Rust - floorpan

It was MOT time yesterday and whilst poking around underneath I found a corrugated metal plate that was rusted through. Ive looked in the parts catalogue and cant seem to find it listed.
It sits at the front of the drivers side footwell and attaches along the middle of the car (theres one on the passenger side too) then cuts across at an angle and goes to the front of the footwell where I think it attaches on the front facing edge of the footwell.
Anyone know what it is? Is it structural or is it just a cover?

Just nipped out to the garage to have a look - Looks to me like an integral part of the front floorpan. Presumably the diagonal ribs will give it a bit of strength against flexing. If you look in the parts microfiche at the floorpans for the A610 they show that ribbing as built into the floorpan.

I'm sure some P40 and a bit of underseal will restore it to factory specification but if you can get it separated then any decent blacksmith should be able to knock up a similar plate and weld some reinforcing ribs onto it to make it look and function like the orig (might add a few grams back onto your lean machine though!)

I could see it on the A610 section but not on the GTA one......strange. I dont suppose it provides much strenght......having attacked it I have lost a section about 4" long from the back corner and can see the fibreglass floorpan through it.

It might also provide a bit of protection from anything you run over puncturing the fibreglass and injuring your feet. Its probably bonded onto the fibreglass floorpan so if you are angle-grinding it then the heat may actually loosen it and allow you to get it off completely and use if as a pattern to get a replacement made up.

[Alpineandy]

use if as a pattern to get a replacement made up.

In Stainless or ally....

Or leave it out and save some more weigth.

Or leave it out and save some more weigth.

..which means you can kick a hole through the floorpan and go Flinstones style

It was MOT time yesterday and whilst poking around underneath I found a corrugated metal plate that was rusted through. Ive looked in the parts catalogue and cant seem to find it listed.
It sits at the front of the drivers side footwell and attaches along the middle of the car (theres one on the passenger side too) then cuts across at an angle and goes to the front of the footwell where I think it attaches on the front facing edge of the footwell.
Anyone know what it is? Is it structural or is it just a cover?

It is structural, very structural. The front face (that the pedal rods go through) is also the structure for the front lower wishbones. This face connects to the metal tunnel running through the car. Those triangular pieces are there to link the two together for strength.

Curse of the fibreglass car .............The mekal bits

Its going in on Wednesday to have a plate welded in....its only a small bit at the rear so it should be fine. Thanks f!ck I spotted it in time!

Its going in on Wednesday to have a plate welded in....its only a small bit at the rear so it should be fine. Thanks f!ck I spotted it in time!

I love the smell of melting fibreglass in the morning

Metal tunnnel running through the car?? Where exactly is it?
What other metal is there in the car apart from the front and rear subframes and the metal in the door pillars?

No - you can't remove it to save weight - the car would definitely sag in the middle. Look at page N-22 of the workshop manual (if you have one - if not PM me and I'll scan the page and send it to you). This shows a diagram of the steel backbone of the car and the subframes. Your metal triangles appear on this diag - as David describes they look like they play quite a major part in keeping the front of the car square and attached to the back end.

inner sills are steel.....

inner sills are steel.....

..you don't say...