rusty floorboards

[chicofuentes0224]

I went to replace my parking brake cable today and after removing my bench seat and carpet found that the floor was a lot rustier than I thought. I actually have two small holes that were not holes until the metal that was in them left with my carpet.

 

I read an earlier post that said someone put duct-tape over the holes after cleaning and prepping the rust and then applied POR-15 over the whole area . They said the POR-15 hardened the whole area well enough that no cutting or welding was neccesary.

Here's my question.

Do you guys think I can get away with the same move or should I cut out the whole area and weld new metal to it? I know the second option is better, but just wanted to know if the first one worked too. I will also be apllying the por-15 undercoating to the botom of the truck in the future.

I'll post up pics of the rust damage later.

The actual holes are smaller than a dime but the surounding area seems to also be weak.

[FxRacing282]

grind tp bare metal and weld new floor patches on. it dosent take terribly long and its well worth doing things the right way in the long run. plus, who dosent wanna play with a welder?

[Eagle]

If you have (or have access to) a MIG welder, by all means weld in new metal. But be careful -- be sure to protect everything with weldinf blankets, betcause weld spatter will make a real mess out of vinyl and plastic interior (and dashboard) parts.

 

If those are the only holes and the rest of the floor seems solid enough to support your feet, I would skip the welding. I would not use duct tape, though. I would use the stainless steel body repair tape. It comes in 2" or 3" wide rolls and the steel is strong enough that it will actually provide some stiffness to the floor. You'll need to grind off all the rust (which may make the holes larger) so there's clean metal for the tape to bond to.

 

I would then follow up with a few pop rivets or small sheet metal screws to anchor the ends of the patch in place. I would not use POR-15 -- I'd use RhinoLiner (or the DupliColor equivalent). It's tough, it's tenaciously adhesive, it's waterproof -- and it doesn't require any top coat.

[chicofuentes0224]

Eagle, why do you recomend not using POR-15?

What does everyone use to grind the rust down? (and could someone get me a picture of what it looks like?)

[mvusse]

A wire wheel on an angle grinder works quite well.

[Eagle]

POR-15 is expensive, first -- and it requires a top coat.

 

The Line-X stuff (or whatever DupliColor calls theirs) is a one-shot application. Stir it up, paint it on, and you're done.

[chicofuentes0224]

POR-15 is expensive, first -- and it requires a top coat.

 

The Line-X stuff (or whatever DupliColor calls theirs) is a one-shot application. Stir it up, paint it on, and you're done.

 

OK, thanks :thumbsup:

[FxRacing282]

using a wire wheel works but a grinder will work better. i tend to find that the better prepped surface the stronger the welds. ive welded wire wheeled metal and the welds didnt stick.