V-twin
power: Suzuki SV650S
As many of you know Mustangs leak, weathered by rain, salt,
leaves that trap moisture and humidity.
The cause of many leaks is worn cowl panels. Click here for that repair. The cowl houses the vents in front of the windshield. Beneath the vents, in the driver and passenger corners, are round sheet metal cylinders intended to keep water and debris from falling into the interior while allowing fresh air in. These items were not painted or even primed at the factory and, therefore, are prone to leaks. This Web page details my front floor pan replacement in July 1999. This job was my first major panel replacement, though I did learn to weld in high school and college shop classes and have worked with auto body experts on various projects. If you've never welded before, read the welder instructions carefully and practice butt and overlap welds before beginning on the floor pans. Safety glasses and goggles, a welders face shield, coveralls and leather gauntlets got a lot of use in this job, and I kept a fire extinguisher close at hand. As with any other job, the first priority is safety. To remove the floor pans, I used a jigsaw and a 4-inch grinder. To weld in the new pans, I used a wire-feed welder. |
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| As you can see from the top left photo, my driver-side floor pan was in bad shape. I made the hole beneath the brake pedal simply by picking at the metal with my hand. The black overspray visible on the transmission tunnel is "rustproofing" paint I applied in 1997 during a carpet replacement. The paint was overwhelmed by the relentless water leaks as well as the age of the metal. The passenger-side floor pan was not quite as deteriorated, but still needed replacement. |  |
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After I cut out the rusted metal, I ground and brushed away surface rust and primed. The pans are spot welded in at the factory; make sure you grind down the welds and remove as much of the old pans as possible. On the drivers side, watch out for the fuel line (left of the frame rail) and emergency brake cable (right of the rail). The two holes visible in the frame rail and crossmember are normally filled by rubber plugs. | |
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To
weld in the passenger-side pan, I drilled holes in the pan approximately
where the spot welds had been located on the original pan, set
the pan in place, then welded up the holes. On the transmission
tunnel, I overlap welded the pan to the tunnel. On the outside
by the door, I overlap welded inside the car and butt welded beneath
the car. Don't weld long beads; doing so will warp the metal. |
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Remember that a bracket that tensions the parking brake cable is
on the bottom of this pan. Use the old pan as a template to mark the
new pan and weld the bracket into place before welding the pan into
the car. |
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| Lots of Rustoleum should help keep the new floorpans in good shape. |  |
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A couple of notes: If you have trouble getting the pans to lie flat for welding, screw them into place with sheet metal screws, then remove the screws one by one, welding up the holes as you go. Also, you most likely will need to cut or modify the pan for your particular case; do so carefully. Lastly, add a few welds on the underside of the pan for added strength and to close any gaps. And take your time. Altogether, this job took a couple of weekends, since I had to do it outside in my apartment parking lot. I spent a fair amount of time moving tools and materials out in the morning and back inside in the evening. Here are the material costs: |
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| Part | Vendor | Cost |
| Short floorpan LH | National Parts Depot | $24.95
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| Short floorpan RH | National Parts Depot | 24.95
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| Floorpan drain cover and plug kit | National Parts Depot | 10.95
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| 3M brushable gray seam sealer | National Parts Depot | 23.50 |
| Spray primer and paint | Lowe's | 8.01 |
| Total | $92.36 | |
| Boyd's Mustang |
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F250:
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Recovered
Recaros----------------------------
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and more at VIR----------------------------
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repair || Floor pan replacement || Paint
and body || Suspension and brakes || Photos
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SV650S
Last updated Dec. 31, 2004
Site designed by Doug Boyd, Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved