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- Replacing the floor
pan plug
(by Kyle)
After a run in my FHC which hadn’t been on the road for over a year and had been exposed to the elements, I discovered that my foot had partially gone through the floor (I know people say the best way to get the most out of standard 2.0 litre engine is to put your boot to the floor, but this was ridiculous!). luckily a close inspection revealed that all was well with the floor pan itself but the metal floor pan plug had parted company with the floor and was trying to force its way out unto the ground. It was going to need replaced. The picture below shows a rusty floor pan plug on another car which has at some stage had the sound deadening material removed.
Pic of rusted floor pan plug
A check at the passenger’s floor pan plugs condition left me with the conclusion that it would be smart to do both plugs. The first and most arduous task is the removal of the bitumenesque sound deadening material that covers that area of the floor. Here’s what I did and it should work for you. Using a Stanley knife mark out a square section about 1 foot square. Then lap a fire blanket around the fuel pipe which runs underneath and off to the left of the floor panel on the driver’s side and soak underside with water. The best tool I found to remove the mastic was a hot air gun, as used for removing paint off window sills, accompanied with a metal scraper. Then finish off if necessary with a wire brush in an electric drill to tidy up edges. At this stage the new plug can be offered up for fitting in place. I have seen these welded, riveted and siliconed into place but I reckon the very best method of securing these and preventing future leaks is to use windscreen bonding. Smear it liberally all around the edges of both the aperture and the replacement bung, place it firmly into place and a small tin of paint on top of it to keep it in position while the sealant cures. Once dry apply seam sealer around the lip above and below the bung then paint with protective paint above and below floor pan.
Windscreen bonding
