The 3 piece floorboards on my 1926 fordor have the metal reinforcements around the openings with a mud deflector underneath. The boards are in terrible shape with cracks and breaks on all pieces, but are restorable with glue and clamps. Several of the worst cracks were caused by a former owner attaching the metal reinforcement pieces to the floorboards with round head machine screws nutted on the bottom and oversized 3/4" wood screws without pre-drilling, which split the wood. I have removed all of the screws and have taken everything apart and have carefully lined up the cracks and have glued and clamped the floorboards together and they are now ready for the application of the metal reinforcement pieces around the openings.
Question: During manufacturing on the assembly line, how did Ford originally attach the metal reinforcement pieces in place to the floorboards? wood screws, machine screws w/nuts or tubular rivets? If wood screws, or machine screws, what type of screws? Round head, flathead, countersunk, oval, steel, brass...? If rivets, copper, brass, steel, round head, flathead...?
Thank you
Jim Patrick
Jim,
I just got a set of hardwood floorboards from Jonathan Anderson. He researched them before reproducing them.
The brackets have flat head steel wood screws. I can measure them when I get home tonight.
Also see http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/290010.html?1337504416 for a discussion on the pedal plates.
The pedal plates on the 26-27 cars did not use flat head wood screws. Those were only used on the brackets holding the top and bottom pieces together on the #3 floor board.
The #1 and #2 plates which surround the pedal openings are slid over the floor boards and the tabs are bent around the bottom edge to hold them in place. On the #1 board (closest to the firewall) the draft deflector is installed on the bottom side. The draft deflector is riveted to the floor board through the pedal plate using tubular rivets. On the #2 floor board, only the tabs hold it in place. I can't remember if the specification calls for nails or not, but I have never seen any on all of the floor boards I've inspected.
The plate around the hand brake opening is nailed on.
The wood should be painted a semi-flat black and the metal pieces should be a gloss black.
Dave S.
I agree with Dave completely. I have two 26 fordors, and one is a totally unmolested California car. I don't have the floorboards of both cars in front of me to inspect, but I remember at least one of the car's floorboards being exactly as he described, maybe both. It may be tomorrow, but I'll try to take pictures and post.
David. Mine has the tabs and also has holes in the top and bottom pedal plates and the deflector, which all line up, so I assume the deflector and plates are secured to each floorboard by tubular rivets that are long enough to go through all three plates and the floor boards.
Should the tubular rivets insert through the top and splayed on the bottom or inserted through the bottom and splayed on the top. What material should the rivets be made of? steel, brass or copper? Are the rivets slightly domed or flat? Is there a close fitting washer that goes over the tubular side before it is splayed? Thanks all. Jim Patrick
Don Booth in Michigan has a set of original boards in his Fordor which he shows in the thread I reference above. He may be a good source for how the rivets are placed.
I also notice Lang's stock the rivets for the deflector and I am guessing they would probably be the same ones for the pedal trim plates.
Lang's also show the reinforcements for under the floorboards but there is no mention of what size flat head screws secure them.
The lever trim on my '27 Tudor is secured by folded over tabs. There is a nail at the top edge which I don't know whether or not is original.
The top half of the pedal trim is riveted to the splash guard. Whatever is supposed to secure the bottom I don't know but suspect that was riveted as well.
Thank you Craig. That shows me alot. Pedal trim is riveted from the top with slightly round headed rivets which appear to be steel and emergency brake trim is nailed, all confirming what David Sosnoski said. Jim Patrick
Yes, they are steel rivets with the last bit hollowed out to form a tube. The rounded head goes on top and they are splayed on the bottom.
The screws in the bottom bracket are T-1461 - #9 x 5/8" flat head slotted wood screw. The earlier brackets had countersunk holes in them. On 4/16/24 the countersunk was removed.
Dave S.
Jim, this is a close up of the '27 fordor floorplate. The rivets were used all around. Hollow rivets aprox 3/4" long.