Hey everyone,
Im new to the unibody vehicles. I have an 89 Firebird 2.8L.
Anyways ill cut to the chase. I have a series of holes in my drivers side floor directly under the feet/seat. I would like to avoid the welding aspect as im kind of in a rush to get this baby on the road. There are approx 6-7 holes ranging from the size of a dime to a toonie. I have many bondo products and sealers, however im not sure of the best way to go about the repair. What is the best series of steps to take if I have the following materials for this type of repair and/or what else will I need?
-Bondo (Normal body filler [Pink])
-Bondo Metal Mesh self-adhesive
-Plastic Metal Sealer/Filler
-Bondo Spatula kit
-3m undercoat spray
-Spot-Filler Primer

Could I get away with a decent to good job with these products? Id really like to avoid the welding as I was told that I would have to cut it out more than likely for the BEST results and weld a new piece on aswell as having that piece welded to the sub-frame. Id like to stay away from this.
Anyone have a good idea of how I could use the products the best way for the job?
THANKYOU!!!

Jared, Canada

 

Welcome to TGO. I repaired quite a gash, perhaps an 1 1/2 by 6", in the same place with POR-15 products--that was a number of years ago and the 'fix' looks as good today as it did then.

JamesC

 

If the damage is in the center of the floor, you can cut out the damaged areas and create a metal patch. The way I've seen it done for hot rods is to make the patch 1/2" - 3/4" larger on all 4 sides. I don't remember the correct name, but the edges get crimped so that one edge goes under the cutout while the other 3 edges of the patch lay flat on top of the cutout. You could probably then rivet the patch to the floor and seam seal the edges. Not a traditional body guy so not sure if this is the best option for your situation. If it were me, I'd replace the floor pan and get it welded in.

 

You need to stop the rust or it will all come back much worse. Cutting and welding is the way to go, but I know that is not what you want to hear. This is an area you do not want to mess with, otherwise you might get to do a Fred Flintstone impression.

 

i totally agree, however if you are hell bent on taking the quick route, prep the metal with a rust inhibitor first, place sheet metal over the hole, use a sealent to seal them and rivet in place. this is however a repair that you will be repeating. for a long lasting repair, cut, weld, and replace, followed up by a sealing the underneith and inside. do it the quick way now, and repair in fully when you got time and money.

 

Por-15 is the way to go. follow the directions carefully and it will work great. get the starter kit from por15.com or your local parts store and it will have everything you need. you will need a little fiberglass to cover the actual hole, it works w/ the por 15 as a resin.

 

POR-15 looks like a great solution! Sounds like a very reliable product from what I have researched. However, I live in Canada and I cant seem to find and local stores which stock it?
Is this only available through mail and such? It would be great if it was in large chained stores such as Canadian Tire. Very expensive too lol

 

For your application, I think you'll be quite pleased--I know I was/am. Highly recommended.

BTW, I see the product at swap meets around the midwest, so I'd be somewhat surprised if stores of some sort don't carry it. That said, I've always purchased online.

JamesC

 

How about some seam sealer like gm used?
You would still need to eliminate the rust with something though.I hear molasses from a local feed store works?Also read that vinegar will kill rust.I don't know but,the pics I saw looked like it worked.
After the rust is neutralized/killed,cut a couple pieces of metal flashing or whatever and gob the seam sealer around the holes and make sure you look at both sides of the repair area to be sure both sides are sealed up good.

 

when you apply rust inhibitor, does it affect the way the sealer/filler bonds to the metal? Im definitley looking into POR-15 guys, thanks!

 

part of the POR 15 kit is a rust neutrelizer that also etches the metal for better adhesion. They call it "metal ready", IIRC its hydracloric acid solution.

 

ok great lol, this sounds like it works wonders. will it serve well in wheel wells too? Oh and would the bondo MESH patches work real good if used wit the POR-15?

 

Another way to fix the floor holes WITHOUT welding, would be to cut out the worst areas of rust, wire brush the rest to nice clean metal ( if you can get it), use por 15 on it, Then use get a fiberglass kit.....it will have some cloth and resin and hardener. Cut your self tow or more "patches" to cover the holes. Rough up the por 15 with some rough sandpaper, mix up the resin with the hardener, then put at least two layers of fiberglass on it. This will make a nice hard, waterproof surface. When the fiberglass is cured ( in a matter of hours), then you can dress it up with some bondo and black paint. I personally do allot of welding now when i need to fix holes, but as a beginer, this will do fine! Good luck and wear gloves!

 

How exactly would you get a good seal from the top and bottom sides with fiberglass patches

 

you cant, dont do that.
the por15 is basically an epoxy resin. It works w/ the fiberglass cloth(better than the bondo reinforcement).to get the best results, por 15 must be applied over bare, rusty or etched metal (not paint or body filler). it must be recoated with itself or the other por15 products in a specific amount of time (slight finger drag, not tacky, not dry). you can use the fiberglass with each layer or only one layer. 2-3 coats of por 15 is best. scuffing doesnt work as well, and it has to be sanded very hard to scuff.
you prob will want to put por15 on the underside as well for the best repair, but if its just a small hole in the floorpan, you dont need more glass. again, all undercoating and paint must be removed under the por15 and do it at the same time as the top layer so it bonds together

Por 15 is fantastic stuff, but it doesnt work nearly as well if the instructions are not followed to the letter or mixed w/ non compatible materials. I have restored several Jeeps with it w/ great results and I used to use it in boat yards professionally (its original intended use, bonding to steel boat hulls/ iron keels)

 

ok just trying to soak in all the info i need. Should I be POR-15'n both the underside AND from inside? (Meaning taking out the seats and etc to access from topside?)
Sry for all the questions but like my gpa tells me, "the dumbest question is the one never asked." (In most cases) lol

 

if the rust is on both sides, especially if there is an actual hole, yes.
its much easier to lay the glass on the top side.

 

IIRC (it has been several years), I used Metal Ready, then painted the hole from both top and bottom with POR-15. I used the POR mesh above. When it was hard, I filled the hole from the bottom with POR epoxy, which molds nicely if your fingers are damp. With a final coat of POR-15, I was done.

JamesC

 

The fiberglass cloth soaked in resin totally Seals around the perimeter when it dries. You can use black Roofing patch on the bottom to fill in and make it look good. You can spray the bottom of the completed patch with spray undercoating. I have never tried soaking fiberglass cloth in POR 15 as others have suggested here, BUT i know that the por 15 gets VERY hard and probably would work fine . As you can see from the responses here, there are lots of ways to fill those holes of yours.

 

Cut out bad metal, put in good metal. Get some panel adhesive to glue the new metal in place so you don't have to weld. Finish off with the POR 15 or whatever the equivalent is you can get.

 

Cheap fix is a piece of metal cut to cover the rust. Make sure the rust is as cleaned and dry first. Coat the section of floor with roof patch tar or undercoat. Coat the metal patch underside with same undercoat. Screw or rivet it down pretty good making sure edges are tight. Fill seams and cover with undercoat. Spray undercoat in edges/cracks underneath. Let it set up for a day then fill holes with roof patch or undercoat to hide the rust from the bottom.

That should last for a while and is really cheap. The tar is probably $30 for a gallon and it sounds like you may be patching some other spots so lif you have a little left over its no big deal. I usually stop by a body shop and ask for an irregular cut piece of metal for $10 or something.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/search/se...08474396672077

Sounds like the POR15 these guys are talking about is a more permanent solution though....Im not familiar with it but from what Ive read I just dont know the cost or availability.

Just a tip or 2: You may be able to access the area w/o pulling the seat....try pulling the carpet back first...and if you drill or screw through the floor....make sure you look on the other side first.

 

If you go this route, dont use the por-15, just paint it. the por-15 wont bond to the panel adhesive and a rust bubble will start under it.
I cant agree this is a good way to go. either weld and paint or por-15 and fiberglass, gluing metal is just a patch that will not last long. If you are just looking for a quick fix, sure thats probably easiest.

 

Gluing a patch panel wont last? I guess the cars that are glued together are going to fall apart out on the road.

 

thye will last fine if thye arent already rusty. but if theres any rust its just going eat around the repair again.
remember we arent talking about putting new body panels on, we are talking about repairing a rusted out floorboard. I can understand if you dont know what we are talking about CA guy

 

That's why I said, "Cut out bad metal" IE rust. We have our share of rusted cars too. Friend's Blazer is almost to the flintstone's stage on the floorboards.

 

Ok
I'm sure your way works good too. I didnt mean to get into a pissing match, just showing my jealousy about cars in CA climate
I think it would depend on how far the rust has progressed. if it is small enough to cut out just the floor panel and leave totally unrusted structural members with some unrusted metal to glue to, no reason it shouldnt work. All my floorpan repairs have involves some surface rust spreading around the hole, so the POR 15 is a better option. I havent had much experience using the body glue, but it seems to hold up well. I understand the newer f-bodies used it instead of welds for the fender panels? What is the prep for it? will it bond to paint or does it have to be bare metal or sanded primer?

 

can we see some pictures of the area? When I read several holes of various diameters in a region, I think of a much larger area being rusted to the point where it's wafer thin and brittle. It's important to know how close the structurally damaged area of the floorpan is to the rocker panel, front subframe rail and the mounting braces for the front seat. The size of the damaged area and proximity to structural components will help determine what repair techniques should be considered.