So it doesn't look like crap.

In the end, it will take just as much time to one way vs the other. The benefit of the "Museum Quality" method is that you do not run the risk of buggering up your expensive diamond plate.

 

Either way, you'll get it done. Where did you get the rust treatment stuff?

You should have an excellent floor when finished. It will be there for years to come.

How bad is the front floor pan?

I put new plugs in today and mine is running better than ever.

 

i cut the harder front piece. it looks great against the black. purely functional. i'll cut the second piece tomorrow. i'm thinking if I want to weld it together or not.

 

What finish does the diamond plate have? Is it the bright stainless steel type? If it isI would be awfully tempted to leave it as is (not paint or even coat except maybe clear coat).

I have worked with a variety of metals over the years, not directly from metalurgical standpoint, but a wide variety from solid billets of aluminum that were "hogged out" for the Cruise Missile body, to forming of sheet metals, manufacturing fairly heavy, complex shipboards workstations for weapons systems, weldments and a variety of related items in various Quality Assurance roles.

If it has a good surface, I would leave it as is.
If the floor underneath has enough solidity, you may want to consider having it in such a way that panels could be removed if needed. Or do you want it to be totally glued, screwed, and permanently sealed into place. Of couse having access to the fuel tank cover and the needed mounting for the seats and seatbelts. You could always incorporate new captive fasteners for them as well and any additional tiedown point, etc.

A few d rings or such in the right places could be useful.

When I get a working camera or snag my son with his new phone, I shot some pics of my new expanded metal double layer front grill. I lied that better than the gutter guard stuff some of the other guys have used.

I had a piece that was 28 inches high, so I snipped it in half and it was the perfect width to fit snugly between the headlights with just a slight trim at the corners, the edges are tucked directly behind the headlights. Putting a single piece in, allowed you to look thru and see the innards, so I staggere a second piece over the first with a slight gap between the two and trimmed just the top with the black plastic top piece of the old grill. You do not see any plastic with the hood closed. It is all metal from the hood to below the bumper with the bottom edges resting on the frame. What a grille.

 

Oh I was surprised where all the leaks were shown in that Tech Bulletin. Even the rails leak!. Mine has a large spot of surface rust on the inside roof panel right at the front of the rear sunroof. No longer leaks as if sealed under warranty.

 

when you do the floor panels post pics!

 

I'm not painting the diamond plate for two reasons...one I don't want to worry about scratches. Scratched diamond plate looks like its doing its job. Painted scratched looks like it didn't.... and two I like the way it looks. Also, I'm doing the roof in aluminum color as you called me names for having a black roof in the tropics.

I'm cutting the rest today including seat bolts, etc. but waiting on the sound and heat proofing material. Ill do a for position only pic tonight.

Grandpa....the rust material is KBS. It's POR15 comp at a lot better price point. I'm very satisfied with the process and finish. Time will tell tho. Those leak bulletins are depressing. I'll be doing a hose test in the near future to determine the extent of mine.

 

Your list of mods in your signature sounds excellent. Would like to see pics of all those and some source info. The list price of a new front drive shaft makes a cover look appealing. I would like to try fabbing some since I am in the midst of lots of metals processors in the Pittsburgh region The Steel City.

 

The Leak Test sounds like a great thing to do before completing the finish. Seal anything that is close to a leak. Maybe even do some proactive caulking with a good silicone bathroom tyupe with a long guarantee. They do make some with 25, 30 and even 50 year claims. Better safe than sorry. I guess you get monsoons down there as well as extreme heat too.

We got a few inches of wet heavy snow last night and it is still falling in clumps right now. Was predicted to be a half inch but we got about 4 inches already.

Seal it tight, let it do it's job. But be sure to wipe your feet good before you get in each time! You don't want all that stuff from the bottom of your sandals corroding the new plate!

 

I've already picked out a 3M marine caulk which I'm doing around the diamond plate and maybe the top of the roof rail. I noticed that where the black Rust Seal paint covered some original body filler it got rock hard so maybe i'll go for that effect in the roof rail rather than softer material.

If I see the diamond plate start to corrode I'll catch it early and treat and coat it somehow. I'll paint the back in rust proof primer which I have lying around. I'm hoping it doesn't rust.

I read about the snow. When it snows here then I'll worry.