Defender Restoration - Part 4 

What we do with them floor panels (apart from chucking them in the bin) is to use them as templates to cut new floors out of ally checker-plate - then bin every fastener LR fitted in favour of riv-nuts & M8 metric bolts - so next time you have to unbolt the floor, it's a doddle using just a 13mm socket on an impact. We do the same for the seat-box - bin all the daft fastners & replace them with M6/M8 metric bolts into riv-nuts. That leaves you just needing a 10mm, a 13mm socket & a power ratchet to get the entire lower interior out, which takes about 10 minutes. If you coat the bolts with Vaseline (yes, vaseline) then you also benefit from the "they will never corrode in place" aspect. Lidl sell knock-off vaseline for about a quid a jar - buy some, use it on bolts - thank me later. You can also use the cheapo vaseline on anything else you'd not fancy going rusty - it works great, isn't dear & is also not manky to use. Brush it on with a brush - marvel at how petroleum jelly stops rust dead in its tracks. Ideal for around windscreens btw - works great, try it. A "Top-Tip" is to also bin the old LR seatbelt mounts & replace them with heavier steel plate - the LR ones are flimsy as feck - chunk - I made a template so we can bend up a new bracket on the brake in no time at all that fits right in in place of the garbage originals. The originals will usually also be rusted to dust - and they're what hold you in when the SHTF... chances are if most owners glanced at the state of the seat-belt mounts, they'd be afraid to hang a picture off them, let alone a seatbelt.. usually it's only the skimpy ally panel that is actually holding the belt unit in place - the original brackets have usually totally dissolved. Not ideal - fix that - top-tip. Even on ostensibly "not rusty" ones, the seat-belt mounts will be absolute crud, have a close look, you will see. They are the first thing to go to corrosion - and they're not a thing you want going... If you don't want the new ally floors to sound like a Scottish marching band as you drive along, a cheap hack is to use heavy torch-on membrane on the underside - it has the weight, the sound absorption & the "Glues on easily using heat" properties to really quiet them down so they are civilised - the same material can be used in loads of places to make things quieter - Upside is a big roll is cheap as chips & saves you having to get absolutely raped buying little bits of "sound deadening" material. The only other "Good Hack" that springs to mind is to pop along to CarpetRight & buy a few meters of their boggo black ribbed office carpet - it is ideal for lining the inside of everything as it is super flexible, glues down very well, is durable & covers all them awkward shapes your LR has on the inside of its cab. It also makes for an ideal headliner material. Luckily it is also cheaper than chips. Thank me later. :-)

Lovely restoration, keep going

Coming along really well Chris ! Great work on the chassis!!!

Those poxy screws are a misery to remove, consider replacing with stainless steel. Worthy of note, the fibreglass tunnel should sit on top of the floor plates.....