Matto'85TA

I need serious help. My driverside floorboard is rotted out. It got really, really bad this winter. Half the floorboard is bad. From the back to midway under the seat. My seat actually is moving lower. Is there some sort of support for the seat on or above the floorboard that could be rotted out, or is the seat attached to the floorboard it self? Basically that hump or dip right where the rrear passenger would be is bad. It isn't like round holes, its like it got hit with a sledge hammer. Its bent back in parts and peeling back. It looks like it was "shattered". If there is a support or somthing its rotted too I think
Could I get a piece of metal welded in or should the entire thing be replaced?
How hard is it to replace a floorboard?
About how much would a shop charge?
What should I do? I'm practically broke right now! I'm afraid I'll sit down one day and fall through!!
Please help.

Matt

RockOn

20 guage sheet metal and pop rivets should do it

eddie jr

Matto, there are supports for the seat that run across the floor (side to side). The front seat is mounted to two of them so if you say your seat is getting lower, these are likely in rough shape. If that is the case, they are not part of the floorpan and would have to be fixed also.

As for price, I have seen them for $160-180 per side (doesn't include trunk or installation).

If you can't afford anything right now, I suggest buying a can of "rust check" oil and spraying it good underneath in those areas. It will stop it from getting worse.

napalmdemos

Street signs make great floor boards.

Dan88IrocZ

Pop rivets to hold a floor board is a great way to do it. Works on race cars

Or, if you are uncomfortable with that...you can have a shop weld in some metal or aluminum right down to your floor board to reinforce it.

DEFINETLY fix that ASAP dude. You don't want to end up like my mom...she let the floor rot out in her Oldsmobile and she went *** skating at 40 mph.

IROC57TPI

Mine is just starting to get some pinholes in it and needs to be replaced. I have a friend that owns Performance Fabrication & Engineering in Chesterfield, MI. They could weld in the new floor for you if you order one from someplace. It depends on how nice the rest of your car is though... is it really worth fixing it right or do you just want it to keep your *** off the ground?

If you want to get it fixed call PF&E at 586-949-3400 and tell them Mike sent you (they call me Bubba Ray over there )

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Geez, I don't know how you guys can stand living in the rust belt! I could get used to cold and snow, but rust...nope!

1quickIROC

New floor pans can be bought at Sherman and Associates in Washington on Van Dyke. Their number is (586)677-6800, the catalog price from 2002 is 195 per side.

IROC57TPI

Just for the record Sherman & assoc. parts usually rust out in a few years. I am only going to put GM parts back on my GM car

JLP

You can order floor pans by per side?
I thought the passenger side and driver side shared the same floor.

Anyway, my floor is somewhat rusted as well, do you put the sheet metal underneath the car or inside the car? And which way do the pop rivets go, underneath going up, or inside the car going down?

Matto'85TA

Right now I'm just looking to fix it so I dont go through and so the floor dont flex when someone sits back there.
I got some more questions though:
Seat supports: How are they connected? Where exactly are they? Are they between the floorboard and seat? Could a heavier guage piece of metal support the seat without the support? What does the support look like(size/shape)? Should the metal be welded in from the top?

IROC57TPI:Would your friend be willing just to weld in sheetmetal instead of the entire floor? I know body shops wont do it cause of liability. About how much would he charge?

Thanks for all the help.

Matt

eddie jr

Matto, you are right, the seat support are between the floorboard and seat (ie not part of the floor). If I remember correctly, I believe they are slightly thicker gauge (possibly 18), however, they are not flat pieces. They are sort of tubular is shape but open on the bottom. This is what gives them tremendous strength. I wish I had a picture to show you but here is a diagram of a cross section of it. The seat mounts to the top of it (A) and the bottom of the diagram gets welded to the floor.
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Floor

They are as wide as or slightly wider than the seat (approx 2 feet or so) and mount to the inner rocker and then the driveshaft hump in the middle of the car. They are maybe 1.5 to 2" high. You get at them from the inside so remove the seat and lift the carpet. They can be removed and installed without removing the flloor (or what's left of it) but you may have to drill out some spot welds (unless you want to put your fix right over top). If you are thinking short term fix then go ahead and rivet or bolt them in. I'm sure you could find some scrap steel bars of some sort that would fit the bill. I would try to find something that has bends in it too though (rather than flat metal) so the seat would stay put in the event of an accident!!

I hate to scare you, but I will be honest, once you start taking the seat and carpet out etc and take a closer look, you will likely find some unfortunate surprises you weren't counting on. I know I had my share while restoring my 85 FB.

I hope this helps. PM me if you like and I can give more detail if you still have questions. good luck with the project!!

eddie.

eddie jr

crap! sorry, the diagram changed when the message was posted. Hoe it works this time.

. ____
. | |
. __| |__

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

I was speaking with a real good body and fender man the other day because I am going to replace my drivers floorboard too. he said most GM's and Thirdgen especially rott on the drivers side for some reason. I would just buy a new floor pan if you are going to keep the car. No need to hals a&* it.

www.nextgenparts.com sells floorboards at a resonable price and they ship.

Matto'85TA

86NiteRider- Thanks. I'll check that place out.

eddie jr-Thanks a lot man. I will PM you if I need to. One question now though-The metal patch should be welded from inside the car, correct?

Thanks for all the help and replies. If you have any more suggestions please let me know. I hope to get this fixed during my Easter break.

Matt

eddie jr

Matto, no problem! As for the patches you could do either from inside or outside. I would definitely do it on the outside if the patch is along the edge of the rocker though because you would want it to bend down and mate with that 3/4 inch flange (where the inner rocker, out rocker and floor pan are all welded together). You would want to weld along that flange. Otherwise from the inside would be easier because then you wouldn't have to weld upside down! Just make sure you seal up the seam really good afterwards underneath. Personally I found that seam sealer and then a couple coats of rubberized undercoating works great. I am sure there are many other options though.

eddie.

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Funny, I have used Sherman panels on several cars with no problems. You did coat them with something to prevent rust right???

IROC57TPI

Move to the rust belt and you'll learn that Shermans stuff is not the best choice....

I know many body shops that use their parts and they all work fine, but when you're doing a quality restoration on an older car the parts just don't compare to GM for longevity.

1quickIROC

That's funny, I didn't know GM steel floorboards were made of some out of this world steel that Shermans doesn't use. They make exact replica's of steel parts for a cheaper price. The only way they would rust out faster is if you don't coat them. Everybody knows that. If you've got the money to spend twice the amount for GM parts then do it. But if you use GM floorboards and I use Shermams, and the same amount of care and work are equally put into them, you'll never know the diference.