Hey guys, well i was working on my 91 Trans Am vert today and I found some rust in the ugliest of places. What am I supposed to do?

Some showed up above the front pass. wheel well on the unibody frame:


close up:



I'm thinking of just sanding this with a wire brush as best as I can, cleaning it, then probably just coating it heavily with POR-15 to stop it from growing.

And here, I'll definitely need a new piece of floor under the driver's feet. I'm just wondering though, is the plug thing necessary? Why is it there?

 

bump... come on I know somebody has some info on this.

 

Not a big deal... When you have the floor cut out, just cut out the rusted area on the support piece and replace it with a same thickness of material patch.... the plugs are not necessary, btw.

 

Oh ok, then why did GM put them there in the first place? Because those things seem to be the first to rot out. And anybody got any tips on the rust in the first 2 pictures?

 

Check out the group purchases. I'm trying to get a discounted order on floor pans.

 

For the first two pics, how large is the opening? It looks like you should be able to fit a dremel tool with a small grinding wheel in there. If you can't get it all POR 15 or rustbullet should take car of it.

For the floor pans, just look for a parts car with decent pans and cut out what you need. Your really don't look that bad, mine are WAYYYY worse. I wouldn't recommend just welding in sheet metal. The bends and curves are necessary.
Good luck
Alex

 

Thanks man! Yeah that's what I'll do for the first 2 pictures. As for the floor, I actually sanded the flaky stuff off and cleaned it and coated it with Chassis Saver. And I also put some tape on the inside on the holes since I heard that Chassis Saver dries really hard to the point it can patch up smaller holes like that. I applied 2 coats a couple days ago, now I'm just gonna wait a few more before peeling the tape off. If that doesn't work then I'll try some fiberglass patching. After thinking about it I don't think that cutting and welding are really necessary.

 

Good to hear, cutting and patching isn't always necessary. With that small a hole fiberglass should do the trick if Chassis Silver doesn't. I would definitely get some sub frame connectors though, especially since it's a vert. They've got enough chassis flex as it is.
Alex

 

Fiberglass and steel expand and contract at different rates, a fiberglass repair is temporary at best... With all the inherent flex in the chassis, any patching should be done with steel welded in place...any holes, gaps, or rust outs will only add to the chassis flexing issuel..... If the car is worth repairing, then why not repair it right?????

 

Yeah I was thinking about that but money is tight and I plan on reparing it in a more professional manner possibly next year. The nice thing about replacing floor panels is that you don't have to repaint the car after working on them or much else for that matter. So pretty much when I get the chance I'll just pull up the carpet in that area and get it patched.

Yeah I'll fiberglass it and keep it that way for the next year or so. And I was considering getting subrame connectors because these 'verts flex badly. I could see my car flex when I let the front rest on jackstands. And I could also feel it flex when I go over a bump or something at an angle LOL.