I recently discoved that the rust damage to my driver's side floor pan is WAY worse than I thought. It should (I assume) be cut out and a new one welded in. This would cost more than I could afford and more than I think it's worth (this is not a showcar).

Could I repair the floor pan with fiberglass?

What if I cut off the badly rusted parts, treat the remaining sheetmetal with a 'rust stopper', then patched the hole with a few layers of fiberglass mat & resin. I'm sure I could make it plently strong enough. Would this idea work?

What would be a reason not to do this? Would this be legal (assuming anyone found out)? Why hasn't anyone mentioned doing this before? Any ideas?

 

It doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. if the area is a good size (and modestly flat) I'd try riveting in a metal patch panel b 4 applying the fiberglass (just to give it something solid to attach to), assuming you're not going to weld on the car and are willing to take the carpet up (if it isn't already). There's pleanty of better/other ways to go about it,, but if you've got the material,, it can't make it worse

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• My Firebird
• Others 3rd gens
• Part Diagrams

-Welders get better penetration

 

If you do decide to use glass, or any other method make sure you get rid of all of the rust. That way it won't spead. I wouldn't use glass if its the area under your foot. I'd use it if the hole was in an out of the way area. Your best bet would be to rivet a peice over the hole.. with the proper rust prevention of course.

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• 89 Formula 305 WS6
  SFC's, LCA's,
  Spohn Panhard Bar
  Air Foil
  Flowmaster Cat Back
  Tranny Cooler
  A/F Ratio Meter (not a mod but it sure spurs interest)
  Trans Temp Gauge
  Most "Free" Mods
  3:73, Zexel Torsion Posi
• 90 Eagle Talon 2.0
  (Winter Beater)
  Mods? Um, no

 

Personaly I would weld in the same gauge of metal, use a mig-welder or at least pop-rivit the panel in. Since it is a floor pan I would strongly suggest that you do not just use fiberglass. Think of if you bottom out your car on something, what ever it is you just bottomed out on, be creative, it is going to be sitting at your feet through the floor. I would just weld in the same gauge of metal and forget the fiberglass. I rebuilt a jeep when I was in highschool and the whole body was shot except the hood and front fenders. I had to fabricate floors for the jeep because they did not sell all of them at the time. Well I made them out of 1/8 inch steel and slaped some fiberglass in other areas. The fiberglass did not hold up to all of the flexing of the floors and sides while rock climbing. I know that you can not rock climb in a camaro or bird so you dont have to wory about putting that much stress and strain on the car. But fiberglass is far more brittle than metal and it was originally made with metal so leave it that way. I am not an expert nor am I exceptional in body work but this is what I would do.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Try Por-15.

http://www.easycarts.net/ecarts/Perm...ationProducts/

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Car Craft did the repair your looking for with POR-15. www.por15.com