I just bought a 1985 monte ss that I was pretty excited about until I pulled up the carpet and saw the drivers side floorpan. Pretty rusty all the way from the bottom of the pedals to almost under the seat. I ordered a drivers side floorpan already which I just got. It's not going to be a showcar, I probably could trim the new floorpan to fit the from the seat all the way to the pedals or I could replace the whole floorpan but it looks like a pain to deal with the seat mounts. I have no auto body experience so I wanted to get all of your thoughts on this.
rusty monte floorpan
- Thread starter cad500monte
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Cut out as much of the old floor as possible. You can get a spot weld drill (very small hole saw) and drill out the spot welds where needed.
Do it right and only do it once.
Make sure there is no lip on the underneath of the car where the two pieces of metal meet. This will collect water and rust out the new floor in no time.
Paint the bottom and under coat the new metal too.
Good luck! I have a few of these projects to get to myself..
Do it right and only do it once.
Make sure there is no lip on the underneath of the car where the two pieces of metal meet. This will collect water and rust out the new floor in no time.
Paint the bottom and under coat the new metal too.
Good luck! I have a few of these projects to get to myself..
I have run old cars for years. The key to stopping rust is oil. I know that body shop guys think that is nuts. However, Oil stops rust. The trick is to keep the oil on the steel.
You cannot save time here.
Do it right or watch the rust eat your car.
This is what I have done. It works for me. It has stopped most rust spots, but not all. So every summer there can be more work. As you learn you will get better results. I have had 21 year old doors in top shape this way, in salty rust zone Toronto Ontario.
I use WD 40 first to force the moisture out. Let the car stand in sun for a week or two. No rain. No water on the car. Spray wd40 on every day for a few days. Oil sits on water, so once you put on the 10w30 the water is trapped under the oil. Not good. Then brush on any fresh 10W30 or equivalent. Then let it drip and soak in. Let it sit like this for a few days.
Then prime it. I prefer to spray brief strokes on a very hot day. This lets the paint dry immediately, right on top of the oil As the oil soaks into the metal it pulls the paint onto the metal. Once the primer is on and tight, you can use the enamel. It could take a week or three before the primer is stuck tight on the metal and you can use the enamel. It 'floats' on the oil until the oil soaks in to the metal. Think of the metal as a sponge. It is porous, and will absorb some oil. The rest will drain away.
I think that I would try to pop rivet instead of weld, if the rust holes are small. Welding uses heat and oxygen. Heat and oxygen starts rust - oxidation. So any welds will be prime targets for rust. I would simply pop rivet. Drill and rivet.
Before placing the metal on the car, caulk the edge with roof tar or some non flammable similar kind of sealer. If possible put a sheet of galvanized under the car to cover the bad spot. This will seal and protect it from road dirt etc. If the floor is weak then a sheet of floor inside would be best too, to give strength to the floor. Galvanized iron is ok as it resists rust.
Not advice. Just works for me. Good luck 😀
You cannot save time here.
Do it right or watch the rust eat your car.
This is what I have done. It works for me. It has stopped most rust spots, but not all. So every summer there can be more work. As you learn you will get better results. I have had 21 year old doors in top shape this way, in salty rust zone Toronto Ontario.
I use WD 40 first to force the moisture out. Let the car stand in sun for a week or two. No rain. No water on the car. Spray wd40 on every day for a few days. Oil sits on water, so once you put on the 10w30 the water is trapped under the oil. Not good. Then brush on any fresh 10W30 or equivalent. Then let it drip and soak in. Let it sit like this for a few days.
Then prime it. I prefer to spray brief strokes on a very hot day. This lets the paint dry immediately, right on top of the oil As the oil soaks into the metal it pulls the paint onto the metal. Once the primer is on and tight, you can use the enamel. It could take a week or three before the primer is stuck tight on the metal and you can use the enamel. It 'floats' on the oil until the oil soaks in to the metal. Think of the metal as a sponge. It is porous, and will absorb some oil. The rest will drain away.
I think that I would try to pop rivet instead of weld, if the rust holes are small. Welding uses heat and oxygen. Heat and oxygen starts rust - oxidation. So any welds will be prime targets for rust. I would simply pop rivet. Drill and rivet.
Before placing the metal on the car, caulk the edge with roof tar or some non flammable similar kind of sealer. If possible put a sheet of galvanized under the car to cover the bad spot. This will seal and protect it from road dirt etc. If the floor is weak then a sheet of floor inside would be best too, to give strength to the floor. Galvanized iron is ok as it resists rust.
Not advice. Just works for me. Good luck 😀
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