This was my first attempt at patching up some floorboards. Pre-fab OEM style patches are still available from a couple vendors but at a premium. So it was off to the TSC to buy up a few pieces of 16ga sheet metal. When owning an old car you are never at a loss for time to practice your welding techniques.
When I started working on the floorboards, in the winter of 2006, my welding skills were still umm, blossoming. The sum total of my welding apprenticeship consisted of a couple hours in my garage with a professional aircraft welder who showed me a few tricks on a spare door and a few pieces of angle iron. So, falling back on my almost 120 minutes of welding scholarship I surmised that 16ga. was a bit better for this project as it would heat sink a touch and I could bounce the welding puddle off the thicker metal into the thinner original floor.
My first section was the rear driver side just behind the kick panel. The original factory paint drain plugs are notorious rust traps and one was the culprit in this case. Here’s the first go:
A few months later I made my way up to both the passenger and driver side fronts. Each required a fair amount of cutting, fitting and re-cutting to get right. My welding skills improved somewhat:
Finally, after all the amateurish welds had been laid down, melted holes filled and the worst of the spatter ground down I primed and sealed. I went with a high zinc self-etching primer first on the fresh bare metal. Then I prepped all the exposed factory floor with rust sealer followed by Herculiner. I figured the Herculiner would act as a sound deadener as well as lending a bit of tooth for the carpet glue to grab a hold of. It looks pretty slick too.
