Floorboard rust correction (1 Viewer)

[tman2891]

I bought this '96 back in April knowing that this was going to be one of the major issues to deal with sooner than later. I will say I didn't realize that this would be such a Flintstones situation. Thankfully the rust other than the drivers floorboard is minimal and surface rust that I have been able to manage. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do to fix the drivers side. Suggestions and input from others who have been down this road would be helpful. Also, the passenger floorboard looks to have had similar damage that the PO corrected with some sort of resin. It is fairly solid and doesn't show any signs of leaking.

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[tman2891]

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[Pascoscout]

Haven't done this on my cruiser but have done extensive rust repair to another project I have.

Your best bet it probably going to be finding a donor vehicle to cut out the sections of the floorboard you need to replace. Cut out your stuff and then weld the replacements in. You could also try to find a shop to fabricate patch panels but all the rolling that would be required to match the contours would get expensive.

I'd replace the stuff on the passenger side too. That resin won't stop the rust from spreading and eventually you'll be at the same point as the drivers side.

Clean up everything else and treat it with a rust converter or something like POR-15. Then primer and paint.

 

[tman2891]

I appreciate the input. That is what I am working towards now. I found someone willing to take on the work nearby (most shops wouldn't even consider it, said they were too busy with insurance work) so as soon as I can get it to them it should get worked out.

Once it is patched I have some rust encapsulator from Eastwood that I am going to coat it all in.

Hopefully that will have me taken care of. I got a quote on getting some from a donor and they wanted $900 a side plus shipping. A bit much for my needs.

 

[largeone]

Interested in how this repair turned out and how it was accomplished? Any update or pictures?

 

[tman2891]

It turned out great. It took some time to find a shop that was willing to do the repairs for me and I did as much as I could on the areas that weren't already a total loss. I'll have to go back to see if I can find some photos of the repairs. I had both driver and passenger sides done. The repairs are certainly not stock but have held up well so far. If anyone is in the Atlanta check out Grave Robbers Sheet metal in . They did good work and charged a pretty fair amount for a job that most shops ran from.

 

[tman2891]

 

[largeone]

Thank you so much for the reply and pictures! Looks like they got all the way back to good metal. You should be good for a while as long as the windshield leak (or possibly sunroof) has been corrected.

 

[tman2891]

I am thinking that it is/ was a combination of both sunroof and windshield. It is mostly taken care of now, but can still get damp in heavy storms. It is parked inside now thought which helps a lot.

 

[cvenom96]

Wow I'm surprised it had that much rust from Georgia. Mine has been in VA/MD it's whole life and while stuff on the underside had some rust the floors were in decent shape overall. I had to replace one section in the passenger footwell. Repairs look good on yours! Not as creative as an old Mustang I had. Bought and it started tearing it down and found they has welded to "Call Before Digging" signs in on both sides. Guy worked for the City maintenance department...

 

[tman2891]

The previous owners didn't do it any favors. Mechanically it is in great shape, but it had a lot of neglect. The sunroof drains were clogged, which is no huge surprise, but you could tell it had been that way for some time. I suspect that is what led to the severity of it. And based on the half repair done on the passenger side, they knew about the problem but didn't fix the cause.

After the 4th or 5th shop turned me away, I was eyeing a few road signs too. The thought certainly crossed my mind.

 

[largeone]

I have a leak issue that I have not been able to track down (admittedly hasn’t been my #1 priority as until recently the 80 has been just a wheeler). I have a small spot that I’m trying to determine best repair and this information is helpful. The shop that did yours was fairly creative in how they dealt with the ribs.

 

[tman2891]

If it is in this same area, I check your sunroof drains and then the windshield. They are two extremely common culprits. I would work on tracking down the cause, if you don't get it fixed it is only a matter of time until your repair is back to where you are now.

 

[largeone]

100% agree! And thank you!

 

[largeone]

I was able to weld in a patch panel thanks to your pics and posts, so thank you again.

 

[largeone]

I put some rust sealer from KBS coatings as well as seam sealer for good measure…on both top and under the truck. Now I’m going to dynamat while I’ve got it apart.