Floor pan replacment?

[New3ra]

I started poking around under the drivers side and its had a few holes nothing bigger then a nickel and one section near the rocker seems a big weak, Im in no position to do a floor pan but do you think I can just let it be for now and down the road fix it?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I am completing a similar repair on my car right now. I too do not have the money to do full pans, so I have cut out all of the rust and am welding in patch panels I cut from an old hood I had lying around. I also acid etched out all of the rust in the pan with naval jelly, and will be covering the finished repair top and bottom with fiberglass mat and resin to seal out moisture. I do not own a working welder, so a neighbor of mine is welding it in for me. If you need to leave it as is, remove the carpet and padding to allow the floor to dry out quickly when it gets wet. I would also at the very least try to grind off the rust and paint the whole thing in Rustoleum as a stop gap measure. I would also try to find the source of the water infiltration that caused the rust in the first place. Common areas to check would include the firewall where wiring passes through, and the bulkhead connector for the fuse panel. It could also be due to clogged drains in the A/C box as well.

 

[hillbillydeluxe305]

you have a great idea, my only suggestion is to not use fiberglass. in my experiences fiberglass doesnt stick to metal to good. its a good 1 year repair, but if you want it to hold up for many years theres a better way. there is an aluminum reinforced filler called all-metal. its waterproof like fiberglass but it bonds better to the metal., just spread that over it after grinding the weld and surrounding area.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I have a section I fiberglassed 3 years ago that is still very well adhered and rust free. I can see through the resin to the steel and it has not rusted again. Also, the car has sat out in the weather for that time and the floor filled with water more than once (hence the other repairs under the crossmembers...), but no rot under the fiberglass. The key is to strip it clean, leaving no paint or rust at all then use a layer of resin then mat then resin over that again, each time extending the application further out. You also want the surface to be a little rough. I use a grinding wheel to roughen it up and give it a tooth. A flapper disc will leave it too smooth, and as cleaned is too smooth too. I too have seen bad jobs done, but I have also seen it done well where it will last almost indefinitely (a neighbor has a Camaro with a job that has lasted 10 years so far). I also plan to make damn sure the car is not leaking water before I put down the new carpet. I will probably wait a month or so after the body is assembled to be sure I have found any and all holes in the firewall, etc. which may seep water into the car.

Oh, and I do use All Metal to replace lead in seams. In all, I use 4-5 different body fillers that I use for different applications ( Regular Bondo, Bondo-Glass, Evercoat Glazing putty, All-Metal, and a spot putty for pinholes). I will also add this is not my first choice in how to do this, but I am out of money and the car has been apart for 10 years. I just want to put it together and get on with my life!

 

[83CuttyDblR]

has anyone ever or seen someone put in a section or full floor pan in before, the driver side feet & rear driver feet areas are rusted-crunchy rust & could soon break thru. Since i have collector plates now I want to weigh my options & not have to go back to it years later.

how difficult is the full floor pan process. i jus found a new driver side floor pan for $190
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/78-88-MA ... enameZWD1V

 

[beermonkey9417]

chevy high performance mag i just got has a section on replacing floorpans. try there website for this or last months mag

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I would do some research before choosing a set of pans.Some of the cheaper ones are made of thin metal and are probe to cracking or hard to weld. How hard they are to install depends on how nice or butch you want it to be. You will have to remove the seats and carpet, then drill out the welds in the crossmember and seat mounts too. Next, put the new pans in place over top of the old ones and mark the edge where the new ones end with a marker. Next, decide how much overlap you want to have, and cut out the excess metal. After that, you weld the new ones in withe a series of spot welds or tack welds. After that, do the same to the bottom, then seal the seams. Finally, reinstall the crossmember and seat mounts. Be sure you made some reference marks on the car as to where they go, or make a template out of cardboard and some marks as to where to position it so that you put the seat back in the right spot. I would suggest a spotweld cutter before you start as drill bits don't seem to last too long when cutting the welds.