Floor Repair - What Have I Done?

I used 20 guage
I just discovered, I did not cut out the olf floor under the front patch. I guess I'll have to do it from the bottom

 

any excuse for a air compressor is good

I got one of these for Christmas a few years back, its electric....it will cut through anything. if I could do Tim Taylor, I would make the "man sound".

 

I got a Mikita grinder free when I bought a new re-cip saw. I figured I'd never use it but I was WAY wrong

 

Just pop rivet some old license plates in there, good to go!

 

Don't worry about seam sealer unless you get rid of the rust. Brushable seam sealer works nice, It's made by 3M, and good body shop supply store will have it, DON"T USE SILICONE!!!

 

On floors I use 14 to 18 gauge. It is harder to work with the heavier gauge but that is just what I have used over the years. You might find it easier to work with the 20 gauge like previously stated.
Dan

 

I've used fiberglass over floor repairs for years. Before I got my wire welder, I have done the pop rivit deal, have also used self drilling screws on a beater VW. The good thing about the fiberglass is it is waterproof, and if applied over clean metal, will last for years. Heck, if they can build Corvettes out of it and it last 50 years, why not use it on top of steel repair panels in your floors?

 

Had the same problem, the 71-3 mustang floor pans work great. Very little cutting, but you do have to weld.

 

Spend some time practicing with the welder on 18 guage steel. Cut out all the rust and grind the metal shiny before you start to weld. Use as much flat pieces as you can (unless you can make it fit tight by trimming). Weld a short line and then work on another piece to let the other cool. Take your time and before long you will wonder why you thought it was so hard to do.

 

I will be buying my first welder very soon. I have been studying it for a while and MIG welders are supposed to be the easiest to learn on.

Northern Tool sells a couple of their own label 110 volt MIGs in the $250 range and they have had good customer reviews. They ought to be powerful enough to handle most automotive work.

I am waiting until the new store nearby has it's grand opening ... You can also purchase online.

 

Here is how I replaced the floor in my Falcon. http://1bad6t.com/floorpan.html

 

In the past, black roofing tar has worked just fine for me.

 

Question -

How do I work around the frame/support that is under the front floor pans? Is the floor pan physically attached with this support?

 

The floor pan is spot welded to those supports. You need to drill out the spot welds. They make a special spot weld cutter that goes in your drill that works pretty good for it.

 

Ahh. Simple.

One more thing. Should that section of floor pan be coated with something before being put in place? What keeps that from rusting while under (on top of) the support?