mounts you're looking at! Even the repairs have rusted out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DiscoTD4 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 "Yep, that is the rear seats and seatbelt mounts you're looking at!" jeez, I wouldn't know where to start with a job like that Brave man !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Boro I did this job two years ago and yours looks no worse than mine was. There are a number of different opinions regarding which is the best option during replacement ( pop rivets or welding ) but both appear sound and once over sealed, should pass even the most stringent of MOT's. This thread Boot Floor Replacement will be of great help to you and as you'll notice, employs the pop rivet technique. My advice would be to use sharp drills to remove all the hundreds of spot welds that secure the old floor. Use Hammerite to paint everything in sight once the floors out and replace the old metal cross straps as these will be rotted through. Drill out the six screws that secure the tank inspection cover then PM me and I'll send you some very nice, aircraft quality replacements that I used on mine and can get hold of for free. Another tip is, expect to have to replace the seat belt anchor bolts ( x 2 ). I am certain that these will be seized solid and they're a pig to remove. Try giving them a good larupping with WD40, a couple of weeks before you commence the job as it might help. Another thing, I completed my replacement without removing the fuel tank but if you weld in the new panel, cover the tank with wet rags to avoid hot weld splatter burning through the plastic tank......oh yes, the fuel tank is made of plastic!!!!!! The new floor pan retails for around £50.00 and all the ones I've seen are perfectly suitable and well up to the job. Good luck, you'll need one day to remove the old floor and a second day to install the new floor and paint everything, downpipe and gutter mastic will seal and finish the whole job. Hope this helps. My floor pic: And with the floor removed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boro Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Cheers guys and thanks for the offer on the screws underdog, the more i read on it and the more i think about it the more comfortable i am about doing the job, i think i may replace the two side sections whilst im at it as well as making sure every trace of rust is gone, i was in landrover today and the side pieces are about £100 the pair, they also sell the main floor section but at nearly twice the price of paddocks is it really worth paying the extra for a genuine item, is it likely to be any better? im lucky in that i have a fully equiped workshop with ramp and also a second vehicle that i can use whilst this is being done, but i still need this for work for the next month or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkwack Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I had a feeling the rear floor in my disco would need some work but after taking the rear carpet and sound deadening out today its become clear the panel needs replacing, how bad a job is it to replace the floor in these? where is the best place to get a replacement (something of quality that will fit!) and also are the panels either side of the floor (inner wing i suppose) available or am i going to have to make good the existing, its a shame it needs all this as the bodywork is very good and the chassis is spotless Hi, your boot floor seems to be about the same as mine was. (just finished). My sides were also rotten so they got replaced, Britpart panels were ok no sense getting ripped off by land rover, as a note the floor was origionally spot welded by manufacturer so I have plug welded mine back in ( drill small holes 5-8mm around edge of new panel and fill with weld about every 150mm) also as a body repair worker we have to deal with insurance people they want it back to original, so no arguements from mot stations either and looks neater. When doing the side panels prepare to have to do wheel arches in patches but remember 30mm around seat belt mounts must be fully welded, take your time and look forward to the finished article, think of the mones you will save by doing it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul90 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I'm doing the same job myself - partly as a way to learn to weld. See here: My Rusty Disco If you go to the latter pages there's some pics of the repairs I've made so I have something to fix the new floor panel to. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenA Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Suggest you check the sender fuel pipe connections while you are there - mud gets trapped around them and they corrode and eventually leak. May be wise to change while the floor is out (although you will probably have to change the whole unit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkwack Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I'm doing the same job myself - partly as a way to learn to weld.See here: My Rusty Disco If you go to the latter pages there's some pics of the repairs I've made so I have something to fix the new floor panel to. Paul Chin up, stiff upper lip nd al that carp, but seriously take your time if you dont NEED tha car back on the road, like a pillock I started poking around the rear body cross member ( just below door but before bumper) and found some more rust so hands into my now empty piggy bank ( well grand sons) bought the panel and set to, word of WARNING this panel involves some serious care in removing.LOOK 3 times and then cut, when I figure out how to post photos will put some on, best of luck, the pub opens soon, Im off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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