Floor pan replacement

[73vertnewbie]

Anybody know a shop in the northeast that does floor pans in Mustangs. I’m doubting my ability to do it myself.

 

[trillizo_y_uno]

Anybody know a shop in the northeast that does floor pans in Mustangs. I’m doubting my ability to do it myself.

Before you consider having the floor pans fixed, realize the reason the floor rusted out in the first place is due to your cowl.  The floor pan literally rusts from the inside out from all the water leaking onto to it over the years from the cowl.  Having said that, if you don't plan to garage your car and keep it out of the elements, your going to have the same issue down the road.  Basically, it doesn't make a lot of sense to fix the floor pans without fixing the cowl also.

 

[72MustangSprint]

Anybody know a shop in the northeast that does floor pans in Mustangs. I’m doubting my ability to do it myself.

Before you consider having the floor pans fixed, realize the reason the floor rusted out in the first place is due to your cowl.  The floor pan literally rusts from the inside out from all the water leaking onto to it over the years from the cowl.  Having said that, if you don't plan to garage your car and keep it out of the elements, your going to have the same issue down the road.  Basically, it doesn't make a lot of sense to fix the floor pans without fixing the cowl also.

It could very well be from the cowl, but since it’s a vert could be from top. Maybe post some pics to get a better idea of what you have.

 

[turtle5353]

Go up and jump on interstate 80, head West for about 5 hours and drop your car off at my place. Floor pans are pretty straight forward, but since its a vert they are a little more complicated. I would definitely weld in cross bracing before cutting pans out. Or it could potentially fold up like an accordion on you, depending how bad they are.

 

[73vertnewbie]

I’ll go under and try to take some photos, but the passenger side seems to be sagging a bit. The floor has been patched with sheet metal screws and pop rivets in a few places, but along the rockers it looks like many of the pinch welds are rusted out. Think it’s mostly the cumulative wear and tear of 47 years in New Jersey. I can just weld some braces in, or do I need to pull the engine and trans and mount the body on a jig?

 

[trillizo_y_uno]

I’ll go under and try to take some photos, but the passenger side seems to be sagging a bit. The floor has been patched with sheet metal screws and pop rivets in a few places, but along the rockers it looks like many of the pinch welds are rusted out. Think it’s mostly the cumulative wear and tear of 47 years in New Jersey. I can just weld some braces in, or do I need to pull the engine and trans and mount the body on a jig?

Pictures would help, and more so if you pull the carpet back.  Does the car have AC?  If so, the driver's side floor is probably in better shape, since there is no cowl vent hat on the driver's side of AC cars to rot out and let water in.

 

[turtle5353]

If the rockers are bad too, then the car probably already is sagging. How are your door gaps?? Once the car starts to sag the rear door gap will be bigger on bottom and smaller on top. You will have some work ahead of you if the rockers are bad, they are the main body structure on a vert.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I have 5 verts in various conditions 2 are parts cars. All have rust in the cowl. One was a California car and had one hole that I could fix from the inside but had rust. Washing the car rusts the cowl, inside doors and quarters. Convertibles probably rust less than coupe or fastback they have a way to dry out better not sealed in a can. One was a Michigan car and was in better shape due to lots of Ziebart being applied. 

You did not say how the trunk was? The tail light gasket design sucks on these models. Traps water between gasket and metal that got very little paint due to location. Water runs in the trunk and rusts the floor, drop off and wheel house.

Also poke around the lower part of the outside wheel house where they go down into the trunk drop off. Those can sometimes be repaired without doing whole panel. 

If the reinforcements under the seats in the convertible are rusted out you will have to find a donor car they are not repoed. Several brackets under floor do not come with new one. 

It is still my opinion it is still less cost to find and buy a good solid body than to take a rusty one and make it a Taiwan Mustang.

If you have to pay for the labor you are destined to put more money in the car than you can go buy one for. For sure you do not want to invest in a six cylinder build or probably even a 302. It costs the same to build a 6 cylinder as an R code or Q code and obviously the value after is way more.

My advice is to put together a spread sheet and get all the costs for the panels and labor to replace cowl, full floor pan, trunk and tail light panels. The trunk floor does not include the drop off and remember if you need the reinforcements under the seat below floor very hard to find. Just the paint, sandpaper, filler, sealer, all materials to do a ground up restore can go over $3,000 pretty fast. 

Then start looking at cars already built or solid originals.