i am replacing both my floor pans. I know it's a pain so i figured i'd have somebody do them. a guy at the local motorsports shop said he'd do it for $250 a side. He said he would weld them over the old pans, put a tack about every 2inches and fill it with silicone. My question is is this a good price, doesn't sound like it to me, and how hard is it to do these like timewise.

 

>i am replacing both my floor pans. I know it's a pain so i
>figured i'd have somebody do them. a guy at the local
>motorsports shop said he'd do it for $250 a side.

>He said he would weld them over the old pans,
WHAT???!!!

>put a tack about every 2inches and fill it with silicone. My >question is is this a good price, doesn't sound like it to me, and >how hard is it to do these like timewise.

Ask him what he's been smokin! WHY in the world would anyone put a new pan OVER an old pan. the whole reason for putting in a new pan is the you toss the old one and have fresh metal.

DON'T let this guy change your tire much less weld on your truck.

the steps are to get the new pans

measure and cut out the old ones to the point where you get rid of all or most of the rust and your back to good metal

do a complete trial fit and cut where needed

grind out the paint/primer/rust/filler... 1" around the area to be welded and wire brush to clean metal

clean everything with acetone and let dry

clamp new part into position and tack weld 1/8" spots with 2" space between spot welds

after you have made it all the way around the part, allow it to cool and confirm proper fit

go back and fill in the 2" spaces with new weld and back off from time to time in order to allow it to cool a bit. If you have a trouble spot, back off and allow it to cool. (all this cooling off is to prevent warping, but this part is usually covered from view, so use your own judgement)

after the new part is welded in, grind off any mistakes then wire brush and clean then apply phosphoric acid overnight. Come back and scuff and clean then epoxy primer and paint.

A wire feed welder is a very good choice for this kind of work, some places rent these by the day. I'd plan on a full days work not counting the painting.

 

karljay is right on the money. I think you are being taken to the cleaners too. For the money you would spend you could purchase your own wire feed and do it better.

Do it right the first time.

Bob

 

I recently did the poor man's repair. I bought new panels, then cut out the old ones, making sure I cut out all the rusted areas. I had to grind the area around the cab mount to remove the old welds from it. After cleaning everything up and leaving nice straight lines to work with, I carefully measured up the new panel for cutting. I left a 1 and 1/2 inch overlap all around. I then marked out the position of the cab mount onto the new pan, and also the other flanged areas. Then I cut the pan up, trial fit, then used black silicone around the overlap area and drilled holes and installed pop rivets every two inches. After installation, I got underneath the truck and applied more silicone around the area. I also riveted the cabmount to the floor pan. All new metal was etched with a rust converter, and rinsed and painted. Carpet went overtop, so I didn't see a need to worry about the final finish. If I had a welder, I would have done an exact fit and butt welded the panel in. When I do get a welder, I will do that trick on every panel replacement I do. I don't like the idea of flanging and having overlaps, as that encourages future rust. For everyday use, the job works for me. It took me one day to do it all for one side, and tools I used were a hammer and dolly, die grinder with cutting wheel (a.k.a. Dremel tool), Makita 5 inch side grinder, awl for scratching marks onto the metal, caulking gun.
A pretty simple fixup, and I was very happy with the result. Like I said, I could have done much better and have an invisible repair with a good mig welder (gas type). I got the floor pans through http://www.crosscanadaparts.com
Don't let this guy put a pan on overtop of the old one for that price.
It won't even fit properly with the old metal still there. Replace cab mount at the same time if it is rusty. Pretty cheap parts that will last for years! I get my panels from an autobody supply shop at body shop cost, and they arrive overnight!
Mark



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