Bucky92 Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Well I finally pulled the passenger side seat and carpet out to get a closer look at this rooted floor...Well..Now I dont know how to fix it..I am not counting on my welding friend right now since he has personal issue to tend too...and I NEED to get Rocky the Wedge on the road ASAP ..cause something is burning up on Bucky and his front end is getting very very noisey. This floor issue needs to be fixed cause the seat belt was ripped out. Any suggestions or will I be paying a fabricator to do something. I think this is alittle beyond pop-riveting some sheet metal in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Holy Flintstones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Since it's not a visible area or a load bearing, (if I didn't have a welder) I would just cut out as much rust as possible, POR-15 it, then fiberglass that whole section. At least with fiberglass you can knock it back out later if you want to replace it with some steel, and the stuff is relatively cheap, and will mold into that curved area. Give it a good undercoating and paint the interior side. Alternatively, a small (very small - that stuff is thin) MIG welder is pretty cheap - or you could borrow or rent one. They are easy to use - point and click really. Wouldn't take much to bend a little sheet mental with a ball peen hammer to the right shape, and weld it in place. If I was closer, I would do it for ya - maybe there's another board member around? GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 yeah if its not load bearing I'd just grind off as much of the rust as possible and por15 it like GD said, and then pop rivit some wire mesh down and glass it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hmmmm........I have a sawsall and a XT parts car:brow: I might be able to send that with the carpet;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted December 30, 2006 Author Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hmmmm........I have a sawsall and a XT parts car:brow:I might be able to send that with the carpet;) That sounds like a plan Rob.... Problem is it is load bearing...this is the floor directly behind the pass seat...and the seat belt ripped out bringing along part of the floor ( right on the inside of the rocker.) And its also official..Rocky and me bonded...he made me bleed on him...hand still sore LOL Let me know what you want Rob...seems I can't make it to Harrys this weekend anyway...getting new fridge and Tommy needs his truck so I can't steal that ..plus its a gas hog ..would cost me about $80 just in gas to get there and back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 go stronger than oem if you can. Metal fatigue is at the root of paint failing, then rust. There is an xt6 here destroyed in the back end, same area, but rear end doesn't even seem to be attached. Think like an airplane fabricator would.. seems to be the best bet. (steel tubing, non-intrusive for feet etc.) Good luck, that is a common new england flaw. It is surprising what little extra turns into tons of strength vs oems attempt at being as conservative as possible to get the job done. 1 steel tube in magic spots could hold a freakin v8. (I have been thinking of it randomly for years...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 my seatbelt mounting points in the FWD xt6 were the same way... nonexistant. I ended up using thicker than stock metal, and drilling a hole in it where the seatbelt mounts. then I welded a nut on the back. not the safest, but it worked, and I rarely had passengers anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 piece of cake to fix... step 1 - get the plastric trim out of the way (and those speaker wires) step 2 - cut out as much of the nasties as you can - get it back to solid metal. step 3 - treat existing good metal with the rust preventer of choice (por15 has some excellent reviews) step 4 - get yourself a piece or two of thin cardboard (soda cartons work VERY well for this) and make yourself a pattern to fit over the damaged area/around existing protrusions like the seat mount. step 5 - place your pattern on a sheet of metal - 18 guage works well for this sort of thing - strong, yet easily bent. mark your pattern onto the metal. cut out your patch. then make any bends that may be needed - dont really need anything fancy - a big vise & a hammer work well for tight 90 degree bends, an old chunk of railroad track works great as a forming tool as well - have two pieces here about 12 inches long each anyway, whatevery you can find to get the bends as close to what you need as possible - heck even a chunk of 2x4 can be used in a pinch. test fit, work the patch, test fit, etc, till it fits pretty well. it can be riveted in place for temporary until you can get it welded in. (or see step 8a) step 6 - treat both sides of your patch with the rust preventer of choice. step 7 - use an undercoating on the outside of the patch and surrounding area. step 8a - (optional) on the inside use fiberglass to completely seal the patch and surrounding area. it does add strength. (just be carful not to fill any holes that you may need - like seat mount holes...) step 8b - mark and drill for your seat belt mounting point. personally, i would use a heavier piece of metal on the outside (treated to prevent rust of course) as a backer plate for more strength - slightly larger than the original backing plate...spread the stress out more. lay the carpet back in place, use a large diameter bolt, backer plate, fender washer, lock washer, and nut to fasten the seatbelt mount to the new floor. step 9 - reinstall all the other stuff - plastic trim, seat, etc - good to go (just a note - while the plastic trim is out of the way, you can re-route the speaker wires into the channel under the trim piece...clean things up a bit...i hate wires showing.) step 10 - sit back and have a cold one! you earned it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I agree with heartless on the method of repair. Mines going to take much much more steel work to fix. That Black sound deadener stuff on the inside of the floor comes up fairly easy if you take a small hammer and just tap at it. May need a putty knife or simular tool in spots though. But for the most part it comes up easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 wow. I feel for that one. and he made you bleed, to boot?! well, what do you expect from a teenager, huh? sheesh. step 8a - (optional) on the inside use fiberglass to completely seal the patch and surrounding area. it does add strength. (just be carful not to fill any holes that you may need - like seat mount holes...) step 8b - mark and drill for your seat belt mounting point. personally, i would use a heavier piece of metal on the outside (treated to prevent rust of course) as a backer plate for more strength - slightly larger than the original backing plate...spread the stress out more. lay the carpet back in place, use a large diameter bolt, backer plate, fender washer, lock washer, and nut to fasten the seatbelt mount to the new floor. 8a is good thinking, because it allows you to avoid using a welder and simply rivet your metal in. 8b is plainly and simply, the only way (IMHO) to make a safe seatbelt mounting point in a vehicle. If you are an auto manufacturer, you have engineers and labs to test and analyze and design your seatblet mounting points to your desired specifications.. if you are a shadetree mechanic, you have gut instinct.. and my gut instinct likes to go overkill on things like that You can always rivet it in first and see how things work. Fiberglass is an ideal way to create a complete seal, either way you do the job. I have seen people replace floorboards with fiberglass, and replace the frame rail underneath that floorboard with a large piece of channel.. It is all a matter of making sure you build the living $#!+ out of it, to be on the safe side. possibly a repair for under 200-250, too, if you avoid high welding costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukas Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I dont think that fiberglass is a good choice. Of course its relatively easy to work with, but in case of an accident, its not safe. Your XT will not be stable anymore. Lukas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 lucas - yeah, fiberglass alone would not be all that safe, but if you read carefully, i use it just as a sealing measure. altho - if fiberglass is good enough for corvette bodies.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 altho - if fiberglass is good enough for corvette bodies.... And jeep tubs, etc. Fiberglass isn't about strength - although it will flex a little bit before it snaps. That hole is tiny, and besides needing a mount for the seat-belt, doesn't have any real structural members in it. I would use fiberglass unless you can get someone to weld or pick up a small unit. I would rip out the seat belts and put in a set or three point harnesses so I didn't have to worry about the mount. Heck - it's supposed to be a sports car anyway right? If you must have the mount, I would say welding is the only choice. I would do the sheet metal, and then put a peice of bar stock down to reinforce the mount section and then drill and bolt the belt to it. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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