The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 1940 cab floor metals finish

Does anyone know what/how the floor pieces were finished in the cabs? It kind of appears the interior side was just a painted finish, but the underside might have had an undercoating type of product applied???

Also - the battery had been moved to under the hood and I want to put it back under the floor. The opening in the floor piece had the turn down flange at each end smashed flat, and the cover was installed with the tabs smashed flat to secure it for good. So I am sure the cover should hook at one end and the tabs at the opposite end should be vertical and would push in snuggly. I "think" the floor piece needs to have the one turn down flange straightened out to properly hold the cover. I have attached a bunch of pictures hoping someone can tell me what if anything needs to be reshaped.

I’m thinking those tabs on front and back probably need to be bent back so there’s a vertical and horizontal section to keep the cover from falling through the hole.

Not saying mine are factory perfect, but here's what mine look like. My '46 floor looks similar to yours. And all I did was just paint both sides the same.

John - have you got a pic of the cover tabs?

Here's some pics of the cover. I didn't have an existing cover. When I lifted the floor mat, I found two mint Wyoming license plates from 1949. This cover I have now was ordered online years ago. I had to file/grind one tab to get it to fit.

I can't remember, but I may have bent these tabs straight.

On my 46 on the front by hot cable there is tab that folds back up level (horizontal) with floor. On rear end of ground side that faces the box of the truck the tab goes straight down (vertical)

I tried getting a pic but it doesn’t work.
Glen

Thanks guys. I see both floor pieces that are not installed in these pictures have the tabs vertical. Glens that is still in the pickup has the front tab bent up against the floor, like mine is now. That does accommodate the cover with the tab bent straight out like in the picture of my cover. When looking at my floor I feel that tab was bent and hammered flat judging by the marks on it. So here is my theory:
Both tabs on the floor should be vertical, both having a slight angle back. The tab on the cover for that end would then need a bend less than vertical so it was actually protruding under the floor a bit when installed. The end with 3 separate tabs on the cover would have the two outside tabs flat like John bent his, and the middle tab, which actually has a little ripple in it, would need to be bent vertical to the point of being spring like when installed keeping pressure to keep it in place.

Not sure why I felt inclined to describe all of that, but that is what I think I will try. We will see.

Always good to hear what others are thinking and their reasoning. Keep it up.