Technical Question about Shoebox Floor

Hello all,

Wondering if someone can help answer a quick question regarding the floor in my 50' Shoebox.

I'm getting ready to order replacement floor panels but I can't find any mention of the raised section underneath the front seat. Wonder what it's called, it's function, and if it's necessary to replace/rebuild when replacing the floor?

In most "post-replacement" photos I see online, no one has rebuilt that section - which leads me to think it might not be necessary..?

Here's a photo of the part/area in question (not my car, but it's the best one I could find online):



Thanks for any help

 

Found another (better) image from a post here on the HAMB.



It looks like this guy rebuilt his, but all the other floor replacement threads or images that I've seen don't seem to rebuild it. Any thoughts?

 

I don't know what that is. Is it necessary? I recently finished the new floor in my '50 and that part has never entered my mind. Seats are going in a few days from now, so I guess I'll find out if it's needed!

 

Oh, wait. That's a convertible. They had different frames, so it must be something to do with that.

My best guess.

 

Mine isn't a convertible....unless it's been Frankenstein-ed together in the past...

 

My 49 convertible had nothing like that.

 

Man, I'm stumped. Never seen that before.

 

Looks to me like a generic seat riser, maybe the cars pictured had swivel seats that needed the extra support, or bucket seats that had a short base. Usually, the floor pan under the seat is in about the best condition of the entire floor. Its usually about the highest point on the floor pan, which tends to protect it from the standing water that usually kills the floors.

If your car has that raised part and its bad, you will probably have to build it from scratch, most replacement parts only cover the commonly used stuff. Gene

 

I have had 1949 and '50 both and none of them ever had that piece on them but they were coupes and sedans. The pic of the cowl and floor pan is a 1949 convertible the other appears to be a 1951 hardtop. I think that piece is for hardtops and convertibles to add extra strength to the pillars, I have never seen one on a coupe or sedan. hope that helps!

 

I have '51 and the '51 floors are a different story than on earlier models.The '51's have that kind of structure on middle of the floor.But i think its pretty useless thing,specially on tudors or coupes.
I fabricated complete new floors,but i saved the middle structure.After i got the job done,i figured out that the job could been a lot faster,if i had cut the middle thing off too.So,i think there's no point to make the middle reinforcement structure on sedan or coupe.If you are going to use other front seat than original,the middle thing will make the seat fitting a bit complicated than it is.

 

That's what I'm thinking too - thanks for the insight.

Since mine is a tudor, I'm wondering if the floor wasn't from a non-tudor donor at some point in the past. I'm pretty sure the seats I have are from a fordor anyways - they don't tilt - so I'm not worried about having seat fitment issues if I omit that 'raised' structure of the floor.

That structure isn't in great shape anyway, so I'll just remove it and move forward with the floor replacement.

Thanks - as usual - for everyones help!

 

For what its worth, my 50 4 door has those pieces on the floor. I left them, but it would have been less work to mount the seat without it. No insight on how necessary they are.

 

Also they made the 1951 transmission hump larger to accommodate the first year of the Ford-O-Matic so if you are planning an engine and transmission swap upgrade it to the '51 hump then if you order a carpet kit order it for a '51.

 

Alt:
Those raised sections determine the height of the seats. If you have the seat or seats for the car, I would put them without the sections and see if the seats are high enough. If not you may have to fab something to replace the original sections.
Larry

 

Thanks Larry - good to hear that it has a purpose! I think I'll try to remove that section (in as complete a manner as possible), replace the floor, then see how the seat fits. If it's too low, I'll use the old section as a guide to fab something to replace/replicate it.

 

My 50 has them the back feet of the front seat slide into the v notches

Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Good to know. Another clue that my seat isn't original.

 

I have the same floor sections in my 50 coupe