[49dream]

Just pulled the carpet up on my 49 chevy pickup and about 90 %
of floor looks good except about 1 foot square are just in front of battery box is bad. Its not rusted all the way through. Can I scrape and grind most of the rust off and apply any type of paint
that will stop it from rusting anymore. Then place some metal over that. I know alot of you will say cut it out and weld a piece in. 1 I don't have a welder and the engine is pulled and I can't take it to a welder.

One other thing. I would like to place the battery under the hood instead of the floor. Has anyone done this with a V8 under the hood. Trying to fiqure where it could go???

leaning every day

Marcus

Sorry everyone I did not look at the forums before I posted my questions about rust. There was a ton of info to totally confuse me. Now who do I believe what product works for rust.

I still would like to know about my battery location.

[Kustomizer]

Marcus-

I've got a '55 1st-series, and I know where and what you're talking about. I've currently got my entire floor cut-out of my cab, because the level of rust under the carpet I pulled up was way-too-far-gone to even think about covering it up.

If you don't have a welder, then get one (if you care about really fixing the problem). You can pick up a low-end gasless-MIG now from places like Northern for under $400. The gasless (flux-cored) MIGs are easy enough for a newbie to use, and you don't need the powerful models to do simple sheet-metals and 1/8"-1/4" work. Buying new sheetmetal is probably tougher than using the welder!

Anyway, to answer your original question: POR-15 makes a nasty-little paint, that's epoxy-based. I've used the stuff on a few frame-offs, and it's not bullet-proof, but it's not bad. Since it's an epoxy-based paint, you can do (I read it on their website, http://www.por-15.com ) something that I've tried... and it works:

Buy yourself a quart or two of the POR-15 paint, get some Metal-Ready from them too. Get some gloves (don't get the "tatooing" paint on your skin), and buy some cheapo-brushes. Then, go to the local auto-parts store and pick up some fiberglass-cloth (like that used in Marine repair kits). Dip the cloth into the POR-15, totally soaking it. Then apply the gooey-cloth-mess to your cleaned, scuffed, and prepped floor. Smooth-out any bubbles, and wait at-least 24-hours before applying another coat (if req'd).

The POR-15 will help protect the metal (and since it's on a horizontal-surface, it couldn't be easier to do), while the fiberglass adds some strength and thickness. You'll want to at-least paint the bottom-side of the cab's floor with the POR-15.

-Kustomizer

Also-

Get yourself a subscription to Classic Trucks ( http://www.classictrucksweb.com ). They have ads monthly for either swing-out battery trays that mount in the normal location, or ones that relocate the battery. Personally, I'm moving mine rearward, because I'm putting a BigBlock in mine and I'm concerned about the added weight.

-Kustomizer.

[Ron M]

If you use fiberglass cloth, watch the type and weight you buy. The heavier, the more product it will take, and more does not necessarily mean stronger. Also, if you use glass, make sure it is cloth and not mat. Mat takes more resin, and is actually weaker. It is more of a filler material and that is what is usually sold for body type work. It is more of a pain to work with in my expereince as well. A 6-8 oz cloth would be more than sufficent.
I have also had a 49 Chevy Pikem up, a 52 and 53. I currently have a 49 Chevy 2 door Styleline. 3 of the 4 had small block Chevs in em. They also had the battery under the hood. My current 49 car has a 327 with headers, manifold, 4 barrel etc., and the battery is in the front passenger side. In my opinion, I never cared much for battery under floor idea. I almost did the trunk thing, but hey, I am getting older and it is easier in the engine bay. I also could not get myself to run that long of a cable. I think I have seen some folks with these year Chevs and a V8 that mount their battery on the firewall. Might look nice with a aluminum or SS battery box.