I have been SCREWED...and didnt even get a hug!

Stevetra · 05-17-2007, 11:09 PM

As I prepare to pull my engine and tranny I decide to slide under and see what all has to come off.
I am inspecting the mounting when I see something odd looking on the drivers side floor pan. One of the ribbs dosnt look right....so I poke at it with my finger.

Would you believe that someone has filled rust holes with bondo, and then shaped the filler to look like the stamped ribbs of a floor pan....

Man ... and its my own fault...I should have looked closer when I bought the car.

I dont own a welder...I dont really know where to begin...the other side is the same way, and the thin seat supports appear to be pop rivited in place. from the front seats back the pan is solid...but the front is rotted from the front fenders back.
I am just sick.

connor90 · 05-17-2007, 11:13 PM

now is as good a time as any to learn. buy a welder and replace them yourself.

toolwench · 05-17-2007, 11:14 PM

Sorry to hear about that, but welcome to owning an old car. I hate to say it, but that won't be the first suprise. 13 years later, I'm still finding things the previous owner either hid or didn't know about the car. The good news is that you can go through the car and fix it right and in most cases, never have to deal with it again.

atomsk680 · 05-17-2007, 11:42 PM

replaacing the pan isnt too hard, it just tapes time and hours and hours of fitting

the spot weld in the slowly weld it completel down

Soaring · 05-17-2007, 11:43 PM

Lincoln makes a good welder.If you are rich, a plasma cutter is a fine tool. Welcome to the classic section.

muggsy · 05-18-2007, 12:00 AM

I know the feeling. My car's previous owner hid a few things from me as well, and he owned my 1967 convertible since 74. Floors had cheesy sheet metal covering rot holes in the inner rockers that I didn;t notice til I took the carpets up. Battery apron had cheesey sheet metal covering rot there too, under the battery tray that I din;t notice til the battery died and I needed to replace it. 289motor was said to be original but was reallya replacement....these things made me sick for a while too. but then, on the bright side, all these things actually made me feel like it was okay to modify to better than stock specs. So I fixed the floors and rockers and I'm putting in a 347 as we speak. Upon replacement of the motor, I'm having the engine bay redone.Once you findyour car isnot really original or that it needs more work than you thought,that just opens the door for all the things you might want to change. And don't feel so bad about the floors....they didn't call em Rustangs for nuthin'. Most have had their pans changed (see cowl issues), and most of the ones that haven't, need them replaced. Its very common. Better to have something fixed correctly than be original and rusty/full o' bondo.

Stevetra · 05-18-2007, 12:17 AM

Well...This weekend was compressor and sandblaster weekend....I was..am gonna buy them both.
21Gal 5 Hp Compressor.
Pressurized media blasting tank w/30 feet of hose.

So..I guess before I spend any money on anything else..I should start looking for a welder.
I dont suppose we are talking about a200 buck stick welder..are we?
Will a stick welder do the job?
In all the stuff I have read...they always seem to have some $10,000 welder in the background...

Soaring · 05-18-2007, 12:24 AM

You may as well get up close and personal with a mig welder since that will be the tool you will use to replace those floor pans and possibly other areas as time goes by. Here's a good starting point.
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/mig-welders.asp

Kenny_Z · 05-18-2007, 12:25 AM

That's why I like my Rustang. There are no suprises when you can see right through the car...

Welding is fun and a piece like the floor pan is nice to learn on (after practicing on scrap) because you'll cover up the goof-ups with carpet.

Soaring · 05-18-2007, 12:38 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Kenny_Z

That's why I like my Rustang. There are no suprises when you can see right through the car...

Welding is fun and a piece like the floor pan is nice to learn on (after practicing on scrap) because you'll cover up the goof-ups with carpet.

Yeah, that practice part is important. Go to a computer repair shop and retrieve any old computer metal shells they may have to practice on. Even a large chunk of metal that you can practice striking a bead works. We have a learner's free workshop for welding in the FAQ. I'm not sure if it is worth a damn, but give it a try and let me know if it was helpful.