How-To Replace Floor Pans?

[yarbeau]

My 87 GN's pans are completely shot. No chance to salvage.
I have new pans ready to go and need to get working on this but for a lack of knowledge am scared to just start hacking out the rust.

I have a buddy who is a welder and is bringing his equipment over. he's never done floor pans either but is very experienced with steel.

Is there a site or anything with a breakdown of the proper ways to do this.

Interior has been removed, everything but the dash.

I just dont want to miss a step someone else might be able to simply suggest as a better alternative to what I would do.

Thanks alot guys,
Derek

 

[charlief1]

Go to the resto/show car section Derek. It's got lots of info in it. It's almost at the bottom of the forum page.

 

[yarbeau]

hey thanks charlie.
I tried searching for an hour yesterday and came up empty handed.
I'm heading over to start tonight so any advice is greatly appreciated!
Derek

 

[charlief1]

You'll probibly have to go through several therads to find what you're looking for. It helps if you look at it on a regular basis to see if something new is posted. I can't tell you how many searches I've done in the last few years to find what I was looking for. It's there somewhere but it takes time to find it sometimes.

 

[Wright 63]

Get a plasma cutter to get old pan out. Some rental places have them. Its what I used. Watch E brake cable and dont cut it. Bfh and some big clamps are needed to reinstall and weld slow. under dash SUX but can be done. Not a big deal after you get started.

 

[87Gnastey]

hey yarbeau

I'm going through kind of the same thing now. My rear seat pans are gone and the fronts are decent, but anyway here is a few tips I got when I started to do mine:

1) Put some on the inside of your windows. Sometimes the chips from the cut off wheel or grinder will pit the insides. You probably want to do you dash too.

2) Make your first big cut smaller than your new piece, then play the game of taking it in and out a million times cutting and tweeking till you get it right.

3) For little spots try to use a cereal box or a pizza box as a template before you cut the piece you are going to weld in. Sooo much easier.

4) When you think you have it sized up right, use all small tack welds to hold it in place before you start really welding it on. Start at opposite corners, so one or two at the rear seat pan, then a couple near the kick panel then the rockers, then the tranny hump and so on. If you don't the heat from the welder will probably warp your piece and that's not fun.

5) I'm not sure if the new pans come with seat anchors or not but if they do it probably wouldn't hurt to mark out (on a piece you're not removing) where they line up as a "landmark"

Good luck and have patience! I'm sure being the first time, like mine was, you will be dropping plenty of F bombs.

Hope this helps.

 

[Roger]

get your "significant other" to get you on the Overhaulin tv show.

 

[nu2gn]

floor pans

where did you find the panels,

 

[asto-t]

floor pans

Get yourself a good mig welder with gas! (I like the gas shield better) You can buy some welding tools from places like h-freight(magnets for holding). Floor pans are sold as 78and up chevy malibu floor pans. You can get them from g-body parts or off e-bay like I did.

 

[Guess]

Here is mine currently. I'm about to head back out and keep trimming out some more metal.

I have no prior experience doing this kind of thing. I was quoted about $1,500 for labor in welding in new pans. I said the hell with it and bought a mig welder and decided to learn myself.

Looking at the picture, I'm scared as hell I won't be able to weld these bastards back in. My floor pans were completely rusted. I had to cut high up on the trans hump just to get all the rust. This is my third weekend working on these pans, but I'm going slow so I don't have any major screw ups.

I have mine up on jack stands so I can slide under to locate lines. Watch out for the fuel lines. I used a right angle grinder with metal cutting wheels. I managed not to cut any lines going under the floor pans. I did cut a wire on the computer harness in half when the grinder slipped once.

You'll have a lot of spot welds to drill out. Use a wire wheel to remove the paint/rust on braces etc. so the spot welds are easy to see. Don't use a grinding wheel because you won't be able to see where the spot welds are. The brace going from door to door over the trans hump was heck to get out for me.

After I trim out all I want, I'm going to remove rust off the metal I want to save and then POR 15 everything under there. When cutting along the door sill area, don't cut too deep because there is support metal under the pans that the pans are spot welded to. I'm cutting along the top of the door sills so I can fit the pans easier, plus there is some rust I need to remove under there too. (Disclaimer: I'm just an amateur)

Few more pics: