An Introduction: Chris Collins and Morris Tilly Project

[jack neville]

Having decided that the front floors are too far gone we decided to replace them. This meant reproducing the ribs which are in three different patterns.
I drew up plans to plates to be laser cut for the press dies and made up some frames to hold the plates. Pieces of round bar were turned up in the lathe as the press blocks for the ribs.

[jack neville]

As the ribs vary in length instead of making a round length for each one I made them variable.

[jack neville]

The left side front floor has a separate pressing under the floor spot welded to the main floor panel. This was salvageable so I removed it and welded it back on.

[jack neville]

The floor pressings worked very well I think and now need to be trimmed to size and then further straightened. I got some top hat sections folded as once the floors go in I will remove the worst top hats and weld in new sections.
I will do one side at a time so I removed the right floor first. The chassis will need another visit to the sandblaster to clean up the newly exposed area.
In the meantime my local engineer has finally finished reproducing sets of bonnets latches for us. We didn't have enough and he has done a superb job machining them in brass.