Pics of Driveway...Through the Floorboards.

[cdacda13]

You might say there's a small rust problem on the car.
Luckily, its mostly confined to the front driver side.

[//<86TA>\\]

wow:shock:

[baddest434]

you have them fred flinstone brakes?

[deadtrend1]

even before this point, I would have parted the car out and gotten another one

[maroman88]

wow thats impressive!

[SamhainZ28]

Honestly is it even worth it to try and fix this one, I'm sure you can find another 3rd gen fro around or under $1000 in much better shape.

[//<86TA>\\]

Honestly is it even worth it to try and fix this one, I'm sure you can find another 3rd gen fro around or under $1000 in much better shape.

good luck

[cdacda13]

Honestly is it even worth it to try and fix this one, I'm sure you can find another 3rd gen fro around or under $1000 in much better shape.

I bought this car over 3 years ago when I was 17. Cost me a grand total of $300. Drove it till about a year and a half ago.
Its always been a bit of a learning car. Whenever something broke, or needed replacing, I did it myself and learned from what worked and what didn't.
While, I admit, I should junk it and find something else, I want to learn how to do floorboards properly. I'm going to try and fix it, make my own floors for it. Hell, I know I can't make it any worse than it already is.

[ib4200]

I'm going to try and fix it, make my own floors for it.

can you even safely do that with a unibody car?

[deadtrend1]

can you even safely do that with a unibody car?

why not?

[Stevoone]

good luck

I got my car for less than 1000. Didn't have to do much work to it either, and it was one of the cleanest 3rd gens I've ever seen. There around, you just have to look.

[T69SS]

I bought this car over 3 years ago when I was 17.

Even 3 years ago those floorboards had to be pretty bad...

[cdacda13]

Even 3 years ago those floorboards had to be pretty bad...

That is correct, unfortunately I didn't know the extent of that. I replaced the carpet when I first bought, but most of it was covered by the padding by the firewall. The biggest hole, the one on the left, was a tiny scar, maybe 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. I wire wheeled and sanded the area then painted it.
I never noticed that the seam was busted on the front driver side wheel well. Water was kicked back from the tire, into the busted seam. From there, it was soaked into the padding by the firewall, with was cover by rubber padding. From there, it sat with no where to go, rusted out the area by the firewall and spread.

[//<86TA>\\]

That is correct, unfortunately I didn't know the extent of that. I replaced the carpet when I first bought, but most of it was covered by the padding by the firewall. The biggest hole, the one on the left, was a tiny scar, maybe 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. I wire wheeled and sanded the area then painted it.
I never noticed that the seam was busted on the front driver side wheel well. Water was kicked back from the tire, into the busted seam. From there, it was soaked into the padding by the firewall, with was cover by rubber padding. From there, it sat with no where to go, rusted out the area by the firewall and spread.

if its just the driverside thats shot, its fixable, will take some time and some good fab/welding skills, but its doable.

[Featherburner]

Throw a new carpet in and call it a day.

[Tru2Chevy]

Ouch.....I thought the floor in my Jeep was bad, but yours is way worse. Post up pics when you do the repair.

- Justin

[Z28 Heritage]

Oh jeez i wonder how mine looks:shock: My T'tops leak all the time and the hatch. God i hope its not that much money to fix.

[//<86TA>\\]

Oh jeez i wonder how mine looks:shock: My T'tops leak all the time and the hatch. God i hope its not that much money to fix.

the t-tops on my 86 have always leaked, for years, even before i've owned it. No rust on the floor at all. i guess its hit or miss

[Z28 Heritage]

the t-tops on my 86 have always leaked, for years, even before i've owned it. No rust on the floor at all. i guess its hit or missYea i hope its not that bad. Well what ever's rust is there i gotta fix it. Its worth fixing.....

[Iroc-z86]

i dont see any problems with your floors?

lol good luck ! i got my car for free my drivers floor was just as bad. my friend and i cut out the old and welded in the new and its good as new. eventually these cars will be collectables and you will be happy you saved yours.

[r0nin89]

just takes some good fab/welding skills\

Lollers @ floorpans taking good fab skills.

