Thread: Argh! Rust!

Tweet

Ok, i got my elky on the rack the other day to get the tranny out of it, it turns out that the whole floor is rusted out, minus the part that the tranny tucks up into...The frame and suspension is all still good but the floor pans are rusted all the way through...

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?? As a noobie hotrodder, im really scratching my head...so any advice would be VERY much appreciated.

http://www.carsinc.com/pdfs/1/065_19...sheetmetal.pdf

ok suppose i buy my floor pans from there...how do i go about repairing the damage with the new pans?

It has to be welded in, I have never done it b4 but, when I see it done, the old is cut out and then the new is lined up in place on floor braces, welded in, with the trans tunnel still good and still there, you have a good starting place

Hey Hopper. I used to make the drive from Ardmore to Lawton to race the dirt track there every Sat. night. If you are skilled at using a wire welder, you should be able to do this job. It would be great to have someone from a body shop look at the job with you, and help in deciding where to splice in the new pan. You want to go to the factory joints when possible. You should be able to use the rocker panel joint as one, and there should be another joint where the floor man meets the firewall as it angles up. Another should be found under the seat. The only one that you will have to make is at the driveshaft tunnel. Be sure to buy a spot weld bit to drill out the original spot welds. I always leave a narrow strip of sheet metal at the seams that I can peel away using a wood chisel to break each spot weld loose. Just be very careful not to tear up sheet metal you need at the joints. Drill 1/4" holes every 2 1/2" to 3" in your new piece to weld back in along the seam line. Take your time.

Yep, the speedway is still there...every saturday night...there is a new drag strip getting ready to open too...

I appreciate this advice about my flooring...While i know it will get fixed, i just can't help but want to go to a corner and pout...lol

it's like a small child on christmas when they open a present only to find clothes!

im going to tear the interior out of it just as soon as i get the tranny back into it...that way i can look from the top side just how i need to go about fixing it...Im also going to trailer it to my school so that i can maybe work on it during shop class..that is if my teacher will let me.

For the welds, i can use a mig right? if not then im going to have to seek additional help..I can't stick and im very poor at arc. But i can mig pretty fair.

Hopper111, you can use a MIG. To TIG floor pans in a hot rod would be a little over doing it IMO. Buy the floor pans, make sure they match. When welding, skip around. You don't want to weld in one area and have it warp the metal and then have that annoying "Can Affect" going on. Take your time lining it all up. Get you some vise grip clamps if you can and try to find places on the side to clamp and hold the metal. May take a while but isn't very hard. If you can get sheets of metal and have a way to cut them then I would say to make your own. You wont have the beads rolled in it but that is ok. Probably panels are best to do though to save you time.

It may help if you post some pics of the bad areas, Hopper. If its just small spots and the rest is good, you may just use some patch panels.
And if you can MIG, then you can do it. Just do like FMX said and stitch it in places so as not to overheat it. Its time-consuming, but beats paying a shop to do it lol. And whatever ya do, dont cut the whole floor out at once unless you have it braced to prevent flexing.

If you would post pictures as CDJr suggested, we can definately help you. Wire welding the panels in place will do a very nice job if done right. Buy patch panels if at all possible. You will probably end up welding in 4 patch panels. Just do one at a time as previously suggested. Clean the metal of all rust and paint where the seams will be. Use a few sheet metal screws to temporarily locate the repair panel. Get someone to help with holding the patch panel seam closed up as you weld through the 1/4" holes you previously drilled. You will be ready to replace quarter panels when this job is done!

ok. ill try to get some pictures taken in the next few days so that i can show you guys...the rust is not in just a few spots, im going to have to replace the whole floor...But i did get approval from my shop teacher to bring the elky in with the new floor pans and do it during class...Then i can have all the tools that i really need to do the job, i can have people that have done this work before to help me, and i can do it during school!! thats the best part...

I really need to get the interior stripped down as well so that i can see if from the top side.

Don't plan to do this all in one class period or day though. You will definetely have to keep it there at the shop a few periods. I am sure you already know this but just giving you a heads up.

I'll be able to rip the interior out before i take it to school, i'll have to spend 1 day cutting the rust out, spend 1 day getting everything prepped and measured, and then i can spend however much time getting the new stuff in...

It's not a big deal if it takes more than a few days...

Although I spend just over 2 hours in shop everyday, I agree with you that it will take more than 1 shot.

Who makes the best floor pans for the price?

Bitchin' Products makes good pans. Check them out. EMS does but they are the same company I think. Those two are the biggest known one's. Look in a street rodder or a Rod & Custom magazine there are ad's in there.

I've replaced the floorpans in my mustang. It wasn't very difficult just very very time consuming. I absolutely hated doin it to. Just take your time, I was able to finish mine in about 25 hours worth of work. also measure twice and cut once