floorboard repair: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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March 16, 2009 3:29 p.m. abumason New Reader

Hey all,

tonight my buddy and I are tackling repairing / replacing the floorboards in his classic Bronco.

We already tore out all the carpet and scraped off the adhesive and have exposed a few shoddy repairs by a previous owner. Basically, he left the floorboard as it was and used what looks like galvanized roof flashing and pop rivets to attach it. Needless to say it is very haphazard and looks like E36 M3.

My buddy plans on rolling on Herculiner after all the repairs are done, so my booger welds won't show thru but I still have a question and here's where we have a difference of opinion. He wants to install the new repair panel over the old fix and throw some JB Weld or seam sealer or other adhesive (not sure what he'll find at Lowe's) in between the new and the old and then just weld along the top seam.

My suggestion is to drill out the pop rivets, cut out all the cancer and hit it with POR-15 or such and then use the new panel. I'm concerned that the new panel will need a lot of fidgeting to fit over the old and that he's just creating a problem that he'll have to deal with down the road.

Any thoughts?
March 16, 2009 3:35 p.m. Gary_C New Reader

You are better off cutting out the haphazard repairs and going with new sheet steel. I'd still throw a layer of seam sealer over the joint once you are done welding it & dressing the welds, then seal it up with epoxy primer, POR or whatever your choice may be. Otherwise all you are doing is a repair that will be prone to failure down the road. Why do it twice when 10 minutes more will fix it the right way...
March 16, 2009 3:40 p.m. John Brown MegaDork

You can go either way, considering it will never be a show truck I would say do a layover and secure it high on the upturns.

I would suggest a body seam filler between panels as well as 3M panel weld compound at the seam joints. You put the panel weld down and use a few screws and once the panel weld cures you will not need the screws (I keep them in for my own sake.
March 16, 2009 4:24 p.m. sachilles Reader

I'd cut the old stuff out, as it is likely just to hold in grime and moisture.
March 16, 2009 5:20 p.m. abumason New Reader

Just got home and snapped a few photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abumason/

My worry with the adhesive was lighting it on fire during welding.

FYI, this will the first time for either of us doing this sort of bodywork.
March 16, 2009 6:04 p.m. mad_machine UltraDork

I will be going through this myself next month in my Ti,

I am planning on cutting back to about an inch from the sill, firewall, transtunnel, and rear edge of the floor and then dropping the "new" floor out of my doner shell onto this lip. From there it will be a case of welding then seam sealing.
March 16, 2009 6:45 p.m. JFX001 HalfDork

Go to an Early Bronco Vendors website (Jeff's Bronco/Duff's/Wild Horses etc.). Floor pans are under 75 bucks at Jeff's Bronco Graveyard. Cut out the pan and replace it with the new one.
March 16, 2009 8:08 p.m. abumason New Reader

JFX001 wrote:

Go to an Early Bronco Vendors website (Jeff's Bronco/Duff's/Wild Horses etc.). Floor pans are under 75 bucks at Jeff's Bronco Graveyard. Cut out the pan and replace it with the new one.

We already have them...

Quick update - local advanced auto didn't carry any kind of seam sealer / adhesive. NAPA was already closed. Looked online and that stuff isn't cheap. Told the guy behind the counter (an older gentleman, not one of those kids with fishing tackle all over his face) what we were doing and he suggested Liquid Nails from Home Depot.

I can see maybe using a tube of adhesive for gutters and downspouts, but not just plain old constuction adhesive. There was a silicone one and a polyurethane - anybody know which would work better in this application. Probably lay it on and then spread it with a small grooved trowel for mastic like putting down linoleum flooring. Anybody else done this or is it just plain crazy?!?

Like someone else said it will never be a show truck, just don't want to be rolling down the road Fred Flinstone style anymore.