After stripping all the mechanical bits out it was time to start the repairs. Unlike the Bmw Isetta the Heinkel is frameless. This makes the floor repairs a bit more critical as it is structural in nature. The floors are available from the German Heinkel club, which must be one of the best single marque clubs around. Virtually every part is still available for both the Kabine and the range of scooters. Very efficient and friendly too. There is also a British club which I have not yet had the opportunity to use. I came to the decision , right or wrong, to not use the club floors. Partly because of the expense of the floors themselves with shipping from Germany but mostly because the extensive rusted out areas were not limited to the floors but also extended up the firewall , wheel wells and sides of the car itself. Quite frankly , I wasn't sure it was possible to save this car at all. In any case extensive welding would extend far beyond the floors themselves .I was relatively sure I could repair it all with commonly available steel sheet and tubing, however it's resale value would surely be impacted with such a repair. In the end I decided to use sheet material as I really expected to keep the car and was fine with just a daily driver and not a show car (obviously!).
As you can see, square tubing replaced the stamped stiffening ribs on the original floors. The car was incredibly light in weight at this stage and could easily be tipped up on edge and moved around by just one person
Floors complete and in primer. Looks pretty good and very strong. The recess is for the spare tire which lies under the seat.
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