Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Hopefully the photos don't spaz out on me like the did the last time. The driver side is the worst, and the passenger side is not so bad, all things considered with what I've seen in many threads. If you were in my position, what would you do to the floors? Put in brand new floor boards? Just patch with metal? Weld? Rivet? Bolt? what about the frame supports? Should I cut them open? I'm only inquiring about the floor fixing part, the rustproofing is a different matter. I've searched every post in this forum and in another, and I've consulted those that I know who do body work for a living about the rustproofing. I have a pretty good idea what I'll be using for that one. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Probably not what you’re looking for but on a budget I used a washer and dryer sheet metal to repair the floor of my XJ. I couldn’t justify spending the amount of money for a new floor section from keyparts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 It would kinda depend on your budget I guess. For me personally I know screwing around making panels I’ll be happy with is going to be more time and effort than what price of Key Parts floor panels is worth, even if I’m cutting sections out instead of doing the full pan. But there’s definitely money to be saved by building them yourself. Some people even enjoy building them, acquiring the tools and skills to build them, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Money's no object: -passenger side (right) short panel -driver side (left) full panel -driver side top cap Bang/buck: -driver side (left) short panel -driver side top cap -can reuse the side braces but they are fun to remove. -spare 16ga steel for passenger floor pan, the rot is mainly that right hand side rectangle. -spare 16ga steel because short driver replacement floor pans will not be long enough to replace the rotted out material that tends to extend just above the drivers side floor seam in the driver wheel well. The biggest downer is the time it takes to remove those spot welds. Some use the spot weld drills, some use air hammers, some grind it out. Take your pick, all solutions take time. The 3M panel bond is good stuff, but its expensive and you need to take your time and educate yourself on how to use it. Welding also takes time and you need to plug weld the metal sandwich to properly fix the floor. I did not realize it was plug welded and later on used bolts. I wish I plug welded instead. Before you do anything, I would seriously inspect the driver side bottom frame rail. It's not a good thing that the top frame rail cap has dissolved. Vacuum up the debris and wirewheel what's there. If there's holes or thin spots in the bottom frame rail, that needs attention first before anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 I have a good feeling about this, folks. I had to stop at cleaning up bits and bobs- I do have other things going on also. It seems that all of this is very doable and, I have access to some steel from Dad's old 1990 Ranger as well as some old street signs that were given to me because they're faded to hell and back. May have other sources as well. But just the same it looks like a floor pan for the driver seat is on order, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I'd also suggest taking out your dash and firewall padding. You'll likely find a ton of rust hiding under the seam sealer in the toe pans. Get yourself a spot weld cutter bit along with a sharp thin and sturdy chisel/scraper. Makes things a lot easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 1 hour ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: as well as some old street signs that were given to me Street signs are usually aluminum. Nothing specifically wrong with aluminum floor pans but attaching them to a steel body adds complexity that steel sheet metal doesn’t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 1 hour ago, gogmorgo said: Street signs are usually aluminum. Nothing specifically wrong with aluminum floor pans but attaching them to a steel body adds complexity that steel sheet metal doesn’t. He's 100% spot on. Nearly all washer and dryers use straight steel side panels and many get chucked to the curb @eaglescout526 is right on the money. Hardware stores also tend to keep stock of 16ga steel. Do it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 It’s cheap and free metal. Thicker too and already prepped to fight rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff351 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 do you have a welder or a friend that can weld? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 4 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: I'd also suggest taking out your dash and firewall padding. You'll likely find a ton of rust hiding under the seam sealer in the toe pans. Get yourself a spot weld cutter bit along with a sharp thin and sturdy chisel/scraper. Makes things a lot easier Darn, you have an incredibly cogent point. Darn! To think I forgot about that warning I always see in someone's signature about checking for leaks at the glass... I'm sure it's easy and can be figured out but I like to have write ups available so that I am confident I will not miss a thing. Is there a proper write up on removal of the dash? I do have to find a way to get inside of the glove box, it's been locked and the original keys for this truck are looooooooong gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 