The trans tunnel reinforcement. The steel flat stock used here is 1/8" x 2". When they patched the floor with the 1/8" sheet steel, they just put the patch over the top of the existing floor, and that patch went from the angle at the bottom of the firewall to the front edge of the raised floor under the seat riser. They put a few short welds along the edges of the seat riser and the 1/8" sheet steel. My problem was I cut the center out of the 1/8" sheet steel, and I cut the center out of the 1" rise in the floor pan and the seat riser support. At that point I wasn't sure the actual seat riser support was going to be able to stay in the truck at all, and cutting the big hole at the center left everything a bit more flexible then I liked. I felt a need to add some reinforcing to the center of the floor. The new trans tunnel was going to be about 4" higher then the original flat floor. I decided that I could stand up aa 1/8" x 2" flat bar upright and run it all around the edges of the cut hole. That would give me very solid floors plus eliminate 2" of height for the trans tunnel. I figured the most important support would need to be in the area cut out near the seat riser in the center. The 1st piece I made was the shape around the cut floor inside of the seat riser area.
Pic 1, The floor reinforcing inside of the seat riser area.
Pic 2, Once the floor inside of the seat riser was reinforced, I added this 1/8" x 2" piece across the top to give myself an area weld the new tunnel to.
Pic 3, The "new" tunnel is the trans tunnel from the 96 Dakota donor. The Dakota tunnel was much deeper then this one needs to be, so I flattened it out and repositioned it for a better fit. I did have to add a little sheet metal between the tunnel and the the firewall, even though they were welded together in the Dakota,
Pic 4, This shows the pieces added at the firewall. The tunnel on the Dakota was shifted about 2" more towards the passenger side then it is in this truck. It was more important for the shifter to be located in a good position in this truck then it was for the sheet metal to line up.
Also, the top cover for hole in the floor inside of the seat riser was addressed after the seating was decided.

The radiator and radiator support are the next challenge. Gene