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MG TD TF 1500 - Replacing TD Floorboards

I am replacing the floorboards in my TD and am planning to cut them myself from plywood. The Malcolm Green Restoration Manual calls for exterior grade plywood which I can purchase, and thickness is about 5/16 inch which 3/8 plywood would actually measure.

The existing driver's side floorboard has the footwell which has one edge rusted through and is probably not reusable - Question is do I need the footwell at all? I see that it has a round access hole in it which I could still put in but without the footwell.

Any comments on the footwell and general tips (finishing, paint, sealing..) on replacing the floor in general is much appreciated - Thanks in advance Scott
Scott Cleveland

The carpets i have don't have the footwell so i just cut a thick piece of felt insulation and dropped it down into the cutout so the carpets stayed flat...doesn't affect the pedals at all (and i have fairly large feet)... You could certainly go without it.....
Do they recommend exterior or marine grade ply.... there is some really nice GBS 7 ply out there....
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Scott, if you drive a TD with and without the footwell I think you'll find that it's worth having from a comfort standpoint. Plus, it's a better surface for dribbling brake fluid onto than carpeting. As Gordon mentioned, you probably want to look for marine grade 3/8" plywood.
Bud Krueger

Scott,

Abingdon Spares and Moss Motors both sell the tray, although its pricey!

It was originally held to the wood using split rivets. I found these at the local hardware store.

Good luck, Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

Scott,

Genuine, original TDs i.e ones with the steering wheel on the proper side (RH) have a flat floor. I have often wondered why the cars in the states have a dropped floor. Have you longer legs than us Brits ???

Seriously though I don't find any problem with the flat floor but having said that the poking up pedals aren't the most convenient. I would rcommend you use stainless bolts and replace the captive nuts for the seat frame with new ones. I bough stainless fittings from a local boat builder suppliers.

Good luck

Jan T

Jan Targosz

Hi Jan T . Yes we do seem to have bigger feet. You know what they say about guys with big feet right?
Alan

Hi Scott C.
I think the purpose of the foot well is to keep the heels of your shoes from rubbing holes in your new carpet, as you use your petals over the years. Moss sells the rubber foot well. I would certainly reuse it if you already have it. The first time you put brake fluid in the master cylinder, you will be glad you did. I dripped a little on the new carpet on the
transmission tunnel and now have a small bald spot on the carpet. Brake fluid not only will eat up your paint job, but probably is the only thing to eat up the carpet fibers. I used ½ inch marine grade ply wood for my restoration. If you mark it correctly one 4 x 8 sheet will do your whole car, including the seat bottoms, seat back, the rear panel assembly above the rear end, and the gas tank back board. If you don’t have a welder take the medal foot well tray to a welding shop and have them weld up the bad area. I used my oxy/acet torch to weld up this area. You can use coat hangers as filler metal and some heavy gauge banding / strapping as might find on lumber or brick pallets, to reform the top side lips. (Free at Home depot) Of course you will have to grind the welds flush and flat and re paint. Roger
Roger Thompson

It may depend on how big your feet are. The extra half inch is welcomed by many. The rubber footwell also does not wear as carpet does. And as Bud said it is a good brake fluid catcher. If just one edge is rusted, why not take it to a welding or fab shop and see if they could fix it for a few bucks? George
George Butz

It has been mentioned that the rubber foot well is sewn to the carpets... I don't see any needle holes in mine...could it have been just layed in place? And would the edge of the carpet(hole) have been tacked to the floorboards?
gordon lawson

The original carpets had the footwell sewn in. Many of the replacements do not. The carpet is not tacked to the floor in any case.
Don Harmer


Scott and Gordon
My carpet is/was held in place with Lift-a-dots. I did not know that originally the carpet rubber foot well should be sewn to the carpet. Learn something new every day! On the new carpet, I just placed the rubber foot well above the carpet. It seems to stay in place and is easy to remove, when you need to check the master cylinder. I probably would not have a bald spot in the new carpet if it was. I would have removed it to fill / check the master cylinder. Roger
Roger Thompson

My 2 cents: Another benefit of having the metal footwell is that it's surface is closer to the master cylinder filler cap which helps to see what you are doing, particularly when checking the fluid level. Peering down through the plywood which is not only higher but thicker would just make a challenging viewing angle a bit more challenging.

Bryan
B Sieling

Really good point... its hard enough to deal with through the filling "hole".....
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Scott,

I did two sets of floor boards for both my TD's, one a right hand drive with no footwell, just a cover that opened over the hole for the MC filler. The other TD is a left hand drive that has the footwell. I would prefer the footwells as it does make driving a little more comfortable expecailly on long trips. As to material I used Baltic Birch. (which is marine grade) I used the old floor boards for paterns and don't forget to take notice of the areas on the underside that are routed out for clearence of screws etc. I also used the Baltic Birch to make new wooden panels for the shelf area behind the seats. I coatd all these with polyurthane varnish to protect from them from water damage. I still have the LH drive car and it is holding up very well. I didn't make paterns for those floor boards but I do have a full set of patterns for the RH drive variety.
I also made all new wood for the seat frames out of Baltic Birch using the old ones for patterns. I think I still have those here also. I have a wood working shop in the basement that made life a lot simpler doing this.

George Herschell
George R Herschell

THe early TD's in the US did not have footwells. I must admit, finding a comfortable spot for my leg while driving any distance is a bit of a problem,
Bruce Cunha

Do any of you experienced floorboard replacers have patterns or dimensions for LHD with footwell?
R. J. Lowery

This thread was discussed between 27/10/2005 and 08/11/2005

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