Looking for replacement floor pans for my 1971 chassis. Would prefer to get 18 gauge over 20 gauge. Who would you recommend to supply both floor pans? Existing have too much rot hidden under fiberglass patch work and need to be replaced. Too much rot in front and rear of pans to get away with half pans. Can the old pans be cut out, and new ones welded in? Like to avoid removing body from chassis if possible. Thank you.
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MAMotorworks is close by and carries 18 gauge for $199/side. Getting the silicon and maybe fiberglass odd the fiberglass body side will be work. Using an dir powered muffler chisel will quickly remove it from the flange on the tunnel. Spot welding or continuous weld is best to reattach. There used to be a company that made heavy fiberglass floor pans which might be easier to work with.
http://www.mamotorworks.com/vw...for-cabriolet_378381
Mid America Motorworks
2900 North 3rd Street
Effingham, IL 62401
This one from RustyTubs looks interesting - $395
http://www.rustytubs.com/porsc...-like-origin356.html
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDe...D111%2D701%2D061%2DM
Try looking here ... as well... but I can't comment on their exactness as I never used them.
JBugs, Wolfsburg West.
I used these guys on my donor before I shortened it:
https://www.millsupply.com/vw-...4005278r.php?p=36138
Don't remember the gauge but they seem plenty stiff. Give them a call!
I had FG pans on my red speedy and they where thick and sturdy.
Bill, Gordon, Bob, Ray and Wolfgang... thank you. Took a look at the links and companies you provided. Thanks for the help.
MAMotorworks has 18 gauge for a '71 at $249 each side plus shipping at $133.
cip1 has heavy duty Dansk 18 gauge for $220 each with free shipping. Has anyone heard of Dansk? Is cip1 fairly reputable?
Millsupply seems to have thru 1970 then 1973 and later model years, but not 1971.
Jbug only carries 20 gauge for a 1971.
Wolfgang - Local body shop owes me a favor or two. He's pretty much doing what you suggest... air powered cut off wheel or air chisel to cut out the two pans. Shorten the two pans, spot weld them in, finish with continuous weld. Then he's going to clean off and spray the bottom of each with undercoating. Was thinking about possibly keep an inch of the existing pan lip and weld onto that... which would drop the pans and inch giving possibly a little more headroom. Just an idea...
Dansk makes original equip VW/Porsche parts in Europe. VW heat exchangers and mufflers. They make fenders and hoods for Porsche. Used to be made Denmark but not sure now. Mid-Atl shipping sure kills the local company!
Once pan is cut out, the air chisel will peel the remaining metal strip held by spot welds from the center tunnel.
WOLFGANG posted:Dansk makes original equip VW/Porsche parts in Europe. VW heat exchangers and mufflers. They make fenders and hoods for Porsche. Used to be made Denmark but not sure now. Mid-Atl shipping sure kills the local company!
Once pan is cut out, the air chisel will peel the remaining metal strip held by spot welds from the center tunnel.
Thank you... going to forward to the installer. Much appreciated!!!
I'd consider driving to MAMotorworks to get them, but at 325 miles each way not too practical given the Dansk parts assuming similar quality will ship to my door.
IIRC (it's been over 20 years, now) I used a cut-off wheel along the edge of the floor panel and about an inch in from the edge, leaving all of the spot welds in place. Once the panel was out I got back in there with an air chisel and popped all of the spot welds (it was much easier dealing with just a 1" wide strip). Cleaned everything up with the cut-off wheel and then made everything pretty with a hand anvil and ball-peen hammer to get it even and more-or-less straight and flat, then just dropped the new panels in where the old ones were and did a continuous weld along the seam, top and bottom.
After they were all welded in was when I cut the pan in two and took out the un-needed section. Tell your welder to trim off the spot welds holding the various tubes in place at the rear of the pan where they exit the central tunnel so they are free when you cut the pan in half, but measure how far each one sticks out of the frame so you can duplicate that length later. Don't forget the heater cable tubes - they're farther back. Then, when sliding it all back together, simply let the tubes push out of the frame at the rear until the pan is together and welded. Once the pan is all back together and welded up top and bottom, go back and tack weld the various tubes to the frame and then cut them to the appropriate length.
BTW: the CMC build book tells you to make up a pair of wooden 2" X 4"s to specific dimensions for bolts through the pan to keep the it straight when re-assembled for alignment. I've done it that way on two cars, now, and it has worked well on both.
Gordon Nichols posted:IIRC (it's been over 20 years, now) I used a cut-off wheel along the edge of the floor panel and about an inch in from the edge, leaving all of the spot welds in place. Once the panel was out I got back in there with an air chisel and popped all of the spot welds (it was much easier dealing with just a 1" wide strip). Cleaned everything up with the cut-off wheel and then made everything pretty with a hand anvil and ball-peen hammer to get it even and more-or-less straight and flat, then just dropped the new panels in where the old ones were and did a continuous weld along the seam, top and bottom.
After they were all welded in was when I cut the pan in two and took out the un-needed section. Tell your welder to trim off the spot welds holding the various tubes in place at the rear of the pan where they exit the central tunnel so they are free when you cut the pan in half, but measure how far each one sticks out of the frame so you can duplicate that length later. Don't forget the heater cable tubes - they're farther back. Then, when sliding it all back together, simply let the tubes push out of the frame at the rear until the pan is together and welded. Once the pan is all back together and welded up top and bottom, go back and tack weld the various tubes to the frame and then cut them to the appropriate length.
BTW: the CMC build book tells you to make up a pair of wooden 2" X 4"s to specific dimensions for bolts through the pan to keep the it straight when re-assembled for alignment. I've done it that way on two cars, now, and it has worked well on both.
Gordon - thank you very much. This will help a great deal. I'm going to copy and email to the guy who will be doing the work. Hope all is well on your end?
So how did this one turn out?
Impala - did you get to the end of the internet? I did during Covid! Just wasn't anything left to do but take up acrylic painting. If I recall the Speedster that Jim has (had) was Leon Chupp's (RIP) old Aztek Gold one with a T4 engine. Cool car!
I bet the '72 pan was the transition year (I thought it was later though) from seat rails to that weird pedestal seat?
Sweet!! Thank you for the update! A little sad when some of our fellow members that we’ve interacted over the years pass on but that’s our cycle of life.
