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Floorboards completely rotted out

2K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Weimer 
#1 ·
OK, I am working on a 1965 Plymouth Belvedere. I have both seats and the old carpet out and it turns out the entire floorboard area where you put your feet on both the driver and passenger sides has completely rusted out. The rest of the floorboard is in good shape.

I was planning on just cutting out all of the rusted metal with a cutoff wheel, and welding in new sheet metal, then installing new carpet and padding over this.

This is my first attempt at something like this. What gauge sheet metal should I use? Any tricks to forming the sheet metal? Does anyone know of a better plan? Leaving anything out? Should I fiberglass over the seams to keep moisture out? Any suggestions to make the job go easier? Thanks for any help you may offer.
 
#2 ·
Don't know if you can buy replacement floor panels for your car, but that would be the way to go. If you have to use sheet metal, use a thicker guage than body metal and use rubberized undercoating to seal it up.
 
#4 ·
So will the rubber under coating. A old guy I know has a 86 Volvo, clean car, has the undercoating too but the whole driver side floorboard is rotted out, it's so bad I think the whole seat could fall out.
It's like it rusted from the inside out.
 
#8 ·
I use 18 gauge cold rolled sheet metal. It can be bent over any sized pipe or shape you need also hammered and dollied. You can also smooth out the underside with weld and grind to where it won't show on the bottom. Hard to get any original dimple bends with out a English wheel with rollers though. Then I use Por15 acid cleaner and basecoat with thier Anti-rust paint. It can be sprayed or brushed.
 
#9 ·
this is a cheap, red neck, back woods way but it worked. in my 76 el camino i too a piece of galvanized heating duct metal and used a hammer to shape in place for my floor boards. i riveted it down then fiberglassed the top and bottom around the edges. it worked well for me.
 
#10 ·
The only concern that I have about using a flat sheet of metal is vibration....In a stock floor pan there are usually ribs rolled into the center for support and if you go with a flat piece is it going to be strong enough? is it going to vibrate too much(noise)?
The only reason that I am asking is because I have to replace the floors in my Jag and I though for $175 per quarter floor, that I could make my own a hell of a lot cheaper, But I don't want to run into support issues later on....
Later,
WEIMER
 
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