floor pan replacement

[QCAR17]

Question for the masses,

I need to replace both floor pans. My questions are:

1. How much do i need to cut away from the existing, and are there measurements available to me?

2. Can I leave the seat brace there, and just cut around them, then weld new pans in?

3. I know a skilled welder, is this a hard task to perform?

[QCAR17]

Hey Man, appreciate the info and the pics. That picture of your new floor gave me all the info I was looking for. Doesn't seem like to big of a task.

again, Thank you

[2ManyZs]

Doing the floors is a labor intensive job, which means, even if you have the welding ability and the tools, the job will require patience and working slowly and accurately to do the best job. Probably the worst part of the job is taking off the old tar mat off the stock pans so you can see what you really have to work with.

One word of caution I would like to say is don't cut anything out of your floors until you get your replacements. Not all the replacement panels are the same. The best ones from ZeddFindings and the Premium pan kits from MSA are identical as they come from the same place, however, if you get the cheaper ones, there may be a lot of small differences in them. It's always best to cut out your old floors using a pattern off the new replacements. Remember, you can always trim to fit, but to fill in holes, you're gonna be doing even more cutting and fitting, welding,etc....

[brianglawson]

i too used zedd findings....in our process of putting them in we bolted them in, put a few necessary spot welds, and then we glued them, yes glued them, see nowadays most car companies dont use welding to attach body panels, they use a type of glue, which i have access to through my father, so we laid it all the way around the pan, and then finished the welding, it feels solid as a rock, its not the best looking because of the bolts and such but hey, thats what carpets for, and atleast i know the floor wont cave in when i take it for its first ride..........in a few years.....

[beandip]

Sorry but I must disagree in using any thing but welding to replace the floor pans . For this reason , they are part of the unibody construction and strength of the transmission tunnel . The tranny tunnel is where the support for the trans. is bolted and it also supports the weight of the rear of the engine. The Zed findings product is first rate . And as 2many said wate untill you get the new floors in hand before you start cutting. as for the seat supports I just cut them out with the floor piece attached and used a grinder to take off the spot welds and they were ready to reinstall , after cleaning them up of cource I did use a spot weld cutter on the ends on the tunnel and rocker .. I removed the old sheet metal that was rusted and fitted the new pans in , some minor cutting and hammering was need to form everything together. I removed the pan and preped the metal free of all oil and dirt then reinserted the pans and used self tapping sheet metal screws to hold all in place , about every 3 to 4 inches . I took the car to the welder and he tig welded it in place and removed the screws and filled the holes as he went along. It has all been POR ed now and sealed. I hope this helps . Gary:classic:

[brianglawson]

they are welded............and bolted to set them in at first........then glued, this glue is magnificant, car companies of magnitude of mercedes benz, bmx, audi, all use this stuff, its not week, plus we still welded it, its all there extra, for a demonstration they got a big glob of it and let it harden on a stick, and first put it in a 1500 degree oven, then laid it on a bench, and a person got a huge sledge hammer and beat it, and i mean a big guy doing this, and it didnt phase it at all, so its strong:)

i wouldnt dare use it only though, even though it would probably hold, the fact there there is a metal binding makes me feel better:)

[QCAR17]

Everybody,

Thanx for all the input. I will have pans in hand before doing any cutting (from Zed of course). With all answers in mind and plenty of support I'm on my way to restoring my first Z-car. Thanx again.

Mike