Floorpans

[paulcomi]

Floor pan welding. I have a convertible 64 and the drivers side floor pan is significantly rusted. Passenger side has some but isn't nearly as bad. Ordered new floorpans. Can a mobile welding service do the work or what? How about avoiding welding and rivet it in myself?

[mikec4193]

Hi Paulcomi

I have not done Corvair pans yet but I have done plenty of other floors in other vehicles...don't rivet unless you cant find a welder...rivets are only good for a temporary fix or to hold it until you can weld it in...Also when you do weld it in...for strength purposes leave a little (1/8" to 1/4") over lap when you weld it in...do small tack welds around the whole panel to avoid warping...leave all the butt weld stuff for body panels...

my 2 cents

MikeC

[paulcomi]

Somebody mentioned using some sort of an epoxy or some sort of a metal adhesive that could be a better solution than even welding since it's a unibody car any opinions or idea what they're talking about?

[terribleted]

Adhesives alone are not a good idea. Spot welded and adhesive might return close to original strength, but would require specialized resistance spot welding equipment to do well. Continuous weld on sheet metal seams and spot weld where the factory had them is the generally the best solution. I prefer to butt weld rather than use any panel overlaps. The voids in overlaps can become a rust source if any moisture gets in at all.

[bmwtodd1]

I agree with terribleted, his method would be my choice for the most correct repair. Ensure that you use a welding primer on the underside of the panel. It allows you to weld and provides a degree of rust protection on the underside. Alternatively, your local auto body paint store will have an epoxy sealant that is in tube form. It is widely used for high strength applications, like panel adhesion and hinge mounting on late model cars. It could be used, if you are doing the overlap method, and would be fairly inexpensive if you do not access to a welder. The epoxy would provide sealing and wouldn't flex anymore than the surrounding panels. The second method wouldn't be necessarily correct, but a cost effective solution. Either way, get it done and enjoy your Corvair...Good luck to you.

[rv6aaviator]

Paul,

I installed a set in my 63. Here's the thread that might help you out with yours.

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=6115" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[paulcomi]

Wow that's really what I want to do to mine I think anything less is just a cheesy shortcut. The problem is I don't own a gas mig welder. But I think after seeing your post I feel pretty comfortable trimming out the bad material and making patches from templates for the replacement floorboards. Out of curiosity how do you weld around those gas lines that's my big concern do you mean you some sort of a heat shield or what? How close did you get when cutting through the floorboards to hitting the gas lines?

[cad-kid]

Don't forget about the brake line.

[paulcomi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TF383VKajY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Here's what I'm dealing with

[paulcomi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkVHPN1cbkM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Here's the demo

[terribleted]

Replace the entire front floor pan from one side to the other. The Clark's pieces will cover this whole area. The areas you have left in the car at this point look pretty thin and rusty from your video. The pans will be easier to weld in place without a bunch of odd angle cutting. A welder is really a must perhaps you can find someone to weld for you or rent one?

[paulcomi]

is it necessary to remove the shifter?

[terribleted]

To do the center part of the floor the shifter must be removed. You need the belly pan off to be sure your not cutting or welding any wiring or brake/fuel lines anyway, so removing the shifter is 4 nuts easy once the pan is off. Be sure to note how and where any shims under the shifter base are positioned for ease in reinstallation.

[paulcomi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dkDnmykwCs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like I might have a welder he's telling me the floorpans should only be spot welded not walled it all the way around because they can distort the car does that sound right? Also is there a problem since I've got everything stripped down with coding the all the exposed surfaces now with some sort of rest retardant like the one in my video?

[terribleted]

They should be spot welded where they were originally spot welded and butt seam welded where replacement pieces are seamed together with cut out existing pieces.

[tiger13]

You can get your own Mig welder from reputable companies like Eastwood. They have an entry level 135 amp 120 volt Mig welder with fully adjustable arc voltage and wire speed, with a 5 yr warranty that is as good, and in some ways better than Miller or Hobart for $299.99, and every so often they have them on sale. If you are going to get into the hobby of car restoration, be it Corvairs, or something else later down the road, it never hurts to have a welder in the shop, and this machine IS a workhorse. I have one, and have used it hard for over three years now, doing a full restoration on a 67 Pontiac Le Mans, with full floor board replacement, quarter panels, cutting out the dash board, and welding in a new one, and full trunk pans, filler panels etc. Along with all the other work one expects of a welder in a shop working around hot rods. Yes, you can hire a welder to come and do your welding for you, but sooner or later it will be cheaper in the long run to buy your own machine and they are easy to learn how to use. And it is just more fun for you to be able to say YOU did it ALL yourself. I taught myself to weld when I was 10 years old on an old Lincoln stick welder. A mig is so much easier to learn on. Good luck on your project!