Hey guys, putting in my new carpet and seats I knew Id have some floor rust and it ate all the way through on some parts, too much to salvage so I ordered new 1/2 panels from ground up. I took a welding class so I think I can handle doing it im pretty excited! But maybe a couple pointers from some of you who have done it, I wont have anything fancy im borrowing or renting a MIG. And I dont have a plasma cutter so maybe a skill or jig saw to get the old panels out. My main wonder here is when I take out the old pieces how far to cut them back? Lets say, for example the new skins are 15" long, do I cut the old piece out leaving the gap hole exactly that length to tack in the new piece? Or should I leave it short or over?

23 guage wire?

Don't cut anything till you get the pans. With the pans set in place, mark their size with a magic marker. Pull the pan out and make your cut 1/4 to 1/2" inside of the mark. If you only have a little rust,just cut it out and cut your pan to make the patch panel. No need to cut solid metal just cuz the replacement pan is that big. A pair of left & right hand tin snips works pretty good for cutting the old floor out.
Good luck,
Roger

Be careful of where you cut!! There are braces under there, and you don't want to cut through one by accident. You'll likely need a tool to cut out spotwelds, since the floors are spotwelded to the braces. This may be true even if you're only repairing a small area. You do need to determine the location of the damage in relation to the underlying structure so you'll know exactly what tools you need. You wouldn't need the spotweld cutter if the damage is in an open area between the braces, for instance. If it extends over the braces, then yes, you'll be cutting out spotwelds.

I use an air powered die grinder with a cutoff wheel, often referred to as a ziz wheel. Again, be aware of where the braces are. I like to pop the spotwelds and then shove a piece of sheetmetal between the floor pan and the brace and then make a very shallow cut with the cutoff wheel.

.023 diameter wire is preferred for this work, and you want to use gas.

This brings up a good concern of mine, I want to add a roll cage, since my carpet is torn out and seats are out, basically everything. I'll have a MIG for the weekend. What do you guys suggest, brands, methods of install, prices, anymore info is always usefull! Thanks.... graemlins/clonk.gif

Randy has a good point, DON"T CUT THROUGH THE BRACES. you will regret it if you do. You have to somehow cut the spotwelds so the pan is not attached to the brace.

wes

Sounds good, I marked the area where the floor braces and will go slow over that area. The spot welds on the passenger side probably rotted all the hell and will most likely tear out pretty well by hand and some twisting. I havent even seen any spot welds yet, do they not go to the floor braces?

The spot welds can be hard to see under any accumulated grime and old paint. You need to use shop light to look for the small indentations in the floor where the pans are welded to the braces. These indentations can range in size from that of a pencil eraser up to the size of a nickel. Once you locate one, or you where you think one may be, use a red or gold scotchbrite pad on a die grinder to remove the paint around it, and it will be exposed rather quickly as you remove the paint from the surrounding area, which is slightly higher than compressed metal in the spotweld itself.