Fiberglass floardboors

I am thinking that about if I don't sell my MG Midgets replacing the rusted floorboards with some made of fiberglass. Is this a good idea or not?

I glassed up the floorboard in an old Datsun years ago and it lasted longer than the car did. It wasn't a structural area for bolting down seats or anything tho.

i would guess not. Chop out the rust and weld in a new pan

If you ever want to resell it, the DIY floor will be an issue for most potential buyers. If you plan to drive it 'til the wheels fall off it's less of an issue.

Done well, it's a good repair.

Some kit cars come with fiberglass floors, (I remember a Manta kit car where the underside of the seat is one of the lowest points on the vehicle!) but when I'm sitting in a vehicle I like to always have some metal between my ass and the ground.

Just sandwich sheet aluminum between the fiberglass layers.

If I keep the MGs, I think fiberglass floorboards will be one of my smaller worries about resale value.

i did that on an old scout 4x4 and it worked great.it was the only part of the tub that didnt rust away in the 4 years i had it. i sandwiched hardware cloth in the fiberglass though instead of aluminum.

why not buy a cheap hood from a salvage yard, cut out the old rust, cut hood to fit.. and weld?

I am better at working with composites then welding.

The issue with fiberglass repairs on rusty metal is that the person doing the work nearly always does poor prep work around the edges, where the fiberglass meets the steel, and it allows the rust to continue spreading. I think there's a correlation with people not wanting to do the job right (with steel), using the easier fiberglass method, and still not doing the job right (not eliminating the rust and properly prepping the edges to waterproof them).

It's time consuming to do the job right, but if you want to keep the car you'll be glad you did. Steel is cheap and pretty easy to work with. If you're not confident in your own welding, prep the area and get a good welder to take care of the welding for you (body shop, fab shop, etc.). If they don't have to do the prep work, most welders will barely charge you anything for the welding part.

Bryce

John Brown wrote: Just sandwich good marine plywood sheet between the fiberglass layers.

FYP

Alot of out of work mechanics out there hire one for a couple of days to cut and prep and put in new metal floor boards or do it yourself ? The first thing anyone does is lay down and inspect the floorboards . When they look solid and original More $ on resale . http://www.lbcarco.com/parts/floor-panr-h-455-625.htm

What about weight? Will fiberglass floorboard be any lighter?

96DXCivic wrote: What about weight? Will fiberglass floorboard be any lighter?

In a word....no.

I've done this on small areas in the front and rear floor sections of one of my beater cars. I removed all the old rust with wire wheels, painted with eastwood rust encapsulator, then laid down the glass. It was a quick and easy repair.....much quicker than welding in patch panels. I did this 5 years ago and it's held up great. I have decent floors for this car now that I got out of a parts car, so if I ever decide to do the job "right" I'll just bust out the welder and get with it.