To Floorpan or not to Floorpan? This is the question.

[Gav 616]

Hey y'all

 

My XF 4.0L OHC project is largely complete. All over bar the RWC. I'll post pics of that little venture soon. My next effort will be an XA Falcon sedan. Picked it up in June 2012 from Taree and drove it home to Melbourne. A 302 auto. I'm converting to manual - that much is clear. It'll be a GS replica. Aside from some arse about fiddling and purchasing here and there not much has happened to it while stuff has been happening to other members of Gav's Falcon fleet. The winter months in Melbourne are typically bleak but I want to get some kind of head start...

 

So...do I bother with the underside of the floorpan or not. This can be done in the shittier winter months. Apart from a rust repair being needed around the driver's side left foot not much appears to be at fault. Forty years of road grime, the odd splurt of oil from the C4, vague surface rust where there's no body deadener and that's about it. It'd be nice to have an as new floorpan (clean...blaaaaack)  but can I do better than whats already there? Is it best left alone? Obviously this car won't be a daily - weekend warrior at best. I'd like to hear from those with some experience with these things. I have no rotiserie - I can afford one...seems a bit elaborate for a back yarder though so perhaps she'll be up on jacks. What are the pitfalls? What've people used in the past...I,m wondering whether it's worth it......

[xm-221 1,803]

It's worth it for the "resale value for money" factor alone.

Some stock rims with some 5/7 ply wood or 20mm mdf cut to fit in the centre with the jack stand on top is a nice, cheap, and easy way to get it up that little bit higher so you're not in cramped quarters underneath the car.

A scraper will get the majority of the crap off, lash out and buy a couple of triple twist knot wire wheels (cup and flat) to get rid of the rest of the grime. Wash it all down with thinners on a few rags. You can then rust convert or deoxidine where needed, then etch prime and blow some oil based stone guard over it, seal it up a few days later with chassis black or satin black and you'll have a clean underbelly. You could even blow some body colour over it for that really spesh look.

[Gav 616]

Read my mind, I bought both a flat and cupped wire wheels a couple of days ago for my angle grinder and had a shot at the repair section I bought for the floor as a part of my R&D...geez they chopped through the sound deadener and paint below with little hassle. I think with the combination of flat and cupped wheels should enable most of the pan to be stripped. Yeah..did the thinners and rags thing to remove the remaining film of deadener as well and was impressed with the result...shiny clean metal!

 

Wanna get it right the first time...scraping floorpans only needs to happen once in my life methinks!

 

Mmmm..leaning towards "to floorpan" rather than "not to floorpan" - really need something to keep me occupied over the winter months.

[xm-221 1,803]

really need something to keep me occupied over the winter months.

Porn?

[Gav 616]

Porn?

 

Sure...I'll stay tuned to your avatar...can you get her to do other stuff?