Welding cost of floor pans

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peche 71

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
160
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1
Location
NY
My Car
1971 Grande, 351 Cleveland, restoration project
1973 Convertible, 302, slight restoration
While I have read many previous threads regarding floor pan installation, not much has been mentioned about costs. I do understand that a true cost may not be possible until the car is on a lift and looked at by a welder, but I'm seeking a general range for full pans both sides removed and installed.

I received one estimate of $2500!, more than twice as much as I paid for my 73. This is not something I can do myself. I appreciate your answers in advance.

 
Wow - that's a tough question to answer. I did mine myself, just like a lot of the guys here. Hopefully, one of the shop-owners or someone who had it done will weigh-in on this soon.

You're right - that seems pretty steep to me, but then again I'm not a professional welder or restorer by any means. Depending on how much work they need to do (aside from the actual replacement and welding), it might not be all that far off.

You can potentially save some money if their estimate includes prepping (removing the carpet, seats, underlayment, interior pieces, etc.) and reinstallation (of the same) by doing that yourself before taking the car to them and finishing it up afterward.

Good luck and keep us posted. That would be good information to share. ::thumb::

 
Fortunately, my current restoration did not need much in the way of panel replacement; only the rear tail light panel and the front battery apron required re & re.

It comes down to whether you can find someone you trust to do the work well and at an agreed upon price upfront, if possible or you pay an hourly rate, which is what I did for my body and paint restoration. For your reference purposes, it cost me $78/hr excluding the cost of parts and taxes which were on top of this cost. Here in Ontario, that rate is a good $20 below what other high end shops would charge.

I actually think $2500 is close to a fair price for a good shop that knows what they are doing ie. A proper and complete professional removal and install...

 
Its very hard to say how much floor pans would be. Depends on a lot of things. If you don't mind having a lap joint, then cost would be significantly less than having them butt welded for invisible repair. If the inner rockers are good that helps cut costs. If the frame rails, and torque boxes are good that helps. Hard to tell till you cut into them and see what's going on in there. Do you need seat pans? Or can your old ones be reused? It depends on a ton of factors. As Eric said, the more you can pull out of the car and prep your self, the more you would save. Where in NY are you located?? Post up some pics of the floors, underneath, ect...

I do a lot of sheetmetal repair and usually charge around $35/hour. A regular body shop can easily get up to $75+/hour. So it depends where you take it and what your expecting for a final product. Floor pans in our cars are not too bad to do. But can be time consuming. Good luck and post up some pics, maybe we can help you out a little more.

 
Restoring these cars is 1/2 the fun.. Go to Harbor Freight, pick up a mig welder, (I use the flux welder as much as possible, they're cheap), buy the floor pan and dig in.. It's not difficult and you'll learn a lot about these cars and how to weld.. Hint.. practice, practice, practice, before you jump on the floor pan.. Also, a good spot weld cutter will save you quite a bit of time and aggravation..

I believe you can get the job done yourself for less than half the cost of farming it out and end up with a finished product you will be proud of.. Ask any of the members on this site for tips and tricks and we'll be happy to advise..

Attached are pics of a floor sectional I did for a customer which will give you an idea of what you can do yourself.

Pass Floor Cut Out.jpg

RF Floor Repaired.jpg

 
Kevin, I'm in Allegany County, about 35 minutes from the PA border. I would have everything removed for the welder. PM me if your not too far from the NY border, and i'll send you pics.

 
I see you are in the N.E. this place is in Georgia. All they do is rust repair and have all the jigs to hold the body in correct shape while doing it. The link is to the pricing page for Mustangs but you can give them a call. http://graverobberssheetmetal.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=104

Their listed prices only go to 1970 models but they do 71-73 also.

A friend of mine just closed up his shop last year he would rather do a full pan than repairs it is easier and quicker. He could to a full pan in two days. He had the jigs and correct welders and knew what he was doing. I saw a camaro 69 RS SS vert come into his shop and the only piece he used was the windshield frame cowl rear seat partition and A posts. Every other piece was replaced. It still carriers the VIN as from factory but most of the car came from China.

Someone that does this every day is much more reasonable than a shop that does it as needed. I would consider taking the car to Graverobbers. You probably need cowl, floors, trunk and other metal if it is rusty.

Weekend trip there and back gas is cheap.

David

 
18 months ago I was at the same crossroad you are now. I decided to do the DIY route. See my Muscletang floor thread. Without labor it cost about $1,000 including the welder, the safety gear and materials. That said it took about 18 months to do so. That includes learning to weld, fixing many other issues along the way, and working 2 or 3 times a week just a few hours at night. During the summer months the work was even slower. Before this job i have done all kind of work in cars but never anything related to body work. I dont regret taking all this time to do the work an experienced person would have done in a week. The experience gained is priceless.

However, it takes a great deal of commitment and time to do this work. If you dont have the time then $2,500 may be worth it. This is a tough decision that only you can make. All i have to say, is that after doing all this work and now knowing how much it takes to do it right, $2500 doesnt sound bad. However, for the same reason I dont know if i will trust a shop to do it. There are so many places where short cuts can be taken that you really need to trust whoever does it. Also, you have to be willing to accept the unknown expenses that may come up as the work is done. As the car is taken apart more rust may be found and other things may be worth repairing.

1971 M-code Mach 1


PS: within the 1k budget i got a decent welder. I got an Eastwood, which will be much better than a HF.

1971 M-code Mach 1

 
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I wish I had the time and a real garage to do some stuff, but alas, I don't . I do know someone nearby who said it would take a week in his shop, but I didn't ask for a price. I can easily get everything out that needs to come out before the removal and install begins. There is someone else local I know to check with, I'm confident I'll find someone affordable. Thanks.

 
I wish I had the time and a real garage to do some stuff, but alas, I don't . I do know someone nearby who said it would take a week in his shop, but I didn't ask for a price. I can easily get everything out that needs to come out before the removal and install begins. There is someone else local I know to check with, I'm confident I'll find someone affordable. Thanks.
Keeping the body in shape in right position is the big thing. Not just anyone can do you a good job. Yes the holes will be filled but what shape is the car in. When you jack one up see how easy the body flexes and if it is not set on correct plane when you weld it back in there can be issues.

I myself would take it to a frame shop and make sure the frame is right before doing anything. They can get out of shape from previous owners being a little rough on them I have jumped them and the front cross member hit the pavement. Had to change ball joints a couple times after heavy abuse. These car were not driven for pleasure in the past. But wait that was pleasure, lol.

I bet you can take it to Georgia to Graverobbers for less money and know it will be right. No I do no own stock in their business but if I needed a floor I would take it to them and not even fool with it myself. I have all the welders and place to work but not the most effect use of my time.

David

 
Too steep a price for 2 full length pans, sounds like a quote for a single whole floor pan where bracing would be ideal opposed to toe board to rear torque box

 
I asked around and spoke to an auto body guy nearby, he said if there's no structural damage- no extra welding support needed, and if I bought the full pans, and cleaned out the interior totally, he thinks it would just be $500. I'm sure he'll find something else to charge me for though. This 73 vert has been sitting in a barn for over 20 years before I snatched it up, and only has 68K miles on it, so it hasn't been beaten down to death; very little body work is needed on it.

 
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