Floor pan dent, fix?

[spitz17]

I know some members here have experienced the good ol' "doh! I'm an idiot and jacked from the wrong area." Well I apparently made the stupid mistake of jacking from the wrong area of the floor pan rail, resulting in an unattractive upward buldge. I have searched a few sites and found out the best option is to take a flat hammer and dolly and slowly work at it.

Does anyone have any better options? Is the metal so thin that I should just go to a body shop to safe? The metal has no rust, so I do not think I have to worry about weak points.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :stupid:

[ZCurves]

I know some members here have experienced the good ol' "doh! I'm an idiot and jacked from the wrong area." Well I apparently made the stupid mistake of jacking from the wrong area of the floor pan rail, resulting in an unattractive upward buldge. I have searched a few sites and found out the best option is to take a flat hammer and dolly and slowly work at it.

Does anyone have any better options? Is the metal so thin that I should just go to a body shop to safe? The metal has no rust, so I do not think I have to worry about weak points.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :stupid:

I inherited a problem like that when I picked up my current Z a decade ago. Mine was more caved-in, like the PO ran over a Stop Sign or something. It ripped some of the spot welds out on the pass side and pushed the floor up. What I did to repair it was to buy a length of ALL-Thread, Two big washers, Corresponding nuts and a 2x4. Sounds wacked out... But wait.

I drilled a Hole in the floorboard the size of the ALL-Thread and another hole in the 2x4. I placed the 2x4 under the car with one end on a Frame Rail and the other end sticking out by the Rocker Panel - like a pedal.

Next I ran the ALL-Thread thru the Floorboard and the 2x4 and took up the slack with the Nuts and Washers so that the 2x4 was tight against the bottom of the car.

With all of this done, I then could push down on the 2x4 thereby pulling the floor back into the original position. I might have had to reposition the 2x4 a couple of times. When the Z was repainted, the body shop repaired all of the spot welds and holes I made and sealed it up with seam sealer and paint.

I am hoping that your Ooops was less severe than that. Without seeing the damage, I think perhaps you could pop it back with a large Heavy hammer until it gets close to being flat. Then you could get a flat piece of metal or 2x4 and place it on a Jack, snugging it up to the Floorpan and then just finish it out with the hammer. The metal/2x4/Jack setup would act as an dolly and prevent the metal from stretching the opposite way.

You might also try my more scientific method I described first, then buy a plug and seal up the hole top and bottom when you are done.

If any of this makes you hesitate, go to a body shop to be safe.

Ahhh the many uses of a 2x4 in auto repair! Good times!

[EScanlon]

Or you could just use a rubber mallet to give it a whack or two.

That works if the dent is on the floor itself and not on the frame rail.

If the dent is in the frame rail, then it's a completely different approach.

FWIW

E

[spitz17]

Hi ZCurves,

Thanks for your advice. By "2x4" do you just mean a piece of "2x4" solid steal? Your explanation was more than enough, but I do not see myself drilling holes in my floor pan, as the car was completely undercoated and cleaned before. The damage is not extreme, as I do not see any welds splitting off... just kind of a solid dent with curved edges...

I will however try the large hammer and "2x4" method, once I figure out what a "2x4" is! Hahaha... I never thought of including a jack into the process but it seems like it'll work!

[spitz17]

Or you could just use a rubber mallet to give it a whack or two.

That works if the dent is on the floor itself and not on the frame rail.

If the dent is in the frame rail, then it's a completely different approach.

FWIW

E

The frame rail at the center of the floor is pushed up a bit I thought jacking from the "rail" on the floor pan was okay !!

Edited December 14, 2010 by spitz17

[motorman7]

The drivers side floor of my '73 is slightly lifted due to PO's bad jack placement. I have tried both the rubber mallet, and the standard hammer and 2X4 method with little success. The steering wheel and dash make it hard to get a good whack at it. I am thinking perhaps a 3lb sledge and 2X4 may work better.

I like the secured 2X4 idea. I will need to look at the drain hole plugs and see if I can rig something that will work without making new holes. Maybe even the seat support lip could be used. Thanks for the tip.

[Casey_z]

You need a B.F.H and a block of wood.

First word of the acronym is big and the last word is hammer.You figure out the rest;)

The PO on my Z did the same thing and I whacked it straight.

Casey

[spitz17]

Casey Z,

Is that a block of wood to put under the floor pan while you hammer on top to make it straight? Or do you put the wood, kinda like a punch, over the floor pan and hammer down on it? Thanks!

[pjoe]

If you have a jack, you can put a piece of wood on it and jack it up to bottom of dent and the beat the dent out straight. hope that helps

Edited December 15, 2010 by pjoe

[Casey_z]

What I did was put a 2x6 block about 16" square over the frame rail on the highest part of the dent.

Use a 8lb sledge hammer and hit straight down square on the block one good blow at a time.

Don't be shy:D but check that you don't go too far and watch your backswing;)

Casey

[Mikes Z car]

I wonder if those replacement frame rails that go under the floor are strong enough to not bend when used as a jack point? It would take a brave soul to experiment with that I imagine.

Mike

[spitz17]

Thanks for your help guys,

I called the body shop I usually go to for advice and they said they would do it for free if I dropped by!