An update:

Just bought some of that POR-15 and jeez is it expensive!

$140 for 2 quarts of semi-gloss black por-15 and 1 gallon prep ready.

I'll post pics here once I start working with the stuff and get to showing off the results.

 

hey partner dont forget, if you're not building a show truck, you can try whatever you want. this forum is great , many sources and a wealth of knoweledge just do your youtube research then try what suits you.

 

My 54 had a few pinholes that I filled with some JB Weld....smoothed it out and painted.

Your situation appears to be a bit more extensive than that and, if it were me, I'd cut that area out and put in some new metal.

Don't be intimidated by the welding. If you don't have a welder and don't want to buy one, borrow one or rent one for a day.....watch a couple YouTube videos on MIG welding.....practice for a couple hours on some of your excess metal, then weld that little patch in.....grind off the excess material, paint and you're off to the races.

 

@99Hosss: Well you are right that this is definitely not a show truck! After watching a couple youtube videos on the stuff, I think I may have purchased a bit too much material for just the floor but there are a number of other things I can use this for so I am not too worried about it.

@shortwide: Some of my holes are definitely too large for body filler but they are not structural so I did not think it really warranted buying a whole new floor pan. I just picked up some fiberglass and resin and am going to give that a shot first. Seems like it should be fairly easy to apply and work with.

By the way, I am only reluctant to weld because it just seems like overkill for the job at hand. I have arc welded before and my dad has a MIG welder, I have just never used it before and it seems like it would be a pain in the *** to match the rusted out groove with a small piece of metal.

 

nonoodlez.....I didn't mean to infer that you should weld in a whole floor pan, I just meant weld in a small patch, that you could bend and make on your workbench.

That having been said, I don't think you're off the mark by going with some resin either for a hole that size, especially on a driver-type truck.

Heck....NONE of my vehicles are, nor will ever be, show vehicles....so I completely understand where you're coming from.

 

Hi all!

Just wanted to post an update with pics of the repair.

I ended up grinding all the rust out and then patched the two largest holes using fiberglass. It was really really easy to work with and it fit the contours of the floor really well.

Fiberglass patch #1 (driver's side floor):

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846338035/" title="Fiberglass Patch 1 by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5846338035_8f38d1ee52.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="Fiberglass Patch 1"></a>

Fiberglass patch #2 (passenger side near the front bench mount):

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846338039/" title="Fiberglass Patch 2 by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/5846338039_a87d7ce115.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Fiberglass Patch 2"></a>

I also ended up bondo'ing all the holes that some idiot with a drill had used to mount the incorrect bench. First time using bondo and it was fairly easy to use as well except that it dries insanely fast!

I did some rough sanding after everything was patched but I made no effort to make things perfect. I heard that POR15 is watery so I did some masking around the areas I was painting. I figured I would get somewhat straight lines and not drip onto other parts. Also, I used plumber's putty to plug up the threaded holes that are used for bench mounts and seatbelts.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846338047/" title="Prepped and ready to Paint by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/5846338047_e21508159f.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Prepped and ready to Paint"></a>

Next up, I degreased, rinsed, primed, rinsed again, and then painted on the POR15. It did not seem that runny to me and I did not end up with any dripping issues.

Paint still wet:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846338051/" title="Paint Still Wet by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5846338051_c7e1f76317.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Paint Still Wet"></a>

Paint dry:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846338065/" title="Paint Dried by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5275/5846338065_d8cdb4480f.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Paint Dried"></a>

I think I made a mistake with buying the semi-gloss black instead of just the gloss black. It dried unevenly; glossy in some parts and matte in others. I am not sure if I applied it poorly or maybe it needed a second coat. Either way, the vast majority of this will be covered up once I get a carpet in there.

In addition, I only used up a little over half a quart of paint doing the entire floor. I have plenty left over for other parts of the truck if I am so inclined which is nice. Maybe I will do some parts of the underside of the truck but not any time soon, that's for sure!

Also, New Bench!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronilevi/5846425909/" title="Bench Installed by nonoodlez, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/5846425909_cc694cef7c.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="Bench Installed"></a>

 

Very nice. What kit did you buy and what fiberglass kit did you get. I have some rust that your set up would fix.

 

Noodlez: I think the reason your seeing a difference in gloss on the POR15 is you are going over Bondo in some areas. POR15 is designed to go over metal. The porousness of the Bondo probably caused the color change.

 

Excellent work keep it up pictures are great

 

great looking job. we enjoy seeing what everyone is doing,thank. what CGB said about bondo being porus is true if you havn't done so you need to get under the floor and seal were the bondo is showing throught. when it gets wet it will hold water and start rusting again. keep up the good work

 

Ah! Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to take care of that next.