2004 limited right side trunk is rusted out. Bought the car last week and replaced the pump for the locks and in the process found big hole in the floor pan. Went by a body shop and they wanted $750 labor plus a replacement floor pan if they could find one! Well that's not gong to work out for me being the cheap SOB that I am! My plan is to cut out all the rust up about three inches from the bottom and use fiberglass. Has anyone else done this or have any suggestions for me?

 

The plan goes like this. Cut rusted area out, treat rust and cut 3/8" plywood to fit in the bottom. Seal wood with resin, wrap plywood with fiberglass, make hangers to attach to body side wall. Fiberglass over and under the car and coat under the well with SEM Undercoat. What ya think?

 

I think it would be easier to use metal. We used to "aquire" traffic signs back in the day. Sheet steel isn't terribly expensive. Find a guage close to the original, cut out the rusted piece and use it as a template.
Then use a hammer and shape it by beating it over a 2x4 or other block of wood. You can use J-B Weld and some short self tapping screws to attach it. Drill a hole for a drain plug. Just my opinion.

 

That's. something to think about as well. Thanks. Maybe lay plastic film in the cavity and use spray foam to use as a filler. Once cured, remove and use as a form to lay fiberglass over. A lot of rusted metal is going to need cutting out.

 

SEM makes great adhesives for sheet metal. Expensive but stronger than a weld. While SEM is still wet secure the two pieces with a pop rivet to draw the two pieces together.

 

That might work ok if I were just putting metal on the bottom. I'm need to go from the bottom and up the sides by about 3" or 4". The pan's shape is an irregular shape.

 

I haven't read anywhere where it tells me "what to adjust" after insertion of the Miller Tool. I'm guessing it's for adjusting the shifter rod to the exact "neutral" position. Tomorrow will be a busy day changing out the shifter assembly. If all goes well with the shifter the trunk floor well is the next big headache.

 

My two cents.
1) Clean what you have, don't remove anything. You need to figure out what you have. A drill with a cone shaped wire brush will work nicely.
2) Once clean you can determine what metal is good to keep and what should be removed. Remember rust is a metal cancer.
3) Use cardboard to get the right shape for the bottom.

That should get you started. If you make your own pan from fiberglass or sheet metal.

The right way to properly repair this, is go to the junk yard with a battery operated grinder/cut tool and remove an existing pan from a cross fire with front damage. Ideally you would weld it but the SEM mentioned above is good idea. You can take your scavenged pan and press it in to fit.

 

Oh that's a good idea! I'll have to check with a junk yard. If they aren't willing to cut it out for me then it probably wouldn't get done. Here they don't want people removing parts saying insurance risks!

 

You could look at Eastwood Rust Encapsulator for the good parts. Then, weld in the parts you cut out and remake. And once you're done, reapply the paint to the new metal.

 

Did a little more in depth investigation of the right side rusted out hatch pan. Don't look too bad if you don't take into account all the rust! A little chicken wire, duct tape and insulation.foam should do it! Gotta give my wife's cookie sheet, that's holding the air pump up, back pretty soon. LoL. Top and bottom views.

 

If you use foam be sure to use closed cell foam. You have made a lot of progress!

 

Don't really know the difference. I was supposing to use rattle can insulation foam from Home Depot should I go with fiberglass. Does closed cell foam come in rattle cans? I haven't messed with sheet metal since I was in Jr. High School Shop Class. Ha

 

Open cell foam is full of cells that aren’t completely encapsulated. In other words, the cells are deliberatly left open. This makes the foam a softer, more flexable material.

Closed cell foam is made up of cells that are, as the name suggests, completely closed. The cells are pressed together, so air and mositure are unable to get inside the foam. Because of this, closed cell foam is much more rigid and stable than open cell foam.

Yes, it comes in cans. The open cell sucks moisture in. which will lead to more rust. I have seen mold on open cell foam.

 

The foam will not be left in the car. It is only to create a form. It was my original idea "but" it would be much easier to just lay the fiberglass in place and apply the resin. When you don't know what your doing you come up with all kinds of crazy ideas! LoL

 

Haven't given a whole lot of thought to the repair but the rust cancer is quite extensive. There just isn't much metal left. I'm "thinking" cut out all that is not stable, screw a 1/4" plywood from the bottom to create a floor, lay plastic sheeting on top hardware cloth, use 1/2" hardware cloth to form the floor and side walls, lay chopped strand fiberglass with resin. Followed by matting on bottom underside. Better than $1000 - $1300 the body shop wants! (Ridiculous amount for maybe about 3-4 hours work!)

 

Not a bad idea for a repair. The 1300 the body shop wants is for a proper repair. What your are proposing is fine but it's not a welded steel body. If you do go with your solution, use parchment paper on top of the temp plywood support as a release.

 

Good idea on the parchment paper. Because there is so much rusted out missing metal I figure I'll use hardware cloth to shape the floor pan. It's not a forever car for me so just looking for something to hold up the pump a couple of years or so. After driving around a few days I'm thinking the manual shift may not be the best car for me. Being a senior citizen and with all the shifting is starting to "bug the hell" out of me. Tampa has a lot of "stop and go" traffic to contend with.

Ordered new steering drag link assembly for a Mercedes C320 and hope it's the same. If not I can return it. Also ordered new shocks front and rear.