How are you suppose to replace these things? from a blow torch or something, or would you guys recommend just patching them up from a professional if so does any one know the pricing of it.
I work at a rod shop and we charge $75 an hour for labor. Usuall you can just replace the bad part of the floor as opposed to the whole pan to save time and money. Plus if you only replace a small portion you have less of a margin for error! If you have the welding experience necessary and proper sheet metal cutting tools you REALLY WANT to do it yourself becuase not all of us are rich. Whats the car and how bad are the pans? Brendan
I happen to be replacing the floor in my 61 chevy right now. it seems to be a lot of work....fortunately mine mostly just needed the main pan replaced, and they make them in Taiwan now in halves, costs a hunnerd plus per side. I have most of the old floor cut out here, still have to do the drivers area, and the replacement pan is sitting in the pass side, not welded in yet. I have to sandblast the supports and drill holes for the welds, as well as fix some of the rocker areas that have a few holes, before I can weld in the pans. I'll have a lot of time in it, it would cost you a lot to get it done.
I did my own, with some help from some buddies, but the majority was done by me and I just started learning how to weld. I notched the rear end about 8", I took the metal to a buddies shop and used their break, it came out alright.
Well, with gas prices where they are, you might want to consider just cutting out the bad stuff and leaving the hole for you legs and feet to stick through. Just make sure you lower or channel the thing enough that your feet can get the traction they need! Oh, and in keep ing with safety, buy some pipe insulation and wrap it around the edges...
When I replaced the pans in my 56 Buick I cut out the old pans with a plasma cutter and then used them as a patteern. They were good enough to measure from. Then I had a buddy make them for me with his sheet metal tools. He reccommended that we add beads to strenghten the pans and it worked out great. As for welding them in just take it slow and don't get the metal to hot or you will burn through. I did a stitch weld on mine to keep the heat dissipated and then went back and filled in the gaps. Angela
I thought floorpans were a great first project for the aspiring welder. Don't get me wrong, you still need to spend a ton of time practicing on scraps, but once you're confident in your skills, it's hard to think of a better first metal repair as they don't have to look great...
Cut out the old, weld in the new. It's simple. Judging by your command of the english langauge, someone as sharp as you ought to be able to knock it out in a weekend.
Everybody has to start somewhere,,,,some guys have NEVER had the good fortune to have a family member teach them how to do this type of work or friends with the skills and tools it takes to make the repairs,,,, I think if you want to learn the best place to start is with the patch panels in the floors,,,,first determine what needs to be cut out,,,check under the area where cut will be made and go for it,,,use a cut off wheel if you have one,,,a jig saw will work in a pinch,,,,,you should sandblast the area where you will be replacing the metal,,,, I make my own floor patch panels and use a bead roller,,,but if you do a search I think you will find a post on how to use a piece of round stock and a hammer and make the panel stiff and it won't oil can(pop up and down). I would suggest in buying a mig welder and learning as you go but,,,you could also over cut your panels and use some type of heavy sealer and screws,,,,This is not the way I would do it but if it's not the whole floor it will work. Don't be afraid to try,,,,,we all started at one point and didn't have a clue,,,and the floor don't have to be pretty,,,you can cover up ugly with carpet or a rubber mat! HRP
You're making alot of assumptions. Apparently you dont understand what we are about....... This isnt English class and if you think its a package you too can go away. SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND TO BE UNDERSTOOD>
Floors were my first attempt at metal work way back. I'd bend the panels in a workmate clamping bench with a rubber mallet and then pop rivet them in. Things have progressed somewhat in the intervening 30 years.
but the old ways still get the job done, eh? used to be you'd spend a day fixing the floors, now we spend years and never get to drive the car
Just for the record, here are some of those questions... what's the best color for a classic car? what do you guys perfer fiberglass or the regular steel frame in a project car? what are some cars that were made famous by old time gangsters? Now this one- how do you patch holes in your floor? Do you use a blowtorch or something??? Alexsteelers, Dude, my 3 year old nephew asks fewer and FAR more relevent questions than you. Disconnect your fucking keyboard. Go in 'read only' mode until you get a clue. Seriously. Rip the keyboard right out of the computer and tell your parents to put it on the top shelf so you can't reach it for a few more years.
He's probably a troll, but I still enjoyed reading the thread. Tinbender's pics blow me away everytime I see them.
it could be he's a troll, or it could be he's just illiterate. I'll give him the benefit of doubt....although I can see why others don't.