Lay in, mark, cut, tack, tack ,tack, tack, tack, etc. Gotta be the easiest most beginner thing for someone new to metal to do on a car. Go for it man.

[Featherburner]

will take some time and some good fab/welding skillsYou're right Phil, to do it the right way, it takes skills or, you could do a hack job as outlined below.

Lollers @ floorpans taking good fab skills.

Lay in, mark, cut, tack, tack ,tack, tack, tack, etc. Gotta be the easiest most beginner thing for someone new to metal to do on a car. Go for it man.

[r0nin89]

You're right Phil, to do it the right way, it takes skills or, you could do a hack job as outlined below.


Hmmm alright then what exactly is the right way that takes so much fab skill?

Floor pans is like the job for a crash course in beginning to weld in an automotive application. You dont have to run a pretty bead on anything because it will warp and burn through. Nothing is crucially structural to the weight or driving force of the vehicle. And even the tacks dont even have to look pretty seeing as how it gets carpet over it...

Its not like we're talking about reskinning a quarter here...

4 Linking a car is a difficult job that requires a lot of fab skill. Saying pans takes a lot of fab skill sounds like an excuse for people that are either afraid to tackle a job that requires cutting and welding, or simply just that bad at fab. Any joe schmoe with a $100 harbor freight flux core wire feed welder some confidence and forethought can do floor pans.

[WildBillyT]

Hmmm alright then what exactly is the right way that takes so much fab skill?

Floor pans is like the job for a crash course in beginning to weld in an automotive application. You dont have to run a pretty bead on anything because it will warp and burn through. Nothing is crucially structural to the weight or driving force of the vehicle. And even the tacks dont even have to look pretty seeing as how it gets carpet over it...

Its not like we're talking about reskinning a quarter here...

4 Linking a car is a difficult job that requires a lot of fab skill. Saying pans takes a lot of fab skill sounds like an excuse for people that are either afraid to tackle a job that requires cutting and welding, or simply just that bad at fab. Any joe schmoe with a $100 harbor freight flux core wire feed welder some confidence and forethought can do floor pans.

To do a good job with floor pans you do have to have some skill. You can certainly do a half-ass job and get OK results which will not be seen, but to do a good job you need to take your time and have some skill. Hell, you can "do" floor pans without a welder! But that doesn't make it right. Some points of note:

1.) You have to clean up what's there and get back to good solid metal, otherwise you get blow-through. In some cases you CAN'T get back to good solid metal so you will have to know how to adjust voltage and feed speed to attach the new solid stuff to the old, thin metal. This will make a novice job more of an intermediate one.

2.) In a unibody car, the floor is structural. Yes, the rockers take most of the weight but the floor is used for support.

3.) The replacement pans don't always "lay in there". Every time I've done floor pans I've had to heat and form them a bit to get good fitment.

4.) I've never tack welded floor pans as a method of installation. I've tacked them in place but I've always used plug welds for final installation.

5.) This isn't a floor pan repair. He needs to repair the inner rocker as well. Not very difficult per se but will make the fitment of the final pans harder to do, and it's now partially a structural repair. He won't have anything to weld that part of the floor to as well. This makes it a more advanced job. Can still be done at home, but not a "drop and weld"- that's an oversimplification.

[r0nin89]

To do a good job with floor pans you do have to have some skill. You can certainly do a half-ass job and get OK results which will not be seen, but to do a good job you need to take your time and have some skill. Hell, you can "do" floor pans without a welder! But that doesn't make it right. Some points of note:

1.) You have to clean up what's there and get back to good solid metal, otherwise you get blow-through. In some cases you CAN'T get back to good solid metal so you will have to know how to adjust voltage and feed speed to attach the new solid stuff to the old, thin metal. This will make a novice job more of an intermediate one.

2.) In a unibody car, the floor is structural. Yes, the rockers take most of the weight but the floor is used for support.

3.) The replacement pans don't always "lay in there". Every time I've done floor pans I've had to heat and form them a bit to get good fitment.

