P15 - What is this hole?

[JerryinTx]

I'm finishing up covering the floor with sound deadening and got to this place below where the back seat goes.  What is this hole for?  I'm assuming I should not cover it up.

[dpollo]

It is possible that the floor covering had an anchor which pushed into holes like this.

[MarcDeSoto]

Could it be a hole for the seat to anchor into?  Could it be for water drainage?  I don't know.  If it's not for those things, I would cover it up to stop CO from entering the cab.  

[Eneto-55]

Where abouts is it located?  If on one side, is there also one on the opposite side?  (I could look at my 46, and see if I also have a hole there.)

[Speaking of exhaust fumes getting into the cabin, I discovered a hole on the left side front, up in the kickup area.  It is way up in there from the outside, and it goes into the cavity on the left side of the cowl.  I cannot actually see it - only feel it by reaching up from the outside.  It appears to be a place where the sheet metal piece had a corner missing.  It is completely closed up on the right side, and it is not the hole for the emergency brake cable - that has a grommet pass-through hole.]

[LeRoy]

Mine has it!

 

Just kidding, I looked and I dont have a hole like that under my back seat, 1947 d24.

[Sam Buchanan]

17 hours ago, JerryinTx said:

I'm finishing up covering the floor with sound deadening and got to this place below where the back seat goes.  What is this hole for?  I'm assuming I should not cover it up.

 

Since it is serving no function, and you can't figure out why it is there....cover it up. If it is needed later for some reason, drill another hole.  

[JerryinTx]

Maybe this photo will better show where the holes are located.

[greg g]

Previously installed and removed searbelts??

[JerryinTx]

8 hours ago, greg g said:

Previously installed and removed searbelts??

Could seatbelts have been installed with only one hole on each side?

[DJ194950]

rear seat cushion- back.

 

Bolts into clips to retain.. The back should have tabs that swing downward and a bolt goes  in the body at those locations

 

I believe! -  ?

 

DJ

[MarcDeSoto]

I checked my 48 DeSoto business coupe and it doesn't have any holes there.  And a business coupe doesn't have a back seat.  

[Eneto-55]

55 minutes ago, DJ194950 said:

rear seat cushion- back.

 

Bolts into clips to retain.. The back should have tabs that swing downward and a bolt goes  in the body at those locations

 

I believe! -  ?

 

DJ

DJ is correct.  I couldn't tell where these holes were until I saw the photo you added later (yesterday morning).  On my 46, there are square cage nuts spot welded on the bottom side at those locations.  (Well, I actually only looked on the left side,)

[Tom Skinner]

Jerry in TX,

My 1948 Chryslers both had a holes in the floor under the rear seats on both sides. They also had rubber plugs in them.

The holes are either 1/2" or 1" in Diameter as my memory serves me. The Rubber Plugs are now made of Plastic and don't fit well.

I lremoved one one and put it back in place just as perplexed as you about their purpose for being there. Maybe measure the diameter

and go to a good Hardware store if there is still such a thing and buy a couple of rubber plugs and plug them up. I noticed either rear end

Grease or Universal Joint Greese trying to seep through mine, I sleeved my Shaft Yoke and replaced my U-Joints and cleaned up the mess below and 

of course had no more problems. Seat belts did't come out until 1963 so I feel safe to say they had nothing what so ever to do with them.

Tom 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Tom Skinner
spelling

[Sniper]

Might have been drain holes for when they dunked the body in primer?  Though they are small for that.

[Kilgore47]

15 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

The back should have tabs that swing downward and a bolt goes  in the body at those locations

The 47 P15 has these tabs on the back seat.  They bolt to the floor where those holes are shown.  These tabs hold the upper part of the back seat in place.

[JerryinTx]

Bingo!  I had never thought about the seat back being bolted to the floor, but went up in the attic where the frame for mine sits, and sure enough there are two tabs to bolt it to the floor.  I haven't gone under the car to see if there are caged nuts below the holes, but am expecting they are there.  Thanks for all the help guys!

 

edit:  Well, scratch that.  The tabs in the seat back are 28" apart and the holes in the floor are only 18" apart.  The search continues!!?

Edited February 12, 2023 by JerryinTx

[LazyK]

2 hours ago, JerryinTx said:

 

edit:  Well, scratch that.  The tabs in the seat back are 28" apart and the holes in the floor are only 18" apart.  The search continues!!?

I believe if you check the seat back, the tabs can be slid on the seat frame

[LeRoy]

The bolts that hold my seat back brackets in place run horizontal, I believe the hole a few inches from your arrow.

[JerryinTx]

5 hours ago, LeRoy said:

The bolts that hold my seat back brackets in place run horizontal, I believe the hole a few inches from your arrow.

Yep, that's where they attach.  I crawled under the car just now, and there are caged nuts located on the vertical aspect of the floorboard, just forward of the gas tank and they are 28" apart.  Apparently the bolts sheared off in the holes when the seat back was last removed.  I'll have to drill those out (should be fun!). They line up perfectly with the holes in the fiberboard trunk separator.

 

Since no one can tell me what the purpose of the holes mentioned in my original post and I have no need for them, I will put some rubber plugs there as Tom Skinner suggested.

 

[Eneto-55]

I checked my seat back today, and yeah, those are 28" apart.  So your guess about previously mounted seat belts is about the best guess, although then there should be some extra holes somewhere close to the outside edges, unless someone just mounted brackets to secure a child's seat.  

[Sam Buchanan]

See post number six...it was written by a very astute observer.....  ?