Aluminum Panel Alignment Questions

[Mat1asBEV&ICE]

Hello. I have a few questions in order to finish up driving footboxes.

1. This 1/8" gap is between the firewall and the DS footbox top. Just put some silicone on it and move on?
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2. Did you rivet from the bottom (gap is too large to do from the side) the DS footbox bottom panel to the circular tube on the left of the photo? If so, how did you make sure the holes were in exactly the right place to attach to the bottom of the curve of the tube? Seems like if you're off just a little the rivets won't engage because, you know, it's round. :)
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3. How would you deal with this large discrepancy in overlap? First photo how they lay with clecos, second photo if I push the DS footbox inside panel toward the "trans tunnel front vertical wall" piece. All other panels in the footbox line up well. Cut off the extra from the footbox panel as indicated by the red line? Haven't done the PS footbox yet so not sure how that aligns against the trans tunnel front vertical wall.
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Thank you!

[nashuanuke]

I had similar issues with aligning this specific area, and only this area as well. I ended up trimming the lower part where the inner panel hits the floor a little and then just sort of forcing it into place, using cleckos to hold it in place and getting it rivetted. With all that there is still a little gap right at that upper corner, but not so much I won't be able to get it filled with some silicon, then covered up with sound mat and carpet.

[rich grsc]

In the 1st picture it looks like you have the top panel on the inside of the engine panel. Put it on the out side, tenth top panel can be removable and fits better.

[rthomas98]

I ended up getting some additional aluminum as there were a couple of areas I made patch panels. With that said I hope you are only doing mock-up at this point you really want to wait on that left side driver panel and top driver panels until just before you are ready to drop the body on.

Finally do not be afraid of clecos I noticed you are using very little or none as you do this. Using at least every other hole pulls in a lot of the panels and you might not have the gaps you think you have. Will help pull everything straight.

[gbranham]

Did you take a bunch of pictures of your aluminum as installed by Factory Five, before you took it all apart? It's hard to imagine that driver's side interior wall would be that far off from FFR, where it connects to the tunnel horseshoe piece. I had several that seemed way off when I reassembled after drilling and powdercoating--some as far off as yours--but when I went back and looked at my initial pics from when the kit was delivered, they weren't that far off. I realized I had panels overlapping incorrectly here and there, and the sum of all that would make other pieces of aluminum be way off where they connect with yet another piece.

[Mat1asBEV&ICE]

In the 1st picture it looks like you have the top panel on the inside of the engine panel. Put it on the out side, tenth top panel can be removable and fits better.
Thank you, I had it the way it came but I’ll make the change as I can see the advantage.

[Mat1asBEV&ICE]

Nothing is riveted, it’s all held with clecos. I used about 30 on the DS footbox though it might now show.

I did take photos and looking back at them those panels on the DS footbox inside and trans tunnel front wall were just as poorly aligned.

[Mat1asBEV&ICE]

An update.

I have decided I will drill a hole from the top through the circular tube and aluminum floor panel in part 2 above, one towards each end of the tube. Then use a straight edge on the underside of the aluminum to align the holes that will go in between the first two holes. I can then cover and paint the two holes on the top of the tube.

Part 3, after some thought and moving things this way and that, I have decided I will use a hand seamer to bend tabs so they better align. It comes pretty close to what you would want it to look like.