4.) I've never tack welded floor pans as a method of installation. I've tacked them in place but I've always used plug welds for final installation.

5.) This isn't a floor pan repair. He needs to repair the inner rocker as well. Not very difficult per se but will make the fitment of the final pans harder to do, and it's now partially a structural repair. He won't have anything to weld that part of the floor to as well. This makes it a more advanced job. Can still be done at home, but not a "drop and weld"- that's an oversimplification.


Fair enough. I was absolutely agree that it being a unibody and having rot creeping up the usually solid areas you would make a new to old patch at does make the job more difficult.

My point is that in comparison to other automotive jobs necessitating fab and welding, floor pans are pretty much a cake walk. And they are by far not an "expert" job. Thats all I'm saying.

And yes I've never done pans using plug welds (I, as well as others refer to them as roset welds so you through me for a loop for a second there) but it would definitely be more structural and easier to weld.

As far as dropping pans in, marking, cutting, and welding that really all depends on the quality of pan you buy so your right you may have fitment issues.

[NastyEllEssWon]

so what happens if you dont support the body correctly when cutting and welding in the floor and the unibody shifts a tad???

[WildBillyT]

so what happens if you dont support the body correctly when cutting and welding in the floor and the unibody shifts a tad???

For a repair like that it's probably not an issue.

[NastyEllEssWon]

well i was speaking in general towards the fact that a floorboard is a simple eyes shut no brainer :wink:

[r0nin89]

well i was speaking in general towards the fact that a floorboard is a simple eyes shut no brainer :wink:

The answer to that is your suppose to do it in sections and not go hmm the whole floors rotten lets chop the whole mofo out at once!

We're speaking about patching a floor here to replacing the entire floor.

But also on that subject all it really takes is a couple 3/4in braces buzzed in across the rocker boxes and the pillars.

[WildBillyT]

well i was speaking in general towards the fact that a floorboard is a simple eyes shut no brainer :wink:

Eh, if the rockers are solid you can take out the whole floor with a little bracing.

[Featherburner]

Hmmm alright then what exactly is the right way that takes so much fab skill?

Floor pans is like the job for a crash course in beginning to weld in an automotive application. You dont have to run a pretty bead on anything because it will warp and burn through. Nothing is crucially structural to the weight or driving force of the vehicle. And even the tacks dont even have to look pretty seeing as how it gets carpet over it...

Its not like we're talking about reskinning a quarter here...

4 Linking a car is a difficult job that requires a lot of fab skill. Saying pans takes a lot of fab skill sounds like an excuse for people that are either afraid to tackle a job that requires cutting and welding, or simply just that bad at fab. Any joe schmoe with a $100 harbor freight flux core wire feed welder some confidence and forethought can do floor pans.The right way? You shouldn't be able to tell that they have been replaced from underneath or from the top with the carpet out. For some people "good enough" is a job well done. Good enough is not a part of my vocabulary, it's something passed on from my dad and sometimes my curse.

[//<86TA>\\]

The right way? You shouldn't be able to tell that they have been replaced from underneath or from the top with the carpet out. For some people "good enough" is a job well done. Good enough is not a part of my vocabulary, it's something passed on from my dad and sometimes my curse.

yeah, im pretty anal with details like this, if it doesnt look like it could be stock/original, its wrong in my book.

you install patches in the floor, and if you take enough time, you can make it look like you were never there, a bit more welding that a few tacks.

besides, on a 3rd gen, and a 4th gen for that matter, the trans subframe is right under your legs, so that needs to be reattached to the new floor too, or even replaced as well if its rotted out.

[//<86TA>\\]

Hmmm alright then what exactly is the right way that takes so much fab skill?

Any joe schmoe with a $100 harbor freight flux core wire feed welder some confidence and forethought can do floor pans.

lollers at flux core welders for floor pans! That will look like total crap afterward, might as well just screw some plywood to the floor and be done with it.

[r0nin89]

lollers at flux core welders for floor pans! That will look like total crap afterward, might as well just screw some plywood to the floor and be done with it.


Hmmm k whatever you say there master fabricator...