3 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: It’s cheap and free metal. Thicker too and already prepped to fight rust. Vis-à-vis the steel on appliances or the aluminum street signs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Steel. I dont know how you’d weld aluminum to steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 Strictly speaking, I have experience with an arc welder. However I've never welded outside of that. I can learn, I'm a quick study (literally learned most of what I know on a 2000 F-150, '93 ZJ, and my '03 Land Rover), and all that. However, i haven't decided yet if I'm going to weld or attach the new metal with hardware-- which if I do, I imagine I'll be using seam sealer. I can always go buy a 110v flux-core welder. If I do that, would that be useful for other applications in the automotive field? I'd hate to purchase a welder for one use is all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 14 minutes ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: Strictly speaking, I have experience with an arc welder. However I've never welded outside of that. I can learn, I'm a quick study (literally learned most of what I know on a 2000 F-150, '93 ZJ, and my '03 Land Rover), and all that. However, i haven't decided yet if I'm going to weld or attach the new metal with hardware-- which if I do, I imagine I'll be using seam sealer. I can always go buy a 110v flux-core welder. If I do that, would that be useful for other applications in the automotive field? I'd hate to purchase a welder for one use is all... Most definitely. I'd personally recommend a 140A-180A mig welder that can run .025 or .023 mig wire as that will work better for thin sheet metal. That being said, ive used plenty of 100a flux core welder for projects (including floor pans) when I didn't have access to my welding setup. Here is a link to dash removal: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said: Most definitely. I'd personally recommend a 140A-180A mig welder that can run .025 or .023 mig wire as that will work better for thin sheet metal. That being said, ive used plenty of 100a flux core welder for projects (including floor pans) when I didn't have access to my welding setup. Here is a link to dash removal: I appreciate the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 4 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: Steel. I don't know how you’d weld aluminum to steel. Yeah welding the two together doesn't really work... I tried doing it once by mistake, the aluminum pretty much evaporates if you get it hot enough to melt steel. The biggest problem attaching the two together is galvanic corrosion. Even if you bolt or rivet it the two metals tend to eat each other when they get wet. So you basically need to sandwich something else between them so the two don't come in contact. Even just steel bolts through aluminum parts can be dicey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 I got to thinking as I was looking it over, what should I do about the fuel lines? I'd hate to cut and weld right above them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 3 minutes ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: I got to thinking as I was looking it over, what should I do about the fuel lines? I'd hate to cut and weld right above them. Unplug the fuel pump and run all the fuel out of the lines if you want to be safe. I’d recommend using tin snips to cut the floor out instead of a air tool or power tool around the fuel lines. That’s what I did. I also welded by the fuel lines with no issues there on my XJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 2 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: Unplug the fuel pump and run all the fuel out of the lines if you want to be safe. I’d recommend using tin snips to cut the floor out instead of a air tool or power tool around the fuel lines. That’s what I did. I also welded by the fuel lines with no issues there on my XJ. Famous last words? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 42 minutes ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: Famous last words? Lol. Considering I have it all back together with no issue, but very well could’ve been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 There are plastic brake line / fuel line holders along the US drivers side frame rail. I unclipped my lines from them and shoved some thin metal flashing between the lines and the frame rail. This at least prevented any substantial damage to them. I simple removed the loose sheet when I was done welding. I ended up replacing all my brake lines though because there were multiple holes in them (not from welding, from age). They had their day in the shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Just get something to shield them. I’ve done that in both my Comanche and Eagle with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 I'll be tearing deeper into the rot this weekend. I need a full view of everything that's in play before I decide which route to take. Definitely going to take a plasma torch to that fuel line though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 If you happen to have an oscilating tool, grab a stiff caulk cutting blade for it. It works great to remove the factory seam sealer so you can get down to clean metal and find any hidden rust on that toe-floor panel seam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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