Fiberglass front floor pans?

[silverhawk]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has made fiberglass front floor pans with success. I was thinking of using some good pans as a plug, those I have, and put some aluminum reinforcements on the undersides for the required strenth. The idea was a something that will be sure not to rust out on a daily driver. I know how to make metal pans from rusting out, but wouldn't fiberglass be a tad easier? Opinions?

Dylan
'61 lark deluxe 4dr wagon

[bams50]

I would NEVER recommend that! See this thread:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19792

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[52 Ragtop]

Fiberglass does not stick to metal! (it will for awhile, but then pops off. That is why on fiberglass reproduction bodies, the fiberglass is always wrapped around the metal frame and back on itself.
At least that is how we did the Auburn Speedster bodies.

Jim

[Tom Bredehoft]

Fiberglass doesn't stick to anything. The resin used either sticks or it doesn't. Use chopped straw fiber glass and POR 15 to bond it to the rusty floor. The POR !5 will bond to the matt and the rusty steel, making a more permanent fix than standard resin. It may take two applications of POR 15 to seal it.

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Avatar1.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe (since 1959)
'55 President (6H Y6) State Sedan
(Under Construction 571 hrs.)
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[warrlaw1]

I remember it like yesterday, but it was 1975. I was taking a friend to the beer store in my 55C and made a left turn. Once I straightened out I heard the passenger door slam. My passenger had fallen out when the door flew open on the turn. He managed to haul himself back in and close the door b4 I knew he was even gone. The FG floor patches didn't hold the body together. My current 55 has the CE treatment. Floors, supports, the whole 9 yards. And I don't go to the beer store as often

[gordr]

If you made solid fiberglass floor pans, and then bonded them to sound metal with epoxy resin and rivets, it might work. But the effort involved would probably exceed that of doing it the right way.

If the floor pans are rusty enough that you need to replace them, chances are that requisite sound metal won't be there to provide a place to bond them.

You have to cut back the rusty metal until you get to steel that's at least solid enough that you can weld to it, however far up the tunnel or toeboard or door pillars that takes you. And then start welding new metal back in to form new pans, AND new under-bracing where needed, too. It's time-consuming work, but not particularly difficult, and unless you are aiming for a concourse-quality restoration, it need not be super-accurate nor highly-finished. You DO want to make sure though, if the door pillars have come loose at the bottom, that you have them properly positioned for the doors to close well, before welding them back in place.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[silverhawk]

Thanks for the responses, I definetly don't want what happened to warrlaw1. Has any one used the repro pans that are frequently on ebay? How did the do for you?


Dylan
'61 lark deluxe 4dr wagon

[rockinhawk]

I usually cut and form my own metal pans for a driver. Not show quality for sure but it keeps your feet off the ground. NT


Neil Thornton
Hazlehurst, GA
'57 Silver Hawk
'56 Sky Hawk
'51 2R16 dump truck
Many others.

[silverhawk]

Do you have any tips on doing that if I did? I have plenty of sheet metal to do so with, do it is a viable option.

Dylan
'61 lark deluxe 4dr wagon

[sweetolbob]

Dylan

As Neil said, It's not that hard to do.

I would not use any thing thinner than 18 ga. although I prefer 16 for floors. The easiest way is to buy a cheap bender from Harbor Freight. $35 for 18" or $79 for 30 inch. They are not great quality but will work. Much better with 18 ga. This what I've used to make three complete floors including my 54K.

Just make a cardboard template of the patch, mark the bends, cut and form. For patches larger than the bender just weld pieces together.

If you decide to do this project, and I recommend you do because of the satisfaction, Email me and I'll got through some of the tricks I've learned over the years.

Bob

[silverhawk]

Sounds good to me, and I'll give it a shot. The worst that can happen is I have to start over again, and forming metal is fun.

Dylan
'61 lark deluxe 4dr wagon

[KGlowacky]

NO, the worst that can happen is the pass. falls out and you don't notice and when you get to the BEER STORE you realize he had the money!!! That is a great story Warrlaw1.

[JThw8]

I will agree that fiberglass resin should not be used to bond fg and metal. I have done alot of glass work building custom flared fenders and such for race cars. What should be done is the finished fiberglass part should be bonded to the metal using Corvette panel adhesive (thats the commercial name of the product) it is specifically designed to bond fiberglass to metal. On my last car I built with fg flares bonded to the metal in this manner you could lift the car by the flares, the bond is incredibly strong.

Still for floors, I like metal.

[Guest]

I ordered a set of floor pans from www.c2cfabrication.com and although I've not installed them yet, they look good and were WELL packaged for shipment. Others I've ordered have come all beat up.

"Diplomacy is the art of saying' nice doggie' until you can find a rock." Will Rodgers