First I'd like to know how you butt weld floor pans without using numerous tacks until you connect the patch all the way around? You cant run a bead on floor pans. You'll blow straight through with nothing underneath it. AND even if you do managed to have a very delicate machine that you can turn way way down and get a bead flowing on 18ga sheet then guess what, you just warped that sheet because your putting to much heat into the work and your "I was never there you just dont know how to do it right" philosophy is right out the window.

I feel like if your gonna preach things looking like they were never replaced your gonna grind all those welds perfectly smooth anyway so how does fluxcore vs solidcore and gas make a difference? O it doesnt thats right because when a weld is ground smooth youd have no ****ing clue if it was tig'd, mig'd, sticked, fluxcored, or freakin magiced together :rofl:

I patched plenty of holes in the floor of my pickup with my old harbor freight wirefeeder. And guess what I ground it down, painted it, and it looked like it was never done. And it certainly didnt scream OMG LOOK AT ME THIS IDIOT DID THIS WITH A FLUXCORE WELDER WHAT AND IDIOT!!!! Guess what it looked the same as if I used gas.

I love when people that have never even picked up a welder try to talk tech about stuff like this.


Feather I can understand wanting things to look like they were never touched. Unfortunately Billy is right about using roset welds and overlapping being much stronger than butting the plate together and tacking like I said.

[WildBillyT]

Flux core is not optimal. Technically you can braze floor pans in too. But we are not working on a battleship in the south seas.

Solid wire all the way.

[BonzoHansen]

I love when people that have never even picked up a welder try to talk tech about stuff like this..Assume much?

[r0nin89]

Flux core is not optimal. Technically you can braze floor pans in too. But we are not working on a battleship in the south seas.

Solid wire all the way.

Come on Billy you sound like you know what your talking about here which leads me to believe your aware theres zero strength/structural difference between flux and solid core.

I'm not gonna sit here and preach that flux is better than solid cause its definitely not BUT if its being ground down and prettied up AND your not gonna make multiple structural passes theres 0 difference in the end and I certainly wouldnt consider it the wrong tool for the job. Maybe not the optimum one but not the wrong tool.

The only downside to to fluxcore is the mess it makes when you burn it in AND the fact that it has a high content of a metal in its bead that evades my knowledge right now but causes welds to be brittle if you make multiple passes that are going to touch each other. And none of that makes a difference in a non structural project thats going to be cleaned up in the end.

[LTb1ow]

friggen newbs... duct tape and JB weld...


flux core capicitor welding to braze furnaces.. pft...

[r0nin89]

Assume much?


I dont need to assume its obvious based on the ********* arguments he trys to make. Hes either never picked up a welder or followed along with one of the brilliant minds that gloats about that "vette motor" they dropped in their pickup that makes it so much more badass than the 5.7 it came with...

[r0nin89]

friggen newbs... duct tape and JB weld...


flux core capicitor welding to braze furnaces.. pft...

Dude duct tape and jb weld? How many times do I have to say pans arent structural damn it. 5 second nail glue and masking tape will work fine!

[BonzoHansen]

You're kidding about pans and structure in a unit-body car right?

[LTb1ow]

So would spray duct tape work well?

[BonzoHansen]

So would spray duct tape work well?

LOL, I saw that stuff for the 1st time the other day. I almost bought it just to see what was useful for. ha ha

[LTb1ow]

LOL, I saw that stuff for the 1st time the other day. I almost bought it just to see what was useful for. ha ha

We had a guy, open the can, proceed to examine the bottle closely, and then spray his entire arm.

It was most entertaining, so much so, we didn't make a big deal when he then re capped the can and put it back. :lol:

[r0nin89]

You're kidding about pans and structure in a unit-body car right?


Structural in the sense of holding an axle or motor in no. But structural in the sense of keep the rocker boxes where theyre suppose to be at yes. Im quite aware they are structural to the integrity of the entire vehicle BUT not in little bits in pieces like the typical rot repair.

Infact youd be extremely surprised how structural a floor can be in a full framed vehicle like a full size blazer.

