![\"Porous](\"http:\/\/gtyurkon.com\/MC850\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014_0309_01_DonorFloorPerforated.jpg\")
<\/a>Porous Donor Car Trunk Floor<\/p><\/div>Things aren’t going quite to plan. Besides other tasks keeping me from the MC850, not all is well with some of the donor steel I planned on using. I decided to strip the undercoating from the donor car trunk floor to make sure it would be a solid replacement. Bad news. As the photo shows, it wasn’t the steel that made the donor floor seem solid, it was the undercoating that was solid. What wasn’t perforated was weak and thin, a big disappointment since I was anxious to get a trunk floor into the MC850. I want this car to be correctly restored with solid metal, but not just cobbled patchwork. I know there will be a lot of new metal, but I want it to be almost indistinguishable from the original, so I needed something better.<\/p>\n
Good News from Saabklubben in Sweden<\/strong> Saabklubben Trunk Floor<\/p><\/div>I started searching for replacement floor sections for the MC850 but wasn’t happy with what I was finding. Then I remembered that Saabklubben of Sweden had a club web store. Turns out that they have floor sections which I have been told are pressed from the original Saab factory dies. The shop didn’t have any way to order and pay for shipment to the USA, but I queried them via email and crossed my fingers. It was a happy day when I got a reply and was told I could order via email and pay through Paypal. The floor and a few other items are ordered and on their way. The photo is from their web store. If you care to look at a few other bits of work I did, please continue reading.<\/p>\n About My Welding Skills<\/strong> My Alpaca Fiber Tumbler<\/p><\/div>As an aside, in case you are wondering about my welding skills (I know I am), I’m total amateur but I’ve learned a lot on mild steel building fiber tumblers for alpaca fleece. That started about 6 years ago when my wife asked if I could build one for her. I designed one, and it worked pretty well with an old dryer motor. Then, I built more and have sold 5 or 6, gradually improving them. It takes too much work to be able to make any money for what I can get for them so I was about to abandon that endeavor, however, I got a call from a woman near Kodiak, Alaska asking about one. I tried to talk her out of it because of the great distance, but she insists she wants one so I am now dividing my MC850 time with a new tumbler project. If you might be wondering, click here to see the fiber tumbler I make<\/a> and see a panorama of our farm. Just please don’t interrupt my MC850 project any further by asking for one.<\/p>\n Engine Floor at Firewall<\/strong> Passenger Side Engine Floor at Firewall<\/p><\/div>While waiting for the floor to arrive from Sweden, I am doing additional odds and ends. Up front, where the engine bay floor meets the firewall, I was surprised to find that Saab sprayed undercoating into the V-shaped joining area. I swear, it’s up to an inch thick, and very hard! I’m almost glad that I had to remove the driver-side wheel housing because that made it much more accessible. I found a good wood chisel and hammer were good for chipping it out. You can see in the photo that the passenger side was almost like new with no discernible rust. That made me happy for a change.<\/p>\n Driver Side Engine Bay Floor at Firewall<\/p><\/div>However, over on the driver side, rust took a heavy toll, but in a small area fortunately. It looks bad but it’s all stuff that I can handle with my limited skills. And fortunately, with the wheel housing off, it’s very accessible.<\/p>\n A Patch for the Rear Wheel Housing<\/strong> Template for Wheel Housing Patch<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>