By getting your panties in a bundle you're just giving him more reason to post stupid crap though if he IS indeed trolling.... seriously, who fuckin cares? Just stop posting in his threads and he'll probably get bored..
thanks, Raul the kipster he's jerking your chain. how do you put a "x" into a "y". every village has an idiot. btw, he doesn't work for TCI.
ya we have a young fella on our canadian rod site that asks these questions. you know he gets a hard time there as well but you know what maby he'll learn like I did from the school of hard knocks took me 40 some years to learn what i've got now so give him some time to fit in jus my two cents Al
There are people on this board that can talk you thru any project. But, you have to be able to write intelligible (that means you can read, and understand) questions, if you expect someone to take the time to explain what can be complicated processes. If english is your second language, or you have a mental deficiency, then you should let people know so we can cut you some slack.
Sometimes you just go with what you have It's in primer now, getting closer to paint. It's been the biggest job yet. Sometimes I doubt my own sanity.
Diddo on that. Tinbender, wish you lived here in West Tennessee. I need you close for inspiration. Someday, I have got to see that Impala.
Yeah, it may be simple if you can put your car on a rotisserie, not all of us have the same resources and have to make due with the tools we can afford. In addition what does the english langauge have to do with the guy being into old cars? Maybe he's a lazy typer, I am when I type crap on here. i usually type just like this and some times i leave out a , . ? I figure that most of the people on here are smart enough to tear apart and put a car back together that they should be smart enough to over look my inadequate typing ability. Sorry for the rant but damn, let a young guy try to learn something and pull the grouchy stick out of your ass. How are we gonna build history for the younger generation to look back on if we're assholes to every kid that comes to us with what we feel is a lame question? I don't think that most of the people here, post replies to pump their own egos, I feel for the most part they post so we can read and learn what they did right or wrong to help us in our own builds or maybe to post to get a feedback on someone else experience with the same application.
Hell do your own, its a good place to start and cut your teeth on some fabrication. A very small tip in a cutting torch, cut off wheel, sawzall, grinder and welder. Buy or better yet, make the panels...floor is a good place to get some hours under your belt fabricating, although make sure your welds are decent, and dont overlap too much, if you do, use weld through coating...good luck. Maybe get a local guy to give you some advice in person and check on you from time to time....couldnt hurt.
Reality is, after you have done several floor pans they are simply a matter of cutting out the old rusted metaland replacing it with new/better metal. That said, the first few can be a challenge. If replacement pannels are availble the job gets easier, most are preformed and fit fairly well. You need to know that most replacement pannels are NOT perfect replacements, most require trimming, and some require some reworking. This is probably a good place to put in a few safety thoughts. Before you cut anything be sure there is nothing under where you cutting that can burn. Scrape off that old undercoating, make sure gas and brake lines are far away from where your going to be working. Nothing can ruin your day as fast as cutting through a gas or a brake line! Those fluids will continue to burn until they run out! The next thing you need to watch for is the interior. Sparks from cutting, grinding and welding will set door pannels, carpet and seats on fire real quick. It really is best to remove all of the interior before you start. That jute carpet backing, seam sealer, and undercoating start to burn fast and burn for ever. Have fire extingushers at hand before starting. If a fire breaks out, you have less then 30 seconds to put it out before the whole car burns to the ground. Once you start the cutting process, watch where the sparks go. Under dash wiring, insolation and stuff in glove boxes and heater boxes can start to burn real fast too. I had a car where the whole interior was out of the car. I was welding in the new floors and watched a weld beebee roll up the firewall and instantly smelled something burning! That beebee went into the glove box and landed on a book of matches. The instant fire burned about 10 seconds before I got it out. I had to replace the windshield, the windshield gasket, paint the dash, replace some chrome trim on the dash, and buy a new glove box. I have a spray water bottle side of me when I weld inside of a car and the big fire extingusher sitting along side of the car. (did on that one too) Watch the sparks, if you even think you smell something burning stop and check everywhere, inside the car, out side the car, under the car, under the dash, inside body cavities, even your clothes. Gene
I happened to run out of acetylene before I started taking the old floor out of the 61, so I used the air chisel and cutoff wheel to get it out. Not quite as dangerous as the torch, but almost. Check in the vents and misc holes in the body for fire hazzards, I found some mouse presents in the cowl vent ducting--nests of cotton seat batting.
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