As far as liquid duct tape I bet that would be an awesome seam sealer for floors.

[BonzoHansen]

We had a guy, open the can, proceed to examine the bottle closely, and then spray his entire arm.

It was most entertaining, so much so, we didn't make a big deal when he then re capped the can and put it back. :lol:

Did you cry when you peeled it off? :lol:

[r0nin89]

Did you cry when you peeled it off? :lol:

HA I do believe Bonzo is accusing you of third personing a stupid move of your own LOL

[LTb1ow]

HA I do believe Bonzo is accusing you of third personing a stupid move of your own LOL

You assume to much.

[r0nin89]

You assume to much.

Lol not my assumption I just think its very funny. If it makes you feel any better during my ventures of working at advance auto I had a ratchet strap put around my forehead. I think thats much worse than glue on the arm lol.

We used to strip the industrial painted shelves clean to metal with Tal strip lol.

[WildBillyT]

Come on Billy you sound like you know what your talking about here which leads me to believe your aware theres zero strength/structural difference between flux and solid core.

I'm not gonna sit here and preach that flux is better than solid cause its definitely not BUT if its being ground down and prettied up AND your not gonna make multiple structural passes theres 0 difference in the end and I certainly wouldnt consider it the wrong tool for the job. Maybe not the optimum one but not the wrong tool.

The only downside to to fluxcore is the mess it makes when you burn it in AND the fact that it has a high content of a metal in its bead that evades my knowledge right now but causes welds to be brittle if you make multiple passes that are going to touch each other. And none of that makes a difference in a non structural project thats going to be cleaned up in the end.

I am not talking about structural. I don't want to have to spend more time dealing with flux core BS. When I've done flux core I've had more spatter and more blow-through than when I'm using solid wire with a sheilding gas. I don't like fighting my tools, or dealing with unnecessary cleanup. Granted, I only do this as a hobby, but IMO flux core will stick the metal right but will require more work- and skill if you are working on something that's more of a pile.

[r0nin89]

I am not talking about structural. I don't want to have to spend more time dealing with flux core BS. When I've done flux core I've had more spatter and more blow-through than when I'm using solid wire with a sheilding gas. I don't like fighting my tools, or dealing with unnecessary cleanup. Granted, I only do this as a hobby, but IMO flux core will stick the metal right but will require more work- and skill if you are working on something that's more of a pile.

I totally agree with you. Fluxcore has more penetration at the same power and is much easier to cook through sheet with. Plus its harder to drag a pretty bead and an all around pain to clean up.

[//<86TA>\\]

I love when people that have never even picked up a welder try to talk tech about stuff like this.


yup, never ever welded before..... i are a noob....

anyway, have you ever used a gas mig in place of the flux core wire? the difference in night and day, once you use gas, you will never go back to the flux core for ANYTHING. Its pathetic in comparison

As for the pans, you can weld thin sheet metal, without warping the hell out of it, grind it up and no one will ever know. However, i will agree that its a waste of time on a car like a 3rd or 4th gen ATM, the time involved is not worth it for a car that common. But its more than possible.

ever think about metal work and patch panels on the outside of the car? like putting a patch panel in a quarter/door/fender ect? thats really thin sheet metal too, and they are fully welded in, ground, hammered out and if done right, you will never know it was done. Of course you are not just running 1 long continuous bead the entire length and hoping the panel wont warp to hell, your just stringing a shat load of little beads all the way around to keep the heat out of the panel.

[//<86TA>\\]

but IMO flux core will stick the metal right but will require more work- and skill if you are working on something that's more of a pile.

this

[r0nin89]

O I've used gas before and it kicks ass. Its easier to run a nice looking bead, more consistent, and no slag. I never said fluxcore was better. Simply said theres no reason you cant use it.

Theres 3 upsides to fluxcore.

No shielding gas to blow away outside

Deeper penetration with the same amperage

Less equipment/cost.

[//<86TA>\\]

No shielding gas to blow away outside



that is a pain sometimes

[WildBillyT]

that is a pain sometimes

Yeah, like when it's incredibly hot and you have a fan on you while you are working. :-?