True, true. There is definitely some prying involved, and the studs on the parking brake tend to spin in place. Perhaps for a worry-free fix the driveshaft upgrade is okay, but as for necessary or worth the price? I have more urgent repairs and mods than that one.

I also do an inspection before and after each trail run (which I recommend BTW) and pay extra attention to the Roto-Flex. Even the inspection doesn't always save me, I still had to do a minor trail repair today.

 

PS Danny Lee, the tranny tunnel is steel, is it not? What did you do for corrosion resistance when you cut the hole?

 

I sealed it back up with a formed patch panel riveted in place and covered all edges and mating surfaces with Red Permatex. I had already pulled my console to fix the linkage but also needed to replace the CDL switch to get the dashboard indicator light to work. That is why I cut the sidewall of the tunnel to access that switch without having to remove the transmission shifter and surround.

Have you ever removed your carpets and padding? There are multiple holes under there that were part of the manufacturing process and lots of them merely have a piece of somekind of tape on them or nothing at all.

 

Gotcha.

I'm just referring to bare edges being bad for corrosion (fact). The holes from the factory are made before the steel is treated, most likely (opinion, based on industry standards), or at least before it gets paint. So they (treated holes) shouldn't be as likely (fact) to cause problems. I was just curious what you did.

(emphasis added for clarity)

 

Apparently, you have never lifted your carpets and pads and looked at the actual floor pan or you would see how much in error your statement is my friend. If you get down to the actual floorpan, you can see daylight in several factory holes that exist. Even the ones that have rubber plugs will have rust forming around the periphery of the holes. Some others merely have some sort of tape over them. Others have a little goop on them.

Lift your carpets and take a gander.

 

Semantics...

Well, you already answered my question, you "sealed it back up with a formed patch panel riveted in place and covered all edges and mating surfaces with Red Permatex." Seems like a good method, thanks.

 

If you have not looked under your carpets, I still reccommend you do, you may be surprised by what you see. Most DI's will have at least some corrosion there. Some more than others. Some will be rusted really bad. All will have some. And I would think that the metal is galvanized prior to drilling, not after. Painted afterwards. Doubt very seriously if the edges of any of the holes are treated. But what the hell would i know, I was only a Manufacturing Engineer, Reliability Engineer, and Certified Quality Auditor and Director of Quality.

 

So you're right, have a cookie. What would I know, I'm a mere enthusiast. Maybe we can have Spike re-name this the "transmission tunnel hole treated-vs.-untreated debate" thread since we're so far off-topic.

PS, I do appreciate your suggestions, and I have plans to strip the entire interior for rust remediation some time this summer. Since you recommend checking for rust, what do you recommend doing when you find it? I was thinking POR-15 but come to think of it I've never tried it on galvanized sheet metal before.

 

That is something I would have to look into. Mine is relatively minor compared to other I have seen on here and other places. I also did corrosion control work on naval aircraft while at sea on an aircraft carrier.

We used pneumatic rotary guns with "flap brushes" to grind/buff away all the corrosion then treated the exposed bare metal, primed it with a thin skin of RTV, and painted over that. Mechanical removal such as a metal brush, grinder, a dremel with various attachments, or a pneumatic rotary tool with an abrasive tool would all work depending on the degree of degradation you have. Then prime and reseal with paint or other material. Mechanical removal is best way. A chemical conversion may work, but you need to remove as much as possible or it just returns.

By the way, I am an enthusiast as well. Very enthusiastic.

After you lift your carpets, post some pics of what you find, you may be surprised or yours may be clean as a whistle.