Technical How important is bead rolling floor pans?

So as documented in earlier posts I drug home a 70 year old gasser project and *gasp* the floor pans are bad. This really isnt that big of a deal, but the question arises because Im used to working on muscle car era stuff. I found out the pre made patches for the 49-54 are about triple what ones for my 67 Firebird are price wise.

This is a race car, I dont overly care how factory it looks. Its going to be covered in heat/sound proofing panels anyway. If I use a step thicker metal, (probbaly 16g) than what was likely factory it would probably be fine right? I know bead rolling ads strength but in the foot panels I cant see it being that important.

 

Helps keep them from oil canning.

 

Depends what gauge sheet metal you are using I guess. I wouldn't use any thing less than 20 gauge if you don't have a bead roller.

 

When I did my floor I don’t have a bead roller yet. So used 16ga and broke ( sheet metal brake) some line in them. With trans hump and foot wells ( not a flat floor ) and some lines no oil canning. It’s hard to see in the pic but the lines run at a 45 to the trans hump corner to corner

 

Do what I did. Buy a cheap bead roller instead of the high dollar floor pans. By the time you buy the bead roller, and the sheet of metal for the pans, you have spent less than the pre-formed floor pans, and you have the bead roller. If you decide you dont want to use the bead roller again, sell it. You come out cheaper. If you want the floors to have some stiffness to them, and dont want them oil-canning as mentioned, then yes, beads will help. You dont have to make them look factory, just some beads to stiffen them up. Worse comes to worse, you can hammer form some beads I suppose. The heavier gauge metal used, the heavier the car. I don't know how much extra weight 16 ga vs 18 ga is, but a little here, a little there.....

 

If you can, lay down some beads. They look nice when done properly and make the panel more ridged.

 

Strength and less or no flexing.If your a heavy standing on the floor you might notice.

 

Just checked Eastwood, they have a bead roller for $139 right now. Merry Christmas to you. And I dont know what metal costs where you are, but you can get a 4 x 8 sheet of 18 ga here for less than $100. EMS Automotive has floor pans @ $165 per side. That's a no brainer in my book if I can pick up a tool, but I am a tool whore.

 

What I have done in the past is duct tape some 1/4" rod on the metal, lay it on a piece of plywood and beat it with a rubber hammer.

 

Now THIS^^^^ is what I call hot rodd'in!
6sally6

 

I was actually thinking even more cave man, I was considering just using the ball end of a hammer and dimpling it lol. Yours is less cromagnon. Solid idea.

I concur. The issue is I need several tools and obviously the parts to try and get this heap moving by spring track openings. I probably can’t afford them all at once I need a brake, I need a tube straightener, I need a bead roller, metal shears etc. The brake is probably priority because I figure over life it will get the most use.

side note, I just missed a multi tool for sale. Lady was selling her ex husbands stuff or something. I inquired and she pulled the ad. When I looked it up it was like an $1800 combination, brake, shear, roller. She was asking $150. I was a bit upset it missed it.

 

Beads definitely add inherent strength without adding any additional weight. The beads also remove the oil can [Floppy] affect.

 

Race car? Put 18 ga flat in it and don’t worry about it. Not many cars you can get in and walk around. I assume the seats are supported by more than sheet metal.

 

I do beads cause I hate the way a flat floor looks.
Not my ride though.

 

yeah the area where the seats mounts isn’t compromised. It’s just the foot areas. Hell even the trunk floor is solid.

 

Replaced this floor lately and left out two beads that would have been in the blank space. Really not needed, there’s a support in the front and back on this area.
Now the trunk was a different story. Made a wood form and hammered beads into it.

 

This is the last hot rod floor I built.
Cheap HF bead roller with mods.
18 gauge material

 

Mack truck floor

 

Finished this recently ..18 gauge ....

 

Get a sheet of metal and while you cut all the panels to fit, you'll be on the lookout for a used bead roller. If it doesn't show you either step up for a new $125 cheapie (this means no stops for food, coffee, beer for a couple weeks-how much per week do you spend at Starbucks, bar, 7-11, burger joints?), hammer them out caveman style, or find someone local with a roller that will bang out some beads for some quick cash or labor trade.
Keep an eye on local auctions for brakes and metal working equipment. They do show up on occasion. Be open to traveling out of town a bit to pick them up for the right deal.

 

Beads in floor pans are essential for anything above 16 guage. These were some I made up for a 1929 Roadster, the ones below are some generic ones I made up earlier in the year. 18 gauge is the best thickness to use.

 

Beadrolling makes the floor stronger with less bracing. You can get away with 18ga . I’ve done lots of floors . I’ve done full al. Floors and interior in race cars . But we are hot roders and the attention to detail is fun , I’m a little that way .

 

I was going to say drumming.

The thing to remember with floor boards is that the seats mount to them. If you intend to sit in the seats you either have to have pretty stiff floor boards or some sort of structure to mount the seats to.

 

The search menu sucks. There is a thread from last spring that a few of us contributed information to concerning putting beads in floor panels without a bead roller. I searched it and came up empty, but the thread is titled "Hand stamped ribs in floor".
I like doing it this way as there is less distortion than doing beads with a bead roller.

 

I always try to do the best job I can on whatever I do . Its a mindset kinda thing. If you take shortcuts on the stuff like floors, you usually settle for less than ideal on other stuff too. Flat floors look terrible and will "oil can". Bead rolled floors look much better and give more strength. Put the effort in and you will like it better when done.
Get an inexpensive bead roller from Harbor Freight or Craigslist. Watch UTube videos on how to weld some bracing on the bead roller to prevent flexing and add a quick adjust to the bead clamp and you have a nice inexpensive machine. Easy to resell later or keep.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hand-stamped-ribs-in-floor.1150503/#post-13086124
Maybe this will work.

 

Looks like you have 'done-a-couple' before....NICE WORK
6sally6

 

Cheap-o HF bead roller with mods

bolt recess made with a hammer and dolly

 

what dat mean? "oil canning" ???.... I must-a-been absent that day

 

when you step on the floor and it goes "ding-" and when you step off it goes "dung" step back and forth and it goes "ding-dung"